'Rogue One' Reviewed: I'm one with the Force. The Force is NOT with me.

Rating: 4/10 (19 December 2016)

'Rogue One' revolves around Jyn Erso, who abruptly transitions from an apolitical troublemaker to a radical martyr in order to rescue her father, Galen Erso, from the wrathful hands of the underwhelming, Director Orson Krennic and his mediocre death squad of exuberant stormtroopers clad in black armour. Her father had been held hostage by the Galactic Empire until he decided to flee — only to be recaptured and separated from his beloved family— so that his vast knowledge couldn't give rise to an intergalactic genocide.
The plot follows the maelstrom of events that culminated in the discovery of a flaw, deliberately placed by Galen Erso, in the reactor of the Empire's iconically notorious mass-destruction weapon,'The Death Star'. The captive scientist surreptitiously gives away his plans via a hologram message that ties together a group of reckless warriors, who set out to transmit secretive data to Rebel stations.
The dark-drenched atmosphere alludes to a war-stricken soldiery perspective, which is tormented by nefarious acts of violence in the name of the Rebel Alliance; nonetheless, the film breezes past through sentimentality, and only conjures up camaraderie in order to set the tone for a last-ditch effort to frustrate the totalitarian plans of the Galactic Empire.
Unfortunately, the film falls short in forging a strong rapport amongst potentially unique characters, who are devoid of in-depth personality and slowly decays as the plot fails to transport the series to a high standard level of drama and obscurity. The promise of exploring the atrocious angles of George Lucas' vastly picturesque universe is replaced with vacuous elements that simmer in a bland mixture, which hinges upon nostalgia and C.G.I. resurrection.
What first appears to be moulded in unconventional grounds turns out to stumble upon pedestrian territory, teeming with a middle-of-the-road approach, steeped in commonplace traditionalism. Despite its constraints and uninventive spirit, the film throws in a visually stunning palette of colours that transforms a Spielbergerian battle, which takes place in a paradisiacal island, into a psychedelic trance of laser-beams contrasted with evergreen nature and a breathtaking baby-blue sky. Sadly, not even the presence of illustrious characters, such as Darth Vader, was capable of bringing balance to The Force.