How the rebels stole the Death Star plans

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2016)

"Rogue One" (2016 release; 133 min.) is the first stand-alone movie in the Star Wars Franchise. Others have already commented about or summarized key points of the plot so I won't go into that again and instead let me offer a couple of comments and observations.
The movie is, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, directed by Gareth Edwards, best known for his so-so 2014 Godzilla franchise reboot. Here he brings to the big screen the story of how the rebels were able to steal the plans of the Death Star which was built purposefully with one fatal flaw. If you think I am "giving away the end" of Rogue One, perhaps you are one of the few people on the planet who haven't seen Stars Wars: A New Hope. Indeed, Rogue One is set just before A New Hope, and we all know of course how A New Hope turns out plot-wise. It raises an interesting point, though, namely how to bring a movie of which you already know the ending before you enter the theater. Added to that is the fact that the viewer is not all that emotionally invested in many of these previously unknown characters. The answer, it turns out, is to bring a visually overwhelming spectacle, the likes of which we have never seen before in any Star Wars movie. The last hour of the movie, which is action-packed, is nothing short of eye-candy as we see dozens and dozens of spaceships do battle with each other, while all kinds of other mayhem is taking place around them. The lead actors are okay, in particular Felicity Jones as Jyn but even better is Mads Mikkelsen as Galen, Jyn's father and an imperial research scientist who includes the flaw in the Death Star plans. Kudos also to composer Michael Giacchino, who has the thankless task of taking over for John Williams but stands his own (and of course there are a few original Star Wars themes in the movie). Bottom line: this is an entertaining Star Wars movie, nothing more, nothing less. But I have to say that I'm REALLY looking forward to next year's Episode 8...
"Rogue One" opened this weekend, and the Sunday early evening screening where I saw this at in Cincinnati was sold out. I had bought our tickets several weeks ago, and it's a good thing I did. This movie will do mega-business at the box office, that much is clear. I was surprised to see quite a few young kids (ages 5-6-7) in the audience, and they seemed to get quite restless, which didn't surprise me one bit, as surely this is not a movie for that age category. All that aside, enjoy "Rogue One" for what it is, Star Wars fans, and let's get ready for Episode 8!