Rogue One: A Star Wars Story reviewed by Mark Kermode

Mark Kermode reviews Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Rebellion enlists a squad of criminals and outsiders, sending them on a mission to steal the plans for the Empire’s new super-weapon.
Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film - below. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.
www.bbc.co.uk/5...
Fridays at 2pm on BBC 5 live.

[@stealthsuit58]

The ending of this movie is incredible. One of the best scenes in Star Wars history involving Vader

[@sightsofscifireviews370]

Brings everything that was special about the original 3 films and gives them a modern make over essentially without reducing it to pure regurgitation. Its story and characters is first and most importantly they are original, while its visuals saturate it with added depth. The force awakens suffers from using its nostalgic art direction and plot as a creative and narrative crutch which will severely age it as times goes on. While rogue one uses the universe as a whole in star wars as a setting and environment for new characters that are explored in interesting ways.

[@stinkystealthysloth]

Was going to comment the same thing haha

[@leew1598]

The Vader scene though doesn't really fit with the New Hope Vader. He's like a war machine in that scene.

[@johnPaul-qn3dg]

The last sequence made me feel like an 8 year old boy again, the age I was when my father took me to see the first Star Wars, it was true a true Hollywood magic moment *spoiler* it was good to see her again.

[@grantmalone]

3:04 "It manages to develop characters in a way that is engaging and funny". Couldn't disagree more. That was the big let-down of the film for me. Despite good acting it was full of flat characters with hardly a genuine relationship to speak of, who 'developed' via unnatural expositional speeches at bizarre moments. Jyn's main emotional relationship was with her father and the peak interaction of that, after the simple but effective opening and discounting the cringeworthy and forced 'dying in her arms' scene, was her watching him rabbit on in an endless horribly written hologram lecture. "I have important news, but first let me describe my emotional state over the last decades, just in case this happens to get to the right person." This is as engaging as someone reading a letter. Cassian was supposed to be potentially untrustworthy and intriguing because of it. How did that play out? He went to shoot Jyn's dad and didn't, with zero personal stake in that decision, then had a bizarrely unnatural argument about the thing he didn't even do with Jyn. He then ultimately signed up with her, making another weird back-story explaining speech on behalf of the assembled seasoned rebels (who for some reason are then happy to listen to a motivational speech from Jyn, who is pretty much some kid who just turned up in their lives.) They might as well have included an opening crawl with little character biogs for all the humanity there was in their development and character revelations. And these were the 'rounded' characters... Seriously, one of the main characters was just a guy with a machine gun blaster thing. That was his character. "I have a machine gun and hang around with that other guy for unknown reasons." If anyone else in the film (or whole series) had a machine gun too (and why don't they when they are so effective?!) he would have nothing to his character at all!

[@christopherpearce7368]

Being old enough to have watched the original trilogy in the cinema as a child, Rogue One is the prequel that as an adult I had alway hoped for. Makes me want to watch a New Hope at the cinema again. Personally, I was a little surprised at the number of very young children that were at the showing that I went to. I have noticed this before with 12A certificate films and thing it is time for a rethink.

[@travisbest9041]

I loved the scene near the end on the beach with the tearful embrace. It reminded me of 'Melancholia'.

[@scruffyp9480]

Absolutely loved everything about it. The overall tone felt surprisingly mature and well thought out. The battle scenes were really gripping. I loved the cast. I thought Felicity Jones was great! She looked like a warrior rather than just a dose of eye candy. All the new characters were likeable. I was engrossed for every scene. Twelve year old me would have been dazzled.

[@DwainDwight]

Fantastic film. Best since Empire Strikes Back.

[@davequinn8801]

Wrong, best since ROTS

[@Torthrodhel]

This is my favourite Star Wars film (bearing in mind I came to the whole franchise very late and binged the first six in episode order which I gather isn't necessarily the best way to do that). It doesn't have the distractingly blatant logic problems that can sorta ruin the other modern ones (depending how generous you're being on a given watch-through), it's exciting, the pacing's excellent, and the characters refreshingly reminded me that relatable flaws are a thing. This is the one that made me get why people are so into Star Wars.

