Rogue One

The story of the small team tasked with obtaining the plans to the Death Star, eventually used by Luke & co. in Star Wars: Episode IV to destroy it.

Rogue One portrays the scrappy underbelly of the rebellion and as a result stands as a surprisingly insightful look into the blurred lines between good and bad. The Star Wars films are so squeaky clean that it’s refreshing to see there are actually real people in the space world. It’s also interesting to see the ‘war’ side of Star Wars.

The concept of fleshing out a minor plot point in one of the films could go either way, in this case it’s a success. It also turns one of the running jokes amongst fans of the franchise (‘why did they leave such a stupid flaw in the system?’) into something with a half decent back-story.

Combine that simple but effective plot with some great action sequences and you’ve got a hit on your hands.

Cynics might see this as a bit of a cash-grab from Disney. They are probably right but if you can pull it off, who cares? Perhaps we could have done without some of the cameos, but all in all Rogue One is a worthwhile addition to the Star Wars universe, and a respectable sci-fi action thriller in its own right.