Disney Do What Lucas Could Not

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2016)

There were so many negative comments about Disneyfication of the Star Wars universe - making it more child-friendly, more merchandise- driven, more bland, more blah, more nothing.
This film feels like a one-fingered salute to all of that criticism.
The fact is that "Rogue One" is a brave experiment and a film that really steps away from the tone - if not the setting - of Star Wars in a way no other film in the franchise has dared. It's the boldest move since "The Empire Strikes Back".
Feeling more like "Where Eagles Dare" or "The Dirty Dozen" in space, this film paints a more complex picture of the rebellion. Not a united group of like-minded, high-minded freedom fighters, but a group of zealots with mixed motivations, underhand methods and no lofty ambitions.
Felicity Jones makes an excellent heroine, without Jedi powers or especially strong with the Force, just with a desire to reunite with her father (Mads Mikkelson) whose existence manages to explain really neatly a major plot point in "A New Hope".
To save her father, Jones' character has to team up with a disparate group of rebels and from there it's an action-packed race against time to once again thwart the Evil Empire.
Is it entirely successful? I think so. I think it sets out what it intended to do, which is make a war movie in space, complete with "Battle of Britain" style dogfights and "The Dirty Dozen" style battles. I've read criticisms that the cast isn't as charismatic as the original trio of stars - that's probably fair. But they compare favourably to the new leads (Ridley, Boyega and Isaac) and they blow Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman out of the water.
But a note of warning - if the film fails it is because this is in no way a movie for kids. The characers and settings aren't so colourful. Parts of it look like footage from Beirut in the 80's. Plus, it strikes the bleakest end note since "Empire" and that may be unsatisfying for those expecting happy endings from Star Wars movies.
It's a brave move, a most un-Disney move, and I hope that Disney continues to make non-Star Wars films in the Star Wars universe.