[@stevegant1645]

Not many films of late have made me feel like standing up and clapping at the end but this one did Wow indeed

[@Valaskjold]

didn't see the Ripley similarity at all. Not one bit.

[@LeeSmilex]

that's because the women (or characters in general) in the new movies don't need the growth or training the maIe's did in the Iucas star wars films. not because they are made by 'femi-nazi's etc... but because people who create these films are Iazy and by now have guessed the audience wiII swallow anything they put out.

[@LeeSmilex]

expressrobkill i don't think it takes skills to be sent to prison so much as poverty and an attitude (which, i concede, was attempted) - to stay out of prison needs far more skill! ;-)

[@TheMijman]

People interpret films differently

[@IamChrisL712]

I love Rogue One and Jyn as well but Ripley is on another plane as far as character depth and development. Please don't interpret that as a bringdown of Jyn or Felicity Jones because I really enjoyed the movie.

[@TheMijman]

@@IamChrisL712 well Ripley has appeared in 4 movies, 2 of which were based solely around her. I'd be amazed if Jyn had as much development in like 1/16th of the screentime...

[@H.Ash9]

Great review. Saw it last night, loved the final act.

[@stevenmarshall189]

I couldn't agree more with you Mark. It's the star wars movie that Lucas should have made instead of the prequels!

[@theanonymouscritic1710]

Hey newsflash, some of us like the Prequels so go figure.

[@royw-g3120]

Saw Felicity Jones in this and the Hawking movie only a few days apart and did not recognise it was the same actress until weeks later. That is damn impressive.

[@positronicfeed]

Nice to see a review from a grown-up critic every now and then. Had enough of the youtube review mob ripping each other's heads off on what is real "Star Wars" and what is not.

[@InfoGrok]

Considering this is a 'blockbuster' it's a stunning movie. Suspect that this will be viewed as the best Star Wars movie in a decades time.

[@CBU-oq1lu]

hahahaha, oke. hahahaha!

[@nosuchthing8]

R P no, lol

[@seop1721]

Very Michael Chekov with Felicity finding the psychological gesture and centre of the character. I was wary she might be a 'plucky girl', which one trailer implied, but her performance was fantastic with appropriate gravitas.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

Fantastic film I cannot recommend it enough especially for non Star Wars fans.

[@PauLtus_B]

"I'm a big fan" I don't really need to hear more from you. But I will.

[@tiffanypersaud3518]

PauLtus B, IKR.

[@Hoganply]

I've only seen it once, and it's a bit early yet, but the more and more I reflect on it, the more and more I prefer it to TFA. With the exception of maybe the Kylo/Han scene, the choices in it were bolder than in TFA. I think the series can afford to ditch some of the 'fun-romp' cheese with which the main films in a way protect themselves. This is evidence of that.

[@15luisrivas]

Is it just me or Simon looks like Jeremy Renner's older brother?

[@15luisrivas]

Maybe I AM! or maybe I'm not, we'll never know... (I'm not)

[@ByMonitorLight]

I follow a lot of reviewers with diverse opinions, and no film has shown that more than Rogue One; and in a surprising way. Those I'd expect to love it were underwhelmed (one downright devastated), and others I'd expect to be more critical have actually found far more to love. Because of the way this film is put together, and its story is told, it lives and dies by its characters: those who were put off by the thinness of their backstories, or found them dull or one-note, seem to have been bored by the film as a whole, while others (like me) who could look past the admittedly thin back-stories, and could engage with the characters through the actors' performances (which I personally found universally fantastic (Donnie Yen especially)) loved the film to a near-Empire-Strikes-Back degree. The opening act is rushed, every character could have done with more fleshing out (I feel like this would have made a better mini-series than a film), and that first Darth Vader scene was terrible, but I love the cast, I love the story, the action was phenomenal and the climax had me physically shaking. I thought this was a tremendous film.

