Visually pleasing as ever, but really nothing beneath the surface this time

Rating: 4/10 (7 January 2017)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
After the Empire kill her family and destroy her home, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) escapes and finds herself stranded in a prison. However, her father Galan (Mads Mikkelson) survived and became a Federation officer, secretly devising a weakness inside the structure of the mammoth Death Star that will make it susceptible to an attack. Meanwhile, Erso and a ragtag group of warriors, including Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and sassy android K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) must hatch a plan to grab the blueprints for the DS, as the diabolical Commander Krennic (Ben Mendolsohn) marches forth with his destructive plans.
The Force Awakens re-igniting the fan base for Star Wars at the end of last year is a debatable argument, since with or without this thundering revival of the franchise, it would still be one of the most enduring in the history of motion pictures. With the first film entering its fortieth year this year, the SW saga provides a service to the art of motion pictures like no other, a thunderous, colourful assault on the senses that will always be suited to the big screen and understandably has an enduring fan base. Now another big screen instalment takes the story back before the start, for fans of the series obviously, with unsatisfying results.
An all star cast comprised of hot young talent and older, experienced hands have all ploughed into this venture, but the result is something with big ambitions, but no sense of direction or genuine engagement with the audience. Director Gareth Edwards, getting a name for making big screen ventures of established franchises, simply doesn't have a strong enough plot to guide this effort, nor the material to create character development that makes you care about the characters. As a result, none of the cast turn in performances that could be considered their best, and you may struggle to stay awake during the none spectacular bits.
Visually, it's as amazing as ever, a swooping, swirling adventure that could beat any theme park ride, even if some of it feels a little 70s esque. But, standing on its own, it really leaves wanting. **