Utterly amazing

Rating: Null/10 (6 January 2017)

As a Star Wars fan, I can honestly say that for the first ninety minutes of this film, I was utterly unimpressed. After the excitement and pleasure that was "The Force Awakens", the first two acts of "Rogue One" were a dull disappointment with only brief moments of nostalgic excitement - but they were more than justified and redeemed by the thrilling third act that truly glued the film together. The brief moments of Darth Vader's cameo and the reintroduction of Grand Moff Tarkin were impressive, and the visual effects stunned, while the performance of Mads Mikkelsen was utterly spell-binding. But it wasn't until the Tobruk-esque third act that I truly appreciated the beauty of this film. Its dramatic climax, including a showing of the true power of Darth Vader, a reveal of Princess Leia, and an emotional and incredible battle scene to rival the best of Star Wars, was far beyond my expectations and justified the re-shoots of the third act tenfold. While the characters seemed cliché at times, Felicity Jones and Diego Luna performed fantastically and were contrasted beautifully by the performance of Ben Mendelsohn as the film's primary antagonist. I can only commend the writers and directors on the risks they were willing to take with this darkened, gritty approach to the Star Wars universe, and say that every single one of the risks paid off in the end. Utterly amazing.