[@kingmob121]

I found very little character development and could not care less about the characters (except the droid). Not a bad film but just very little to like, and far to many silly references to the old movies(not as bad as ghostbusters 2016)!

[@synchc]

+wolverineiscool *massive spoilers.* "without the visuals, the vader and leia scenes it was a dud" the space and geographical cgi was near perfect. the tarkin scenes were the absolute bottom of the uncanny valley. the leia scene was a 5 second vertical free fall down a mine shaft at the bottom of the uncanny valley. especially stomach churning given its timing after fisher's death. the vader scenes were ok. just ok. ".... didnt care about telling a great story" this is star wars, not chekov. the story consists of elements of other stories told a thousand times before. its more about the story telling and pathos. which R1 had in abundance, in my opinion. "... it was too light and not dark enough nor interesting enough" not dark enough? a rebel intel officer is sent to assassinate the father of a member of his crew having already murdered one of his own agents, rather than see him fall into imperial hands. the rebellion flounders on indecision at its most critical time. a rag tag bunch of misfits and criminals set out on a commando mission to save a rebellion they arent a part of. they all die increasingly glorious deaths. deaths wed all like to die. are you serious? for star wars, this was dark. interesting? i dont go to see a star wars film expecting to come out feeling morally conflicted or intellectually challenged the same way i dont go to see a french romance film and criticize it for its lack geographical diversity or action sequences. what did you expect? rogue one is not without its flaws but, imho, its the best star wars film since RoTJ, hands down. the editing was _worthy_ of the OT. that alone makes it a valuable addition.

[@andrewglazer]

Great review and completely agree! The best Star Wars film since the 80s and manages to expand on the original ideas of the story in a similar way that Empire Strikes Back did.

[@davidedwards8365]

I know people will say “damning with faint praise” and this isn’t how it is meant. But this is the only Star Wars film I’ve seen in my adult lifetime that has captured the depth and magic of the original trilogy. I love this film, and it works more with subsequent watches

[@taliaprice1909]

I want to be in a Star Wars film. That would make my career.

[@LeeSmilex]

of course it would. i would prefer that u had said your Iife tbh....

[@ABonafideSkeleton]

I would do anything to be in Star Wars film, even if I end up playing a Storm Trooper or doing a little piece of dialogue as a droid or something. Just so I have the opportunity to say 'that's me right there' or 'that's me doing the voice there' when I watch it with friends and family.

[@keysersoze3427]

I've always wanted to be one of the pilot's shouting something like "There's too many of them!"

[@AlexDeLarge77]

Visually great, in keeping with 4,5,6. Superb set pieces, great costumes & set designs. Not over reliant on CGI. The story is pretty good but the dialogue is clunky & wooden at times, so is the acting. The characters were one dimensional & lacked depth. The comedic aspect which predominantly comes from a Robot is platitudinous. Cliché rears its ugly head on occasion, eg when a cable gets caught round some detritus impeding the pilot from making a pivotal transmission. It's standard but no better than that. A nuts & bolts action movie. Lacks the magic & charm of the originals but is a dame site better than the monstrosities that Followed. 6/10 & I'm being generous.

[@JackJames2612]

Blue Beard Your review was better than Kermodes. Have to say it IS over reliant on CGI especially when it comes to two characters..

[@AlexDeLarge77]

JackJames2612 I take your point on the two characters. I think the the CGI aspect visually overall is authentic in the sense that it matches up well with the originals, 4,5,6. The later movies 1,2,3 were overloaded with CGI & as prequels looked more futuristic & therefore strangely out of step. Kermode's criticisms of the later films are spot on. I'm not sure why he wasn't more critical here. Maybe the criticism levelled at Kermode himself is warranted, that is, when he likes a particular director he goes easy on their work.

[@jackiemclean2776]

Blue Beard i

[@Sylv1ception71]

The Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One are simply the best films of the Star Wars franchise.

