The missing piece

Rating: 10/10 (15 April 2017)

When Rogue One was released, I didn't have any particular expectation about it. I was quite disappointed by the Force Awakens released a few months earlier but as many of my friends who happen to be great Star Wars fans begged me to go see it, I've given up and gave it a shot. And I don't regret anything about it.
Rogue One is the Star Wars movie we should all expect to see. It has the sense of epicness the previous trilogies have, the same taste of visual and sound marvel and they have characters we could truly identify with. It has also some very well placed dose of humor which is welcome to enlighten the mood a little.
Because we should not be mistaken about it: this movie is very dark as it's the direct prelude of Episode IV where the Empire is ruthless as ever without any sight of hope to see. The Alliance is still burgeoning and struggling to survive and almost to the point of breaking up and surrender. The only hope will come through this bunch of ordinary heroes who are willing to risk everything including giving up their lives to give the Alliance that will which would allow them to defeat Evil.
Jyn Erso has nothing special just like we thought Luke was before we learned of his past. She is the daughter of a genius scientist who got kidnapped by the Empire to create what will become the Death Star. Trying to survive on her own, she is rescued by the Alliance so she could help them locate her father and destroy the Death Star before it's becoming operational. Here begins an epic journey which will drive them to go straight in the clutch of their enemies to steal the blueprints of the deadliest and most powerful weapon ever and finally give the galaxy a new hope to triumph from Evil.
This movie has so many assets and it uses it very efficiently. First it has a true purpose as it's the last piece of the puzzle. It explains us and give us many answers to questions which were left as a mystery. For example we never knew if that fatal flow of the Death Star which caused her explosion was an accidental mishap or a deliberate attempt to thwart the project. With Rogue One that mystery is answered. We also know how Tarkin got control of the Death Star or how Leia got involved with all of this. Rogue One in that aspect was necessary.
Second it allowed us to meet again characters we fought long gone like Governor Tarkin, Gold Leader, Red Leader, Bail Organa or young Leia thanks to the incredible ingeniousness of Light & Magic. Those people are so talented it's mesmerizing. They deserve an award just for being able to recreate those legendary characters and inserting them into that newly created story. It was ambitious and risky but it worked to the perfection. I had a chill watching them coming back to life once again. It was eerie.
And of course we meet Darth Vader once again. That part was probably the best one ever of the movies. Rogue One surely wrote another part of the legend of Darth Vader. The two scenes he appears are chilling and breathtaking truly showing how raw and powerful this legendary character is! That was something Gareth Edwards did very great.
Now let's talk about the locations: Scarif is breathtaking. It truly looks like a postcard place with its sandy beaches, teal waters and tree palms if only it wasn't used as the Archives of the Empire and the main scene of a destructive and bloody battle. Jeddah is the recurring sandy planet each Star Wars is obliged to have but it's still very interesting to see with its atmosphere and great array of population communities, one of another recurring theme every Star Wars Movie has to show.
Finally the musical score. As a Star Wars movie, its score has to match the epic feeling of the movie, the tension of the scenes. Michael Giacchino did a great job at it especially the final battle which was a real pleasure to the ear. If it was John Williams well I wouldn't be surprised one bit, but for a newcomer, it's impressive so great job Michael.
So to conclude, Rogue One deserves to be considered as canon. It has it all: the epic story, the great cast, the visual masterpiece, the music score and the creativity. George Lucas once told that among all the movies Disney released since they took over, Rogue One was by far his favorite. Well I cannot agree more when you see how disgraceful Star wars has become since then.