"if you continue to fight, what will you become?"

Rating: 8/10 (26 February 2017)

The biggest fear I had for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was that it would lose the propulsive and mythical identity the rest of the saga carried. At every point in the seven film franchise, regardless of quality, Star Wars was about finding your place within the context of your life. Whether it be Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luke, Leia, Han...even Rey or Finn; everyone sought to identify and accept the role they felt was offered to them. The seven films were tied together by a vague thematic connective tissue; a powerful thru-line of mythical narrative beats and rousing spectacle. So how does Rogue One fit into all this? What story could it tell to find a place among those giants?
Turns out I underestimated the flexibility of that connective tissue; because Rogue One is right at home within this franchise. Here we find Jyn, another brilliant heroine lost in the world offered to her. It's made apparent that she is indifferent to that which doesn't directly effect her; apathetic to all things not immediately down her path. As the film progresses, she finds a reason to fight and to believe in the power of hope. That's a key word in this movie, hope. Another fundamental thru-line to this entire saga. The hope to become the person you aspire to be. The hope to resist a dangerous tide of tyranny and maintain systematic order. The hope to remain faithful to a diminishing religion. The hope to overthrow a tyrannical superpower in hopes of equality and justice. As the film blatantly asserts, this is a franchise built on hope. Misguided or not, Rogue One taps into that sincere yearning, that basic bravery required to oppose that which towers over you.
Rogue one includes just as interesting characters such as, Diego Luna's comedic and assassin-esque Cassian Andor, Donnie yen's blind staff wielding Chirrut imwe, Ben Mendelson's villainous Director krennic, hell even K-2SO is a well written character. Each and every character strives on their unique features and combine to make a perfect cast, Donnie Yen outshining them all. The child-like brilliance of George Lucas' original Star Wars returns in Rogue One as it brings new and enriching characters throughout.
It's action is amazingly done, combined with set pieces so beautiful, Rogue One brings an action/sci-do film for the ages. The final beach scene was both fantastic and emotionally satisfying I cried. I didn't know what they would do to have it end, but the entire last half of the film is worth seeing this alone. Packed with depth, emotion, and love, Edwards made a final sequence unprecedented by anything else. The conclusion to the film was also satisfactory in its connection to the original film; Darth Vader's brilliant murder rampage, the destruction of the planet, Princess Leia in all her GCI, was so beautifully done.
In my eyes, Gareth Edwards' masterclass of Star Wars comes from it's enriching story, flowed beautifully, excellent character development and end, and above all his brilliant way of telling a complete story without nostalgia or a sequel. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story took me by surprise, I loved it. It's possibly better The Force Awakens, damn this film was phenomenal.