[@spaceboy2095]

I think the drawing line in that movie is whether you like the characters or not. I didn't feel anything for them, just like I felt nothing for the Magnificient Seven characters, of which it is a rip-off. Second problem with this movie is whether you believe in its gimmicky dialogues or not. I didn't. Last problem is whether you're annoyed or not by their mention of the Force. I think those mentions were so crowbarred in and cringeworthy. I think however that it is a good movie, but not a great one. It doesn't go beyond just being a good blockbuster movie.

[@yv3652]

spaceboy2095 my thoughts too.Only Donnie Yen made me smile and felt sorry for

[@spaceboy2095]

Matthew Barnes Donnie Yen, you mean the guy who was repeating the same sentence over and over again? Lol I couldn't stand him. ;-)

[@yv3652]

spaceboy2095 Yeah he had more personality,cool fight scenes and the funniest line

[@spaceboy2095]

Matthew Barnes For me, if I have to pick one it would be K2-SO. But I don't have much love for him because it's simply the exact opposite of C3PO.

[@yv3652]

spaceboy2095 Guna b a film that splits alot of opinions.Good but not great for me.

[@CinematicGalaxy]

Wow, excellent review! I love how you start out by mentioning Felicity Jones's performance. I don't think she's getting enough credit for her performance. She completely became Jyn Erso.

[@JackJames2612]

Just saw it. Very dull for the first two acts. Don't think it was redeemed by the exciting last part but then I'm not a Star Wars fan..

[@dloverise]

You're not alone… very dreary characters, wooden acting and TERRIBLE SCRIPT.

[@KSRugby]

the first half is a bit slow, but as soon as the hologram of Jyn Erso's father comes on it picks up and the end is amazing

[@coolbreeze2409]

Chris Stuckmann needs to see this. I completely agree with Kermode.

[@BenPole90]

Stuckmann is alright, he’s a fan boy of a lot of films abs franchises more than he is a critic. Kermode is a true critic.

[@shoddysmile]

I agree with that this a great star wars film and probably in the top 3 for me after ESB and ANH. One thing I do want to add which I don't think Mark mentioned us that the beginning of the film's pacing is a little weird for me as you're jumping to different planets and different characters in a short time frame in order to establish them which maybe could have been done better. Overall though it all comes together nicely and it's got to be one of the best and most complete third acts that you'll see in a film this year.

[@wiseguy100]

I loved it. My only issue was with the CG Tarkin. Stuck out like a sore thumb.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

wiseguy100 I thought that that with the Princess Leia was amazing.

[@cometmoon4485]

In my opinion, both characters looked pretty good when staying still, but whenever the former opened his mouth... it just looked off.

[@rockinchimp]

Enjoyed this way more than The Force Awakens, that battle on Scarif was truly immense.

[@notabot835]

I love the way Kermode talks about Star Wars he gets so excited lol

[@ChenAnPin]

the Rogue One cast lineup feels far more organic than Suicide Squad, which just felt forced and not synergetic (blame WB wanting to keep as many of the "important" characters alive for a franchise)

[@Papriqa]

Wow, Kermode sure loved it. Definitely one of the most positive reviews I've seen. I'm surprised he didn't mind the jumpy beginning as well.

[@alexsc7187]

Rogue one: has fantastic epic qualities with brilliant action sequences and scale. However character development wasn't present

[@alexsc7187]

Paul Cook not really. I couldn't tell you much about them. What was donny yens character called? What was the red shooty guy called? Krellan was okay (names probably wrong) but he doesn't have a lot of character even though he has motivation.

[@alexsc7187]

TreeroyJ this story is about them. It shouldn't be about whether it's a star wars story, it should be for a narrative do the characters have an arc or development? To me not really. I mean Donny yen had good character but no development. I liked how andor was ruthless but I couldn't tell you anything about the rest. Kso2 was pretty good thinking about it

[@philiprobinson2773]

I don't agree with you at all Alex... There was as much character development as any other BIG character driven film... i.e. "THE GREAT ESCAPE" "THE DIRTY DOZEN" "THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" etc etc... The film would have had to be 3hrs long for all the back story you'd need to get emotionally involved, really - you clearly need that... The fact that you didn't pick up the characters names shows you weren't paying attention to the dialogue!!! Most people got the characters immediately as we got maybe a line or two stating why they're here, what they're about. Baze Malbus (the red shooty guy) says to Chirrut Imwe (Donny Yen pole welding kung fu guy) I've been watching over you for many years - in the scene after destroying all those Stormtroopers... It showed a strong bond and care between these two individuals and thats all we needed!

