Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Review Date: September 30th, 2022

Hi everyone. In honor of the Rogue One Prequel Series that premiered on Disney+ the other day known as…

Andor

Has arrived, let’s get down to the review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) today. It’s about a group of Rebels who embark on a mission to steal the Death Star plans, right before the events of A New Hope.

CAST:

Felicity Jones - Jyn Erso

Diego Luna - Cassian Andor

Ben Mendelssohn - Orson Krennic

Donnie Yen - Chirrut Îmwe

Mads Mikkelsen - Galen Erso

Alan Tudyk - K-2SO

Riz Ahmed - Bodhi Rook

Jiang Wen - Baze Malbus

Forest Whitaker - Saw Gerrera (from Clone Wars)

⚠️ WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!! ⚠️

Research scientist Galen Erso & his family are in hiding on the planet Lah'mu. When Imperial weapons developer Orson Krennic arrives to pressure him into completing the Death Star, a space station-based superweapon that’s has the capability of destroying planets, Galen's wife Lyra is killed in the confrontation. While their daughter Jyn escapes, she is rescued by rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.

15 years later, cargo pilot Bodhi Rook defects from the Empire, taking a holographic message recorded by Galen to Gerrera on the desert moon of Jedha. Rebel Alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor learns of Rook's defection & the Death Star from an informant. Jyn is freed from an Imperial labor camp at Wobani, & is brought to the Rebel leaders Bail Organa & Mon Mothma, who convince her to find, & rescue Galen, so that the Alliance can learn more about the Death Star. Cassian is covertly ordered to kill Galen, rather than to extract him.

Jyn, Cassian, & reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO travel to Jedha, where the Empire is removing kyber crystals from the holy city in order to power the Death Star. Gerrera & his partisans are engaged in an armed insurgency against them. With the aid of blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Îmwe & his mercenary friend Baze Malbus, Jyn makes contact with Gerrera, who has been holding Rook hostage. Gerrera shows her the message, in which Galen reveals that he has secretly built a weak spot into the Death Star, & directs them to retrieve the schematics from an Imperial data bank on the planet Scarif.

Meanwhile, back on the Death Star, Krennic orders a low-powered test shot, which destroys Jedha's capital. Jyn & her group take Rook, flee the moon. But Gerrera remains to die with the city.

Then, Grand Moff Tarkin congratulates Krennic before using Rook's defection & security leak as a pretext to take control of the project. Rook leads the group to Galen's Imperial research facility on the planet Eadu, where Cassian chooses not to kill Galen. Jyn makes her presence known moments before Rebel bombers attack the facility. Galen is wounded & dies in Jyn's arms, before she escapes with her group on a stolen Imperial cargo shuttle.

Sometime after, Krennic is summoned by Darth Vader to answer for the Death Star's attack on Jedha. Krennic seeks his support for an audience with the Emperor. But instead, Vader Force-chokes him, & orders him to ensure no further breaches to happen.

Jyn proposes a plan to steal the Death Star schematics using the Rebel fleet. But fails to gain approval from the Alliance Council, who feel victory against the Empire is now impossible. Frustrated at their inaction, Jyn's group leads a small squad of Rebel volunteers to raid the databank. Arriving on Scarif on the stolen Imperial ship, which Rook dubs as…

Rogue One

A disguised Jyn & Cassian enter the base with K-2SO, while the other Rebels attack the Imperial garrison as a diversion.

The Alliance learns of the raid from intercepted Imperial communications, & deploys their fleet in support. K-2SO sacrifices himself so that Jyn & Cassian can retrieve the data. Elsewhere, Îmwe is killed after activating the master switch to allow communication with the Rebel fleet, & Malbus is killed shortly afterward. Rook is also killed by a grenade after informing the Rebel fleet that it must deactivate the planetary shield to allow the transmission of the schematics as well.

Rebel Admiral Raddus uses a Hammerhead corvette to destroy 2 Star Destroyers, & the wreckage crashes atop the shield generator, deactivating the shield. Jyn & Cassian obtain the schematics. But are ambushed by Krennic, who is shot, & wounded by Cassian. Jyn transmits the schematics to the Rebel command ship via the base's antenna, moments before the Death Star enters orbit above Scarif. Then, Tarkin uses another low-power shot to destroy the antenna, killing Krennic, & the impact creates an approaching blast that engulfs the base, killing Cassian, Jyn, & the remaining ground forces.

The Rebel fleet prepares to jump to hyperspace. But Admiral Raddus & many of the fleet's ships are intercepted by Vader's arriving Star Destroyer. Then, Vader boards the Rebel command ship, & kills many rebel troops in an attempt to regain the schematics. But a starship escapes with them on board. Aboard the fleeing ship, Princess Leia Organa declares that the schematics will provide hope.

TO BE CONTINUED (In Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) is a really good Star Wars movie. It’s the 1st Star Wars stand-alone movie, & a prequel to A New Hope. However, I just didn’t like the ending, because everyone on Scarif died. But advanced technology was used on both Princess Leia & Grand Moff Tarkin. They used a voice, along with some de-aging as well.

OVERALL: 8/10 | End of Review

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