It is the time of the year where the world gets to experience one of the greatest Sci-Fi franchises of all time: Star Wars. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the recently released and highly anticipated prequel/sequel to the original trilogy and the almost universally despised prequels released in the late 1990’s through 2005, respectively.

Rogue One follows the story of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as she is tasked with retrieving the Death Star plans and along for the ride are some unlikely allies in the form of, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) a Rebel Alliance Intelligence officer, Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) a blind warrior, Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) a Rebel warrior and mercenary, Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) a former pilot for the Empire, and the comedic relief K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) robot companion to Cassian Andor.

Rogue One is unique in that it is the first of a few Star Wars spin-offs being planned at the moment, plus it takes place right before A New Hope and after Episode III making it a de facto prequel (dirty word!). Rogue One does connect almost perfectly with A New Hope but there are a few continuity issues that die hard Star Wars fans will see.

With any Star Wars installment, the acting was top-notch (excluding the prequels), and the audience really gets a deep understanding of the characters and their motives for what they do, and (maybe more importantly) what they don’t do. Hands down the most iconic and buzzworthy performances was that of Guy Henry and Stephen Stanton who portrayed Peter Cushing’s character Grand Moff Tarkin. Peter Cushing died in 1994, so with the use of CGI they were able to graft Cushing’s face onto Guy Henry’s body while Stephen Stanton provided the voice for Tarkin. Other notable performances were that of Felicity Jones and James Earl Jones who plays an even more brutal and villainous Darth Vader who completely steals the show whenever he is on screen.

Action sequences in Rogue One are much more boisterous, due to technological advances, and darker than previous installments with many on screen deaths that will fill the hearts of fanboys with excitement and hope that the next spin-off will be as exciting and action packed. The climactic final battle is riveting and edited in a similar fashion to classic Star Wars films with a multi threaded climax leading up to the return to battle for a certain classic character.

One does not have to be a die hard Star Wars fan to enjoy the film; this is a must see for those who enjoy a gripping story, character development, visuals, and the overall sense of excitement.  

The Madisonian: A-