[@alexsc7187]

The argument that just because a few films have lacking character development meaning its okay that rogue one has little character development is incredibly weak. Its be almost 50 years since all three of the films you mentioned were made, i would hope that film makers would have managed to improved on the formula. Id also argue that s film such as the magnificent 7 had much better characterisation, for example, charles bronsosn character, hes a tough hero with a gentle side, who's purpose isnt for money but to be brave and noble and accept a challenge. Or the young man who's a hothead and wants to prove something. Their actions made sense based on the traits they were given. In rogue one for example, casians decision to not kill gailan, came out of nowhere really, there wasnt much build up to this change. Also if i was to say describe Baze's character without saying what he does or what he looks like, what would you say? I agree that Donnie yen had character but no character development. His back story of protecting jedi temples was good but thats all we got, and yes there was a bond between him and Baze but the bond between casian and jyn was not existence. theres no chemistry, which is why the end with them hugging on a beach had no effect on me. Also i feel like you think i hate this film, phillip. I dont. I actually like it i just think it could have been better and for me the way to improve it was through the characters and providing more arcs and motivation. Did you really feel sad when any of them died. I did for K2SO and Chirrut but thats it. Bodhi again should have had more to him, some more lines about his relationship with gailan would have improved his motivation a lot more, i would have even have settled for a flashback or maybe even gailan sending him a personal message. Speaking of which, gailan had a lot of potential and overall was a good character.

[@brandonwalton443]

This review will forever be my defence for the film. It was great. And my fav film critic agrees!

[@notmyname9261]

I'll be honest, I liked it, but I wanted to see more of the lead's backstory. I won't spoil anything but I think I would have cared more about her character and her relationships to certain other characters.

[@Zancb]

oh god please don't tell me she's another damn Skywalker or Solo!

[@notmyname9261]

Nah ya don't need to worry about that :-)

[@gymnodinium9]

Same, I liked Force Awakens because of the characters. Granted this one has spectacular action but never got to care about the characters, except maybe the droid.

[@philiprobinson2773]

The Story would have had to be to long n padded for that to have happened. The drive for the film was subplot... where everything was going and the notion of sacrifice for the greater good

[@notmyname9261]

Philip Robinson I think they could have done it with a couple of brief flashbacks and by trimming down a couple of scenes, such as the rebels first meeting with her for example.

[@charliepanayiotou4305]

Decent film, great last half-hour, probably worth it for one line from Donnie Yen alone (plus that Vader scene). As comedy robots go, K-2SO is good, but not quite as good as CASE and TARS in Interstellar

[@Gilberto90]

Charlie Panayiotou I completely forgot how good those two were in Interstellar. I need to watch that again though to compare them to K2SO.

[@sleepyazathoth5238]

Very positive review, that's great. I'm seeing it tonight :D

[@foghornfilms]

Don't believe the hype...

[@sleepyazathoth5238]

fitzchivalry100 For me TFA was a dissapointment.

[@foghornfilms]

Basically Rogue one has more in common with Battlestar Galactica the tv series with regards to its tone.

[@MagicAccent]

foghornfilms yes exactly ehat I thought. Which is great, because the Battlestar Galactica reimagining was some fine science fiction!

[@CaliganVoid]

+Andrew Devine he wasn't much of a fan of Fury Road.

[@Tehgoat]

Good to hear someone say something positive regarding the gender and racial equality in the movie The alt-right have gone all out to thumb down this movie on Rotten Tomatoes and promoted a boycott since it didn't match their bigoted agendas

[@nicholasdickens2801]

Teh Goat You'd have to be an idiot to rely on Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 for a good review.

[@gspell6232]

Teh Goat too few green aliens. not enough diversity compared to star trek so I voted down.

