A Walt Disney Picture, Written by Tony Gilroy, Chris Weitz, John Knoll, And Gary Whitta, Directed by Gareth Edwards.
This is an important tale of heroism in the face of certain death, and it retroactively improves the already great Star Wars: A New Hope.
The film is different to any previous Star Wars film at the time as it is darker, with a more gritty, real world feel, and doesn’t feature any Jedi or Lightsaber duels. However, what it does provide is a strong heist thriller set within the Star Wars canon, with a final 30 minutes that packs an incredible emotional punch.
The third act aerial battle is the most spectacular the franchise has ever done, and the battle on the ground is convincing too. The moment the Death Star appears over the horizon is the only time I have felt that the planet killing weapon was truly terrifying.
The cast are all good and do the jobs they were given, but due to the nature of the story, they are unable to do much serious acting or character progression. The two stand outs were the brilliantly evil Ben Mendelsohn, and the captivating Mads Mikkelsen, who had a much smaller buy pivotal role.
While the digital recreations of Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher were obvious and did stand out, they didn’t do so to the films detriment. It was a joy getting to see Darth Vader in his prime, being truly evil, and his massacre scene at the end is one of my favourite moments of the entire franchise.
Next up, the film that started it all…
Rating = 3.5/5
Howe's World of Film and TV 