The best SW movie since the original trilogy.

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2019)

'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' is the best Star Wars movie since the original trilogy. I honestly assumed beforehand that this was going to be one of the worst of the new Star Wars films, considering the plot - I mean, did any Star Wars fan ever really cry out for a movie telling us how the Rebel Alliance got hold of the schematics to the Death Star? I for one certainly didn't. It's sounds like filler, and a complete cash in. Yet, against all the odds, my prejudices and presuppositions, somehow they managed to make a really enjoyable Star Wars movie, which is more faithful to the style, themes and quality of the originals than any other Star Wars movie to date.
'Rogue One' demonstrates that you do can wonders with a very simple, yet effective storyline provided you make it fun, interesting, well paced with likeable, underdog characters. Heck, they even nailed the comic relief here as well - it's (thankfully) employed sparingly but tactfully, never feeling forced, and generating a genuine chuckle here or there. The battles scenes also don't feel generic like in many special effect driven movies, but felt quite gritty and visceral. And the brief scene with Darth Vader in pursuit of stolen plans in the narrow corridor near the end paid more respect justice to his character than any of the prequels did, which more or less sabatoged his reputation and legacy.
It's the first time since the originals you get a sense of real menace from from the Dark Side (with perhaps the exception of Darth Maul), and that the stakes for both Rebel Alliance and the Empire are high, and the deaths of the rebels actually counted for something. A worthy addition to the Star Wars franchise, which is more than can be said of most SW movies since the original trilogy.