[@Tehgoat]

I all for equality, but not the men hating nonsense pushed by 3rd wave feminists Thankfully, they are just a fringe

[@emilioestevezz]

There was no gender or racial equality in this movie, only tokenism. There was a single woman in a massive cast of men and she was an action girl trope.

[@123rockfan]

I thought the characters were thinly written, Diego Luna's character was massively boring in my opinion

[@LepeczynLCN]

123rockfan To me, his character was sufficiently develop in a few scenes, however, i just didn't buy Diego Luna's acting

[@brianisebay]

I thought he was great, embodied the underhanded, "rebel scum" who will do whatever it takes to keep the Rebellion going

[@armageddonbound]

Thinly written? Like chewy, and basically every secondary character in the original trilogy?

[@a.m.jakimiuk3106]

Dear Mr Kermode, thank you for another great analysis. Please review Passengers. I'm very curious about your opinion.

[@darthnagus5457]

Mmmmm see it i will

[@waynedev1621]

Absolutely Outstanding Film! Even better than 'The Force Awakens!' In fact the Best 'Star Wars Film' in over 30 Years! I thought the direction was Flawless!x

[@thomas12ist]

Just saw it yesterday, yes it has some flaws, most films do, but to my mind it's the Star Wars film I've been waiting for all my life.

[@royw-g3120]

Rebels shooting helpful informants in the back to prevent security breaches? Attacking imperials and not caring too much about collateral damage? This is what resistance movements look like in reality. Gave the film a much greater depth.

[@blackcoffeeinbed]

The ending somehow reminds me of the classic film On The Beach

[@Bishnach]

Anyone who thinks the lead character has no development or is not interesting, watch The Force Awakens again and tell me how Rey, a character who is somehow excellent at everything is anyway better.

[@timc9806]

Yeah Rey is an awful character. The Felicity Jones character is less awful but still awful. So that proves what exactly?

[@jetteraismabash4186]

anyone else thought it had a slow start?

[@joshuaprice3965]

For me it wasn't slow as much as it was jumbled, setting up a dozen characters by jumping from location to another as quickly as possible. Luckily though I thought it recovered and then some, with an amazing second half that remedied the unfocussed first.

[@ABonafideSkeleton]

Not really slow, more bumpy if you ask me. Being quickly introduced to a character on a planet and then suddenly jumping to another character on another planet and then jumping *back* was a little jarring, but then the film found it's bearings and just fell into place. Smooth sailing from there on.

[@ChrisDyn1]

That first hour was EXCRUCIATING. It was just so bad, I was cringing.

[@ezrasky3761]

No

[@horizon92lee]

K2so stole the show, 9/10 for me

[@somanytakennames]

*SPOILERS* I thought the film was an incredible let down, to the point where I was actually bored for most of it. The reason why is because of the characters. Because of the plot of A New Hope, it would have been safe to assume that most if not all of the characters were going to be killed off. So in order for the film to properly succeed we really have to care about these characters as they're only with us for one film. I didn't really care for any of them. Partially because I thought they were rather boring and uncharismatic, especially the two leads (I thought the most charismatic character was the robot), but also because the film moved at such a ridiculously fast pace in the first half that it barely gave any time to fleshing the characters out or properly build any dramatic tension. I honestly couldn't name one of the characters (apart from the ones from previous films) within an hour of leaving the cinema. I will give the film it's dues for the effects and "war film" feel, but it's no where near enough to save it.

[@chrishiggins7166]

The film’s length maybe long in parts, however the film’s action packed, well acted, stylish & A well directed spinoff of Star Wars. (79%) (4/5 stars) (positive)

[@ciphermatrix]

Would love to know what Mark thought of the accusations of fan service (Vader and AT-STs appearing) and the complaints that the movie would mean nothing without the Star Wars IP. I found that last complaint rather odd when this was specifically a franchise movie detailing events leading up to EP IV, but there you go.

