Rogue One Movie Review

In war, one of the most hopeless circumstances for any side is when their enemy has possession of a very powerful, and very devastating weapon.  

 Rogue One, Star Wars' new solo film, is about one such struggle. If you don't already know, Rogue One takes place directly before A New Hope; Star Wars' very first film. When A New Hope opens, Princess Leia is custodian of the plans which are crucial for destroying the Empire's Death Star-  a gigantic, terrible weapon capable of wiping out entire planets. Rogue One is about the brave band of rebels who launch a mission to steal those plans, and work towards restoring peace to the Galaxy. 

Although different from previous Star Wars films (partly because it's the first one that isn't part of a trilogy),  I think I can safely say that Rogue One is a brilliant success. It's darker and more dismal than it's predecessors, but the story-line, plot, characters, music, and cinematography all make for an amazing, unforgettable film. I highly recommend it. The set up was admittedly a bit confusing, but after the plot was established, everything started to come together and make sense. The characters were great, and there was a nice sprinkling of comic relief to lighten some scenes up a little. The writing was very good, although I would have liked the film to delve more deeply into the characters' back-stories.  The music was good and went very well with the feel of the movie. Over all I thought that this movie was incredible, and is one that I'll be watching again.

Rogue One is a violent movie with it's fill of guns and explosions, but also has plenty of heart, and leaves you with the feeling that you'll never watch A New Hope the same way again. I won't give away the ending, or tell you if the heroes succeed. All you can do is hope. But, after all, "Rebellions are built on hope."