Will surely please hardened fans and newcomers in equal measure

Rating: 8/10 (27 March 2017)

Following their procurement of Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise with it, it didn't take long for Disney to announce an all-new trilogy, continuing the legacy that was somewhat tarnished by George Lucas' terrible prequel trilogy beginning back in 1999. J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens, aka Episode VII, predictably made a ton of money in 2015, despite being a thinly-disguised re-hash of Episode IV with a few new characters thrown into the mix, and soon enough announcements were being made of spin-offs and origin stories aplenty. Many rolled their eyes at what appeared to be an easy money-spinner, but many more were excited to see this vast universe - which had been explored to no end in books, video games and comic- books - come to life on the big screen, and Gareth Edwards' Rogue One is by far the finest Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back.
Set some time after The Revenge of the Sith but just before the events of A New Hope, the universe lives in terror as the Imperial Empire, led by the feared Darth Vader, seeks to crush the Rebellion and rule the galaxy. Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) is forced by Imperial weapons researcher Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) to complete his work on the Death Star, a device the size of a moon capable of destroying entire planets. Galen's young daughter escapes the Stormtroopers and is raised by Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). Years later and now a young woman, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is freed from a labour camp by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and is taken to Rebel leader Mon Mothma, who convinces her to help persuade her father to defect so they may learn more about the weapon he is building. Joined by a rag-tag gang of fighters and criminals, Jyn unwittingly finds herself at the centre of an impossible mission to steal plans to the Death Star, and playing her part in rescuing the universe from oppressive rule.
Continuing the series' line of strong female leads after Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley, Jones' Jyn Erso stands out by not being a princess or a 'Chosen One' character, but a tough orphan without any stand-out skills other than sheer will and determination. She doesn't get any special treatment due to royal connections or suddenly start wielding the Force, but must shack up with an equally gruff and battered gang of unlikely heroes to stand any chance of survival. Her companions are as equally memorable and played by strong actors, without ever being defined for a unique attribute. With C-3PO off elsewhere, the comedy robot is K-2SO, a re-programmed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk who offers the movie such much- needed comic relief. There's also blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen, who really looks like he's enjoying himself), his gun-wielding mercenary pal Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), and defected pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed).
Any fans who adored the Easter eggs barely hidden in The Force Awakens will be pleased to know that there's no change here. As the timeline inevitably crosses over with A New Hope, many faces and events will be familiar. Even Peter Cushing is brought back via some impressive CGI work as Grand Moff Tarkin. Edwards ensures that these crowd-pleasing moments of nostalgia don't distract too much from the central plot, and he really goes all-out with the action scenes. Apparently, futuristic helmets were placed upon the heads of real soldiers in old war photographs by Edwards as an idea of how he felt the aesthetic of the battles should be. They pulled it off, as there's a real immediacy and grit to the fighting. and a clarity in the way it is captured. Donnie Yen going to town on some Imperial soldiers with a staff provided, for me at least, the film's highlight. While the film does move too fast for its own good on occasion, this is a thrilling experience, with characters far more interesting than those involving in the main story. It will surely delight hardened fans and newcomers in equal measure.