Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

This is almost perfect Star Wars. By far the best Star Wars of the new era (including the prequels). Hard to find any fault with it. If only Abrams, Johnson and other took more note of this it might have saved us from some of the faults in those other movies.

A Star Wars movie that hit hard before, but after seeing Andor, it hits even harder.

Rogue One is a masterpiece of cinematography, acting, visual effects, and writing (even though it takes a while to get going at first).

This movie is about the story of how ordinary people risk everything to get the plans to the Death Star, and they must endure hardships, even if it costs them their lives.

Jyn Erso is the main character, the daughter of a Death Star engineer who was against the Empire and designed a weak spot in the Death Star. The movie is about her being recruited by the rebels, and they must get the plans to the star, along with Andor and other characters.

The movie takes a while to get going, with all those points of view and jumps from character to character, planet to planet.

It's only halfway through the film, when they leave Jedha and go looking for Galen Erso (The Engineer), that the film really takes off. And what more can we say about the ending? It's a masterpiece. It's tragic and realistic because it shows that rebellions aren't easy and cost lives, and it doesn't reveal all the suffering the characters must endure.

The script is well-crafted; it could have been refined to remove some minor inconsistencies, but it was still quite good.

After watching the Andor series, this film definitely hits harder, especially seeing everything Andor suffered, what he had to abandon to reach this point to serve with the rebels. Some of his lines carry more weight after what we saw in the series, and his connection with Jyn Erso makes it even more tragic because he has someone who understands him, someone who also lost everything, and until the end, they are connected in their purpose. The final shot of them embracing as the planet is destroyed definitely hits home after Andor.

Rogue One is definitely an intense, emotional, and phenomenally constructed film, especially after seeing Andor. It has its minor script flaws, but otherwise, I can say it's a masterpiece.

9.0 Stars.

I am watching this movie for the first time after watching Andor's finale.

For me there is a new great trilogy, Andor S1, Andor S2 and Rogue One, which has rivalled the brilliance of the Original Trilogy.

The ending was devastating for me but definitely cemented Cassian Andor as one of the most memorable characters. K2SO was perfect in every way possible and Jyn Erso was also fairly a good character, along with the other supporting casts. The movie kept me hooked start to finish and I love that we start exactly where we left off in Andor's finale.

I would for sure suggest anyone else yet to watch; to watch these 3 chronologically, because the emotional investment I had in Cassian was what made this film great for me.

What has made Star Wars into the internationally recognized genre that it is today? Two things in particular - original material and a touch of humor/wit. Rogue One is a plethora of both. In addition, even in an area where previous Star Wars may have lacked (perhaps even overlooked, understandably), the acting is superb, top of the line. Forest Whitaker may be the most recognizable name in the entire cast, and he kills it every moment as his brilliant, rebellious character, Saw Gerrera. But he is merely the tip of the iceberg in what becomes an epic, near-perfectly written plot that connects episodes III and IV. It is haunting, it is funny, devastating, cheesy, and it is wonderful. It IS Star Wars.

Rogue One stands head and shoulders above every other Disney-era Star Wars film. While The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, and Solo struggled to find a fresh identity or narrative weight, Rogue One succeeds by doing exactly that, grounding the saga in the grit and gray of war.

The film boldly shifts perspective, focusing not on Jedi or chosen heroes, but on ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. It masterfully fills a major plot gap: the Death Star's fatal weakness; while telling the gripping story of the Rebel Alliance's first true victory. With morally complex characters like Cassian Andor and Galen Erso, Rogue One paints a world where good and evil aren't so easily defined. Diego Luna brings depth and ambiguity to Cassian, while Mads Mikkelsen's Galen shows how even those within the Empire can resist in subtle, powerful ways.

Visually, the film is stunning, with rich, immersive worlds and breathtaking battle sequences. Michael Giacchino steps up to score the first Star Wars film without John Williams, and while the maestro is missed, Giacchino delivers a memorable soundtrack that captures the emotional core of the story.

Though the pace occasionally feels rushed, leaving some character arcs a bit underdeveloped, the film's grounded tone, compelling narrative, and bold, tragic ending elevate it far above its peers.

Rogue One dares to be different, and in doing so, it succeeds brilliantly. It's dark, emotional, smart, and unforgettable. A must-watch that proves Star Wars can evolve without losing its soul.