The best Star Wars since the original trilogy

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2016)

Rogue One is the first of Disney's set of spin off films based in the Star Wars universe. It follows the journey of Jyn and Cassian as they attempt to steal the plans for the Death Star that was transmitted to Princess Leia in the first Star Wars film (Episode IV).
The beginning of the film is fairly standard, but it really sets the tone for the rest of it. It's not your usual Star Wars film, but much darker and realistic-feeling, and you can tell within minutes. While most Star Wars films don't care too much about casualties, every death in Rogue One feels significant. Oh, and the Stormtroopers have slightly better aim than usual. But it does get boring. While it tells us some crucial information, the first act of the film drags on for too long, and I found myself yawning and checking the clock at around 45 minutes in. Luckily, after that the movie really picks up the pace and becomes a lot more interesting to watch. In fact, it continuously gets better as the film progresses and that only helps to make the ending seem even better.
The characters in Rogue One are of great variety, each one with distinct personalities brought to life with some decent acting. It won't blow you away, but Felicity Jones (Jyn) and most of the rest of the cast did a good job showing the essence of the different characters. Sadly, there wasn't the best chemistry between characters/actors, with a lot of interactions feeling too professional. There were two that stood out from the rest though, Diego Luna (Cassian) and Alan Tudyk (K-2SO) delivered some great performances that really gave their characters an extra dimension the others lacked.
On the more technical side, Rogue One was very well made. The costumes for all the main characters were unique and helped me keep track of who was who. The large number of planets and moons this movie goes through all feel unique and like another world – not a set somewhere on Earth. Greig Fraser's cinematography was simply beautiful, and the way he shot scenes ensured that the audience never feels lost, even in complex scenes with many things going on in frame. As usual, ILM brought some impressive VFX that never called attention to itself, tying itself in with the rest of the visuals seamlessly and also feeling real – no mean feat considering the audience knows the entire universe is fake. Rogue One also features some of the best action of any Star Wars film, with nail biting sequences that work really well with the tone of the movie.
Sadly not everything is great. In addition to the boring start to the film, the music isn't great. It's decent, but not what you usually expect from someone as talented as Michael Giacchino. This can largely be blamed on the re-shoots, which meant Alexandre Desplat (who was originally asked to compose) had timing issues and Giacchino was brought in. While it sounds nice enough, it's not anywhere near as amazing as John Williams' original score.
Something that requires it's own mention is Darth Vader. Despite his very short screen time, you can instantly feel his presence in every scene he is in. Every time he is on screen, his imposing control over everyone is felt, and when he fights you can see he is a force to be reckoned with (mind the pun). He feels like the powerful Sith Lord he is, not some weak evil wannabe (ahem, Kylo Ren). In short, he is the best Vader in any Star Wars film to date.
Overall though, it's tough to find too many faults in Rogue One. The largest flaw was the utterly boring start to the movie. Apart from that, the great cinematography, VFX, action, a brilliant Darth Vader, interesting story and some decent acting add up to what is the best Star Wars film since the original trilogy came out all those years ago. Gareth Edward seems to know what he's doing.
8.4/10
NOTE: This is a lot darker (and sadder) than other Star Wars films. Take care with kids.