"May the Force be with you, Rogue One"

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2016)

Rogue One through its seamless storytelling achieves instant mythical status, attaching itself perfectly to 'A New Hope' providing the Saga films with deeper meaning and significance.
Rogue One has a distinctly different tone to the Saga films, a much darker and grittier one. It is however one that we realise in hindsight is necessary to the franchise. This is the War film required in the Star Wars universe to add greater urgency and pathos to the conflicts between imperial and rebellion forces.
In particular, Rogue One critically explores the moral fibre of characters blurring the line between imperial and rebel, good and evil. That is not to say that the entire film plays a la Apocalypse Now; the creators still conscious of it being a childhood film leave out explicit scenes of violence, however more so in this film you experience the harsh realities and sacrifice made in War. The last act set on a beach conjures up WW2 imagery enhancing the rebels' cause for the greater good.
The casting is near perfect, a diverse cast unheard of in a blockbuster film. It seems in more ways than one the film goes rogue on what makes a star wars film as well as what makes a blockbuster film. This is made especially apparent by the daring ending.
Jones and Luna play their respective rebel characters Jyn and Cassian with stoic determination yet there are still moments punctuated with humour in particular by Tudyk's brilliant K-2SO. Ahmed, Yen and Jiang complete the inner circle of rebels creating memorable moments of quiet heroism in their respective arcs. This reaches particular poignancy in the last act through their subdued acceptance of death. The tight embrace of Jyn and Cassian in the clear view of the Death Star beam is a stunning and instantly iconic shot that sums up the lack of glory these characters craved for or indeed received.
If viewers are not quite keen on this take of the Star Wars universe, the penultimate scene of Darth Vader instantly makes this film a significant part of the canon. The ruthless annihilation of rebels and being within fighting grasp of the death star plans, mark the beginning of 'A New Hope' with greater meaning and urgency.
Huge creative choices have been made with Disney's first stand-alone Star Wars film but they pay off brilliantly in Rogue One, paving the way for the Star Wars universe to grow in less predictable ways.