{"id":7275,"date":"2016-12-16T20:36:40","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T20:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=7275"},"modified":"2016-12-16T20:36:40","modified_gmt":"2016-12-16T20:36:40","slug":"rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-12a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/reviews\/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-12a\/","title":{"rendered":"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12a)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12a)<\/h1>\n

Dir. Gareth Edwards<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cast:<\/strong> Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Wen Jiang, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cI fear nothing. All is as the Force wills it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Prepare to jump to light speed once again as we find ourselves caught up in the big screen sci-fi events of a rebellion built on hope\u2026 Not \u2018A New Hope\u2019 which was the blueprint for the last year\u2019s The Force Awakens but rather a desperate gambit by some plucky rebels who must risk everything if they are to help stop the Empire\u2019s new \u2018Death Star\u2019.<\/p>\n

Rogue One is both the prequel to Star Wars IV (A New Hope) and a kind of sequel to Star Wars III (Revenge of the Sith). It\u2019s certainly a new kind of Star Wars prequel, namely one that doesn\u2019t suck.<\/p>\n

Meet gutsy young Jyn Erso (Brit actress Felicity \u2018A Monster Calls\u2019 Jones), whose dad happens to be the architect of the Empire\u2019s planet destroying super weapon. Aided by a rag-tag fugitive crew that includes Force samurai Chirrut \u00cemwe (Donnie \u2018xXx: Return of Xander Cage\u2019 Yen), freelance assassin Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) and a possibly reformed Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz \u2018Nightcrawler\u2019 Ahmed).<\/p>\n

Also on hand for this potentially suicidal mission to steal the plans of the Death Star are Rebel Alliance Captain Cassian Andor (Diego \u2018Elysium\u2019 Luna), Clone wars veteran Saw Gerrera (Forest \u2018Arrival\u2019 Whitaker) and comedy kick-ass enforcer droid K-2S0 (Alan \u2018Big Hero 6\u2019 Tudyk). And if you don\u2019t recognize any of those names from the sequels \u2013 you just know that all bets are off as to who will survive, which gives Rogue One a fantastic sense of unpredictability and peril.<\/p>\n

The Dark Side sees the glorious return of the iconic Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl-Jones) and suitably nasty Director Orson Krennic (Ben \u2018Slow West\u2019 Mendelsohn) doing the Empire\u2019s nefarious bidding.<\/p>\n

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When the skirmish \/ heist to steal the plans kicks off it\u2019s all wonderful Star Wars battle-em-up fun and there is pure nostalgic joy in seeing AT-ATs attacking the rebels whilst X-Wings and a variety of other spaceships duke it out in some of the best space combat ever committed to film!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not on the edge of your seat by the finale you\u2019re probably in a Force coma \u2013 Rogue One is a cracking space odyssey that does great fan service to those who love the original Star Wars films whilst simultaneously expanding the universe in new and cool ways.<\/p>\n

This is how you make a truly epic prequel Mr Lucas.<\/p>\n

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Thinking Material<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What\u2019s strikingly different about Rogue One from the \u2018main\u2019 Star Wars films is that it really brings the war dynamic to the fore. Those classic war tales such as A Bridge Too Far come to mind with stark sacrificial themes of just what is required when the few try to stand in the path of a super powerful evil. This is a darker and grittier Star Wars which feels very contemporary in our war ravaged world at the moment.<\/p>\n

The journey of the \u2018heroes\u2019 here is one that sees them as flawed and brutal individuals who choose to stand for something whatever the cost. These folk are desperate \u2013 driven to their actions by the galactic oppression that The Empire is dishing out. In this Rogue One is a rallying cry to all for us to consider where we stand on issues and what we\u2019re prepared to do about it.<\/p>\n

The fact that it leads to a film called \u2018A New Hope\u2019 feels well judged. Rogue One is the dark night before the daybreak and for many of us out there it is important to realize that there will be bad times, tough times, where faith doesn\u2019t seem like a very good comfort in the face of crushing problems. But there is hope, and clinging to that can be a way to find the resolve to \u2018do what\u2019s right\u2019 even when it costs so much in terms of time, energy, emotional pain or physical trauma.<\/p>\n

Rogue One is a bold addition to the Star Wars universe \u2013 it\u2019s one worth seeing and discussing down the pub afterwards as there is plenty to unpack and relate to.<\/p>\n

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CVM Rating: **** 4 out of 5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related Films: Star Wars ep IV: A New Hope<\/em>, actually all the Star Wars films!<\/p>\n

Other CVM\u00a0Star Wars reviews:\u00a0Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12a)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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