Better than The Force Awakens

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2017)

Rogue One had a lot to live up to and, for the most part, it exceeded expectations and landed among the best films in the Star Wars franchise. Whilst The Force Awakens received criticism for it unoriginal plot, Rogue One excels in presenting one of the defining moments in the saga with a plot that does not just rely on what we as an audience have already seen before. In particular, the action, which is some of the best ever seen in this series of films, is a spectacle to behold and makes you really feel like the fighting is real. It really is something to see on the big screen. Honestly, if the next lot of Star Wars films are this good then the franchise is good and set for a long period in the public's consciousness.
There are of course bad parts to the film, as there are with any movie. The first act drags at an unbearably slow pace and most of the characters aren't particularly interesting. But the bad things are without a doubt overshadowed by the good and it would be wrong to say that this film doesn't rank close to the original trilogy, if not quite as groundbreaking and memorable.
With regards to Gareth Edward's directing, his action scenes are phenomenal but the realistic approach he takes to filming some of the scenes can be distracting, though I guess this can be excused as it does help make the film more intense. Also a lot of his shots, especially on one planet, seem to be drawing on images from war in the real world, which can be distracting but still does lend itself to the style he was using.
Overall, the film is a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe and uses its war setting to create some of the best action in the franchise to date.