A solid piece of entertainment.

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2017)

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY clearly did not set out to be the greatest STAR WARS movie and by lowering its sights, succeeds wonderfully as a solid piece of entertainment. There were stories that Disney had not been happy with the finished product and had stepped to make post production changes, if so, then the tampering is not evident in that the movie tells its story pretty seamlessly, with a fast paced narrative that dispenses with a lot of the exposition, while introducing and defining the characters well. I know many STAR WARS fans will come to this movie with very high and differing expectations, but I think most of them, will be pleased.
The plot of ROGUE ONE answers one of the great plot holes of the original trilogy, why was the Death Star built with such a glaring defect that it could be so easily destroyed at the end of A NEW HOPE? It turns out that the head scientist, Galen Erso, had been forced to work on the Death Star project against his will and had deliberately built in a weakness that could be exploited by the Rebellion if only they could get their hands on copy of the design plans, which of course are stored in a heavily guarded fortress. It will take the efforts of a rag tag group of Rebellion fighters, led by Erso's daughter, Jyn, to steal the plans if they are to have any chance of bringing down the Empire's ultimate weapon.
In essence, ROGUE ONE is a classic impossible mission movie, a 21st Century GUNS OF NAVARONE. And it does a good job of laying out the story in a three act arc, where in the characters come together in the first act, define and take on the mission against impossible odds in the second, execute their plan and meet their fates in the third. It's a great formula, and when done right, never fails to deliver. The movie gets off to brisk start, especially in the execution of Jyn Erso's story, which also introduces Orson Krennic, the villain of the piece. The second act may drag a bit at times, but for the most part, ROGUE ONE dispenses with the boring council meetings that in the past have served as a way to dump a lot of explanation and back story on us. And I will give director Gareth Edwards and the screen writers credit for not pulling their punches at the finale, and giving us an ending for our heroes that makes sense in the reality of their world.
Felicity Jones as Jyn, and Diego Luna, as rebel fighter Cassian Andor, make us believe that their characters have lived in a world at war for many years, and that they have seen and done some less than admirable things in the past. My favorites among the crew were Donnie Yen and Wen Jaing, as blind would be Jedi and his dubious sidekick. They play a couple of great bad asses who are quite funny and moving at the same time. Ben Mendolshon makes for a great villain in Krennic, another one of the Empire's endless Nazis. Alan Tudyk is the voice of K-2SO, one of the Empire's droids who has been reprogrammed without a filter; his lines are the funniest in the movie. Forest Whitaker gives another one of his patented swing for bleachers performances as a rebel outlaw, and Mads Mikkelsen plays a good guy for once, as Galen Erso. It's a diverse cast, but we never consider it diversity for diversity's sake like some other productions.
The most emotional parts of the film for anybody comes when ROGUE ONE ties itself to the larger STAR WARS universe, especially in the appearances of some familiar faces. If it's the Death Star, then Grand Moff Tarkin has to be three and so does Peter Cushing by way of some very well done CGI. Cushing actually interacts with the contemporary actors and fully convinces us that he will soon be ordering the destruction of Alderaan. Best of all, Darth Vader shows up and gives us a scene that might become my favorite from any STAR WARS movie, where he breaks bad on some rebels who have gotten their hands on the Death Star plans and reminds us just why he is maybe the greatest villain in the history of movies. A certain pair of droids turns up as well, along with more than a few pertinent cameos from the first trilogy; there are also plenty of references to the many STAR WARS books published over the years that added to the saga. It's a feast for the true fan.
Is ROGUE ONE better than THE FORCE AWAKENS? That is a tough call since the former is only meant to be a side story to the real saga that the main movies tell. It's a self contained tale set in the STAR WARS universe and not an epic chapter with beloved characters we all well know. But I think for many, it will be the most satisfying STAR WARS film since EMPIRE, one that brings us full circle back to where we first stepped into this marvelous world. And due to recent events, the finale is sure to be a heart breaker.