[@PhDTony_original]

Quite agree - very good film. One quibble - it seems more and more like people in Star Wars can fly half-way round the galaxy in less time than it takes to get across downtown LA

[@danoliver8804]

The scene at the end where the Death Star comes into orbit. He realises he's about to be destroyed by his own creation.

[@bradavon]

Isn't it about time you filmed in HD? High Def is over a decade old.

[@neilthompson5740]

Great review!

[@TheSEMAJ1117]

I completely disagree. Rogue One I felt had a very inconsistent tone, it didn't know if it wanted to be serious or lighthearted. This is the problem with extensive reshoots, the director never is able to achieve their vision.

[@tisFrancesfault]

TheSEMAJ1117 the same could be said for all star wars films.

[@TheSEMAJ1117]

tisFrancesfault No, you see, Rogue One was originally meant to be a ultra serious Saving Private Ryan type war movie, nothing like any other Star Wars film. However, since Disney thought it was too serious and bleak, they decided to make it more lighthearted and in tone with your usual Star Wars film, hence the reshoots. If Edwards stuck with his vision, i bet Rogue One would have been a phenomenal film and have a consistent tone throughout.

[@efnarios]

cool. That's like your opinion man...

[@DAOSullivan]

Completely agree with you on Felicity Jones. I thought she did a great job at portraying a hardened, battle-scarrred survivor - she was great!

[@nickjacobs1770]

my only problem is that it seems to be lit with 40watt lights

[@SpeedBoost]

Rogue One is the only good Star Wars Prequel.

[@stevieh9860]

I agree with much of what was said here. There was definitely an evocation of cinematic war movies from the past- two that occurred to me were The Longest Day and, oddly, Saving Private Ryan. I thought the same thing with regard to the battle sequences - Like 1977 but with better CGI. That familiarity, that comfort of knowing you were in the Star Wars Universe, and the quality of the action sequences made for a really good immersive experience. I will take issue with the first hour build up- too many planets, a bit complicated trying to introduce the new cast- and the diversity issue. That was definitely shoehorned in, but what the hell, go with it. 1977 was predominantly white. And Male. Times have changed. The fate of a number of the cast was surprising- although logical in a sense- and in keeping with the story. As this is in essence Star Wars 3.5 it had a demanding job to do. It delivered. "Wow"indeed.

[@davidhuk3170]

Great review. I was waiting for him to say, "The best Star Wars movie ever" though.

[@cvw7505]

Mark Kermode forgot to mention about the "no opening craw" at the start of the movie. I watched it his past weekend and I thought it was better than Force Awakens but overall I was dissapointed. I'm not sure how the characters relate to the story. It seems like most of the scenes were very quick and very few moments stood alone in the film.

[@RuariChisholm]

I wasn't a big fan of the CG versions of the old characters. They didn't really pass the uncanny valley and pulled me out of the story a bit cos they looked a bit dead behind the eyes. Purely a visual thing.

[@Ian.eastwood5457]

Great film, takes 3rd place behind New hope and Empire strikes back, better than Jedi (ewoks jeez) What makes Rogue one superior is that everyone dies, none of this survival nonsense, the Vader scene in the dark lit up by the red lightsaber is just brilliant

[@18pablo88]

Definitely the best, spin off of all the "a star wars story" made.

[@TheMijman]

I'd say best of them since 1983

[@davidlean1060]

I enjoyed this way more than The Force Awakens. It had the same feel as the original movies (thanks to the film stock and various processes they put the picture through to give it that 70's look) and it took me to strange places, like the wonderful trading post town the Rogues must visit to begin their search. I 'bought' the characters more too. As much as I respect Oscar Isaac, I just didn't buy the Poe Dameron character at all! Perhaps the fact he was cast so late is to blame. He may not of had time to work his performance and instead went for a sort of cliched 'fly boy' thing. It was an annoying character I found. Also, perhaps as a result of the character being darker, as adorable as Daisey Ridley is, Felicity was spot on with her portrail. Dare I say, this is one of my fav Star Wars movies. it is up there with Empire I feel.

