Anyone who has ever seen the original 1977 Star Wars movie must feel like their life is now complete. Particularly those fans who watched the film first time around, almost 40 years ago.

Disney has been clear that this is a prequel and a standalone film set in the same universe that Star Wars fans are familiar with. In fact, this film is the first of many stand-alone Star Wars stories to come.

We all know that in Episode IV, A NEW HOPE the film opens with a rebel spaceship being pursued by the Galactic Empire and this is the first time we meet the evil renegade Jedi Darth Vader.

This was a time of civil war with the rebellion headed up by a certain Princess Leia,(Carrie Fisher) who is on board the starship racing back to her comrade’s base with a stolen secret plan of how to destroy the Empires ultimate genocide machine ‘The Death Star’.

This may be the one opportunity the rebellion has, to save the Galaxy all thanks to a small band of heroic rebels who took on the mighty Empire to smuggle the Death Star plans from under their noses.

Rogue One tells the back story off this band of ordinary people making a stand against an evil dictatorship. Who were these people? How did they meet up? What became of them?

British actress Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything 2014, Inferno 2016) plays our main protagonist, the defiant Jyn Erso, who teams up with young alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor, played by Mexican producer, director and actor Diego Luna (Elysium 2013, Milk 2008).

Cassian seems to be cut from the same cloth as The Force Awakens fighter pilot Poe Dameron played by Oscar Isaac. They have a similar swagger and gritty determination.

However, even though Jyn’s Father, Galan Erso (Mads Mikkelsen / TV’s Hannibal) was forced to design the Death Star for the Empire. She still receives approval by the rebellions hierarchy and Jyn proves to be yet another strong passionate idealist who takes on the challenge to form her own A-Team.

This film works so well for few reasons. British director Gareth Edwards (Monsters 2010 and 2014 Godzilla remake) has kept very faithful to the original movie and has kept that Western / Kurosawa feel that George Lucas was so inspired by. Plus, the film is well structured and has great pace. Unlike Edwards Godzilla, which didn’t really know where it was going.

We also have a great ensemble of characters in the Magnificent 7, who form the band of rebels.
Jyn is the Yul Brynner (Chris) of this group and Cassian has his own Chewbacca in a sarcastic robot called K-2SO voiced by the talented Alan Tudyk.

We have the blind martial arts monk Chirrut Imwe that the duo meet in Jedha (Martial Arts actor Donnie Yen) and companion Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang) an ex-soldier and a crack shot. Even Warwick Davis gets a part as a mercenary rebel fighter.

The second half of the film is an amazing all-out battle against the Empire, fantastically choreographed and also sets up the first appearance of the Man in Black…Darth Vader (voiced once again by James Earl Jones).

I think the films lasting memory and talking point will be the spectacular jaw dropping CGI creations.

A great standalone action adventure movie.
Wandsworth Times:

In cinemas now