I figure the shorter I keep this review, the more likely you'll believe me that there are indeed no spoilers here so I'll be brief. Let's star here: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the second-best Star Wars movie that I have seen. Ever. Phenomenally done on so many levels. Let's dive in.
Rogue One is the story of a band of heroes, led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who come together to steal the plans to the Death Star, a planet-killing machine. There are a lot of characters and multiple planets introduced in the beginning so it's somewhat easy to get confused early on. I personally lost focus somewhat at the beginning, but it's beyond worth it to hang in there.
The stakes are high in this film, higher even than in the preceding films. As a result, you find yourself completely invested early on because you realize what the failure of this mission ultimately means for the good guys. High stakes means desperation, doing things you aren't necessarily proud of but you know those actions are a must for the cause. That's another thing I loved about this film, the fact that it shows you when choosing a side, everything is not always black and white. War is dark and unforgiving. You can't always play fair or nice. You need people willing to get their hands dirty. Rogue One touches on this quite a bit.
The action sequences are grand in scope aided by beautiful visuals. Rogue One gives you the crisp originality that comes with the sci-fi genre while really capturing the brutality of war. Think Saving Private Ryan with aliens and spaceships. Fans will get a kick out of quite a few moments throughout as the film did an excellent job of maintaining the nostalgic feel of the originals. You can trust me on this one, but I won't elaborate. My lips are sealed...
The characters are both fun and well-developed. I went to see Rogue One with three other people and each of us walked out with a different favorite. I especially liked the way Felicity Jones handled Jyn's character. Jyn grew up mostly without her parents so she had to learn independence at an early age. In spite of her talent for doing things on her own, she knew when she was overwhelmed and when she needed to ask for help. She understood that teamwork was her only path to success.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story pleasantly surprised me. It has me excited to see more of the Star Wars one-offs that will be showing up in the next five years. I give it a 94.
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