Rogue One - I have a great feeling about this!

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2016)

Gareth Edwards (director), helming Rogue One started off with visual effects, this is something that shows in a lot of the visuals in his newest and probably most ambitious undertaking thus far. What stands out right next to this is that the movie is full of heart, no wonder it captures your attention and holds on until the credits roll. The best way to make your audience comprehend your script is through visuals and Gareth Edwards (director) uses this to his full advantage.
Working of a taut script penned by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, Rogue One succeeds primarily because of the attention paid to detail, Do not be surprised if you get hit by Star Wars regulars like 'Its a trap', 'I have a bad feeling about..', Wilhelm screams and more, At no point do we feel borne down by the pressure of Jedi's and their mission statement when the urgency of the movie propels us along and Edwards does not let us relax for too long even to contemplate the various Easter eggs hidden in. Nor is there a dearth of the usual things - cantinas, kyber crystals, bacta tanks - fans of the canon will like how things have been put together. Does an ugly faced man seem too familiar in one of the scenes? Think back to a cantina scene elsewhere and you shall have some goosebumps added for good measure.
The cast seems to have been made for the movie with really innovative casting like Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker apart from the already stellar Felicity Jones, Diego Luna Ben Mendelsohn and lots more. In particular and without going into too much of spoilery details, Alan Tudyk plays a cynical imperial robot - brilliant. In Ben Mendelsohn we have an Imperial director who perhaps while choking on his aspirations also sends chills down ones bone. Remarkable as it is in not having a single Jedi in the movie, Chirrut and Baze, guardians of the Kyber crystals provide us with an inkling of what is currently the past and lost glory of Jedis.
It is almost as if Gareth Edwards (director), Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy planned to ensure they had a spectacular Star Wars movie on paper without a single Jedi duel. And it has worked spectacularly, unless you count in the appearance of one very special light saber - beyond which I will not spoil the movie for you. Action sequences are as gritty, real and involving as are the scenes that maintain the heart and spirit of the Star Wars movies. Without succumbing to mind numbing forced additions of mirth, humour, wry and otherwise finds neat slots in the narrative and in the form of Chirrut, the Imperial droid K2SO and others ensure we wear a smile when we aren't gaping open mouthed at the incredible visual imagery. Production design by Doug Chiang (OFFICIAL) and Neil Lamont contributes to the open mouthed gaping, Filmed in multiple locations such as Maldives,Iceland, Jordan, England and surprisingly for one of the scenes Canary Wharf underground station in London - the sets, props, weapons, aliens all synergize to an end product that transports you to - yes - a galaxy far far away - yet not so far away that it disconnects you from the goings on. Subtle but excellent.
Michael Giacchino has been in the headlines a lot lately and Rogue one confirms he is one of the best composers to have scored a Star Wars film, no pun intended.While paying respect to John Williams original Star Wars (soundtrack), Michael Giacchino provides his own contribution raising the soundtrack to a level where one can clearly sense one is in the presence of the Force and that the force is with us.Not only do we hear the soaring operatic notes that Mr.Williams pioneered in this space drama series we are treated to a whole new range of improvisations - difficult to achieve without restraint. Overall, Rogue One (with the unfair advantage of having a full knowledge repository of the entire Star Wars universe), in my opinion, is the best Star Wars film thus far. Gritty and full of heart, dramatic and nearly a war movie - there is not one moment when our visual and auditory senses along with our brains do not feel gratified for having paid the price for an IMAX ticket.Taking up a classic idea of a motley crew of fighters facing off a near impossible opposition and demonstrating courage in the face of annihilation is something that is as classic as cinema itself.