Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And What a Story.

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2016)

Rogue One is a Star Wars film wholeheartedly, but it does make its own through showing a story that is an entertaining and necessary entry in the classic saga. This is a Star Wars movie unlike the ones, in that there is no opening crawl; instead we have a prologue developing some backstory on what's to follow. That may throw some audiences off for a bit, but what follows is a ride and a real experience and mandatory big screen viewing.
I loved this film. Rogue One surprised me; and I'm sure it will surprise many others after the majority of audiences have seen it and finally give their thoughts on the movie. Despite the reports of reshoots covering a reported 20-40% of the story, Rogue One overcame all of those problems and gives a thoroughly entertaining experience that doesn't feel at all like boring or by-the-numbers canon; and for that I congratulate Gareth Edwards. If only I could actually shake his hand with him in person.
Is Rogue One flawless? No. Does it need to be? No. Does it provide genuine entertainment and escapism for your hard-earned cash? Yes; absolutely. And don't worry. It doesn't bog down into unnecessary exposition or anything like Episodes I & II suffered from. Rogue One gets right down to the action and shows a story of war and the devastation it leaves in its wake. But never forget that there's always hope.
'Rebellions are built on hope'- Jyn Erso.
And yes; The Force is strong with this one.