Entertaining, hilarious, realistic and a great connecting link to the whole saga.

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2016)

ROGUE ONE : A STAR WARS STORY - Review
I was not so keen on this installment of the Star Wars franchise as from the trailer, it seemed an off-shoot story to me. But, man am I glad I booked its tickets on a whim on a late Friday.
The movie delivers on every aspect congruent to its trailer. It exhibited the same war tactics and scenario as portrayed in the trailer. It has its great funny bits coming from the new robot K2 which exhibited some uncannily human characteristics. And it had great characters without any unnecessary baggage bogging down the plot. Everything in this movie is clean-cut and presentable - there is no ounce of unnecessary ornamentation and the length of the movie is just perfect.
Every character had an explainable plot, and the actors did a great job playing them. Felicity Jones is surely a great find for Hollywood as she delivers so subtly but effectively - one consciously feels for her character. It is a bit reminiscent of the character Rey from the Star Wars- The Force Awakens movie.
So it all comes down to the plot. The story is set just before/during the incidents of the Star Wars - A New Hope movie. The Rebellion acquired the knowledge and the plans of the Death Star weapon being developed by the Empire, and this movie focuses on how the Rebellion got the information regarding such weapon. It beautifully connects the dots and the plot to the incidents of 'A New Hope' - so much that you are in for a nice surprise in the end when the information is finally transferred!
And yes, you see a lot more of Darth Vader in this movie than what you saw in the trailer - and it was awesome! All in all - a fine plot, great special effects and CGI, very endearing characters and an awesome climax and ending! The only negative aspect of the movie could be that it is a bit clichéd and formula driven.
Rating : 4/5
Verdict : Entertaining, hilarious, realistic and a great connecting link to the whole saga. Loved it.