More "Wars" than "Star", but it works!

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2016)

Rogue One: A Star Wars story spoiler-free review. Plot Synopsis: Set just before the events of Episode Four a New Hope, Rouge One tells the story of a small group of rebel fighters who give their lives to provide the Rebel Alliance with the Death Star design plans.
This film was as expected, completely different from all other Star Wars films. If I could be so boldit's a lot more "War" than it is "Star." However, in the grand scheme of things, I think it works.
The film is largely a character driven piece until the action packed final act. Mostly, the film centers around three main characters. Rebel fighter Jyn Erso and her father Galen Erso, played by Felicity Jones and Mads Mikkelson respectfully. As well as the film's main antagonist Orson Krennic, the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military. Played to menacing perfection by Australian Actor Ben Mendelsohn.
But the film also has a great number of intriguing supporting characters ranging from Forest Whittaker's aging Rebel Extremist Saw Gerrera to Donnie Yen's blind but possibly Force-sensitive warrior Chirrut Îmwe. And Alan Tudyk's re-programed imperial droid K-2SO (who provides some much needed comic relief in the film) was a wonderful character as much personality as C-3PO or R2-D2.
There are a number of striking aspects about the movie that you will find very memorable. The first being that the Rebel Alliance is portrayed as being not quite the noble and heroic uprising as we have always thought it to be. Individual members (like Diago Luna's Cassian Andor) are written to actually have few scruples and do some rather ugly things in the name of taking down the Empire.
The command of The Rebel Alliance is also portrayed as a shambles quite frankly! Disorganised and chaotic, with a command structure that leads to constant bickering amongst its leaders. The tone of the film is also honestly much much darker than you would expect from a Star Wars Film! There is very little of the original or prequel trilogies trademark campy "space opera" to be found.
But before you get turned off by that information, let me just say I think it actually works. I mean, think about it! A galaxy under the thumb of a tyrannical totalitarian dictatorship would be a very horrible place to be. Pain suffering and death would be commonplace. And I think it was long overdue that we got to see the effects Imperial rule has in the Star Wars Universe.
However, there is still a great deal of moments in Rogue One that will keep your standard Star Wars fan happy. For starters, several characters from Episode three or Episode Four make memorable reappearances. Many of whom are being played by the original actors reprising their roles. Others, however (like Grand Moff Tarkin) are being played by new actors with either makeup or CGI to make the character appear exactly like the original actors who first portrayed them. The effect is honestly a mixed bag with some characters looking almost exactly like they did in the original films they appeared in, while others look like lost cosplayers at comic con!
There are also one to two brief cameo's that will fill any Star Wars fan heart with joy! On top of all of that, there are dozens of hints and references to the original and prequel trilogies as well as the extended universe (why Disney bothered to declare it not canon even though they borrow so much from it I'll never know).
But if you were one of those people who were the most excited to see Darth Vader in Rogue One you may be a bit disappointed. The Former Anakin Skywalker has a total screen time of about three minutes by my count! But, it's a memorable three minutes. Besides, Darth Vader has never been a character that needed a significant amount of screen time to make an impact on an audience!
The final act of the film is what will get most people talking I believe. I don't want to give too much away, but it flawlessly and beautifully bridges the gap between Episode Three and Four. And the ending will make your heart melt if you are a true Star Wars fan.
All in all, this was an impressive gamble the filmmakers made with the Star Wars franchise. But I think it worked very well. However, I will say that I'm sure some fans will probably not be 100% won over by the Rogue One. But personally, I enjoyed it very much! I'm giving it eight out of ten stars.