A glorious addition to the "Star Wars" saga...

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2016)

Whatever hollow feeling "The Force Awakened" left us with will be filled out with what "Rogue One" delivers. And while I did enjoy "The Force Awakens", then it was just a blatant mash-up of part IV and VI, which served no purpose, except for catering to a whole new audience. However, "Rogue One" caters to both a new audience, but also to us who has been with the "Star Wars" saga since "A New Hope", and it does so with great skill and precision.
I must admit that the lack of the iconic scrolling text and "Star Wars" theme threw me off at first, and it was a shame that director Gareth Edwards opted to leave that out of "Rogue One", because that is how everything even remotely "Star Wars" starts out, even the PC games. But my disdain quickly dissipated like morning dew at the rays of the sun, because "Rogue One" turned out to be a real treat for us hardcore fans of the "Star Wars" galaxy and franchise.
The storyline, to those not yet familiar with it, is about how the technical plans for the Deathstar came to be in the hands of the Rebel Alliance.
Yep, that was essentially it. Of course, there are more layers to the storyline than just something that simple, but that is the essentials. And I will not delve further into the details, because I believe that this is something that you should experience for yourself.
True to the "Star Wars" saga, there is an abundance of characters, both good and evil throughout the course of the movie, most of which we are hardly given a good chance to get to know. However, the movie does focus mostly on Jyn Erso (played by Felicity Jones) and leaves the rest of the characters mostly just to appear as fillers and static characters. That was a shame, because a lot of the characters seemed to have really interesting background stories to tell and would add a whole deeper level of authenticity to the movie if we got to see more of what drives them, why they act and behave the way they do, and such. But of course, that would require a more extensive movie. However, I was left with a feeling that most characters were just colorful cardboard characters without a chance to fully shine on the screen.
As for Grand Moff Tarkin, well I will say that bless the CGI team for their efforts and for their attempt. However, it was painstakingly obvious that this was a CGI animation, and it didn't even remotely sound anything like Peter Cushing. And while the CGI animation was quite impressive, then he looked like he belonged in a "Final Fantasy" movie, and not in a "Star Wars" movie. There is just something about CGI animation which never looks fully life-like. I assume it was the lack of soul in the eyes. And the same should be said for Princess Leia, even with the little screen time that she had. But again, they put in a good effort and it worked out well enough. But with hand on heart, then it was a bit disheartening to witness on the screen.
Thankfully they had toned down on the comedic element, so there wasn't a new Jar Jar Binks to be seen in "Rogue One". Sure, there was some comedy, but it was subtle and it worked quite nicely with the dramatic storyline and the fast-paced action. And the comedic element was of course delivered by the very lovable K-2SO robot.
And there were great cameos throughout "Rogue One". It was especially great to see Gold Leader and Red Leader back in the cockpits of their Y-Wing and X-Wing respectively. That was a really great moment. And also when Jyn bumped into two very familiar characters on the bustling street, that was also quite a blast to witness. And then there was also a brief, but certainly, great moment with R2-D2 and C3-P0.
There is a lot of action in "Rogue One", both space combat and ground combat, which really helped the movie along quite nicely. The entire combat scene with the rebels and stormtroopers on land was just impressive, but it got even better as it was spiced up with some amazing space combat.
Now, there was of course Darth Vader, and while he is not a central part of the story, then he had some really great scenes, and it was a treat to have James Earl Jones return to voice this iconic Sith Lord. And the last five minutes of screen time that Darth Vader had was just amazing.
As for the acting in "Rogue One", then I will say that I was impressed with the entire cast for most parts. I was especially impressed with Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Wen Jiang and Donnie Yen. But Felicity Jones also managed to do a good job in the lead role, and while I had initially dreaded seeing my countryman Mads Mikkelsen in a "Star Wars" role, then he actually exceeded my expectations and was a welcomed addition to the saga.
The special effects in "Rogue One" were just awesome, and you are constantly bombarded with visual effects, both CGI and physical. And there are so many details in every scene, that your mind really is working on overtime to take it all in and absorb it.
If you enjoy "Star Wars" in any way, then you definitely have to go to watch "Rogue One". "Rogue One" definitely picks up the ball that "The Force Awakens" fumbled and dropped and carries on the torch of the "Star Wars" saga.