[@Dormentian]

I really enjoyed it.. Stuart Baird was credited for some of the editing.. I suspect that he did that third act.

[@matrags]

Watching it tonight. As a life long SW fan I can't wait.

[@runcibusarse-weasel964]

So, what did you reckon?

[@toddboughn5168]

My favourite Star Wars film since Empire Strikes Back.

[@mllanelly2964]

I feel like the first half is quite slow and a bit messy, but, the second half is some of the best Star Wars ever!

[@tigermunky]

For me, definitely the second best SW film after Empire.

[@andrewattenboroughtwothumb4697]

I liked it and saw the imax version in cinemas and as a Star Wars fan I thought it was interesting and fills in the gaps more between the two original movies and prequel movies

[@bluesjazznotes9436]

If you're a Star Wars fan you'll like it judging by the reaction of people at the theater I was at and Mark's review, don't know much about SW and never really got into it so I was lost during the movie and even slept a couple of times, disappointed to see that the movie had a few cliches such as evil and hero face off with the usual speech, I was excited to hear Donnie Yen was in the movie (any martial artists or fans would know what I mean) but even his parts weren't that impressive, they should've gave him the camera for the fight scenes to show them how it's done.

[@christophersykora3601]

Great review.

[@cofpaddy]

One of the rare times I totally disagree with most of his points but yes the Vader scene at the end was excellent, maybe I just wanted some more lightsabre battles.

[@shannonbloom4133]

This was the best movie of the "Star Wars Saga". The rest of them were touchy feelie, either coming of age or Disney Ride movies. Never involved enough to develope any feelings about any of the other characters in any of the other movies. I actually cared that these characters were going to die to achieve the results.

[@stephenphilips8024]

Spot on. This has become the best 'Star Wars' film by far...

[@borismuller86]

What was up with Vader's voice? I thought it was JEJ, but it sounded off to me...

[@leecoombs6355]

I'm not only trying to decide if it is better than Empire... I'm trying to decide if it is better than any film I've ever seen...

[@leecoombs6355]

No, I assure you, no exaggeration. My favourite film of all time is Aliens and this is seriously challenging for top spot...

[@brendan2415]

Lee Coombs

[@leecoombs6355]

Brendan Mcauley Yes?

[@Frellyouall]

Not going to talk about CGI Tarkin and Leigh?

[@underreppin]

No because that would be a spoiler, he's very careful about not giving things away

[@Sieffy13]

The film reminded me of Enzo Castellari's The Inglorious Bastards, especially plot-wise and it works really well.

[@fortyfour1654]

Hanniffy Dinn ..well do ya feel lucky punk?

[@Yoofaloof]

The CGI characters were good but I couldn't help thinking that there was no soul embodied which indeed there isn't. Someone else commented 'dead behind the eyes'. They just felt like really well-skinned androids to me. Plus I just kept looking at the digital work when they appeared and was marvelling at the current state of technology therein. It was just creepy. Wonder if in 20 years time they'll get to digitise the soul? Shudder the thought.

[@englebertnightingale]

Wow, very positive review for a film that had a lot of problems: choppy editing in the front section, poor underdeveloped score, and underdeveloped characters.

[@WhiteWolf496]

I know this is a comment from 2 years ago... but I have to say, regarding the score... yeah its probably the weakest star wars score there is... but Giacchino had literally 2 weeks to write and record the whole thing. So keeping that in mind, its a bit more impressive.

[@OccasionalGeek]

Overall, I thought it was brilliant. Felt like a proper Star Wars film and the battle scenes were some of the best in the series. However, I felt the dialogue was poorly written and *those* CGI scenes were absolutely unforgivable. I spent most of the final 45 minutes in nerd heaven, then found myself double face-palming for the closing scene.

[@xtraspecialmango]

I still believe that the explosion at the end of the movie should have sounded like an almighty fart.

[@intellectualidiot2000]

It's the absolute dogs nuts. Huge, swollen Pit Bull nuts (the dog not the rapper). If you don't like it I am suspicious of your soul.

[@SweetandFitting]

Lol never heard Kermit spout so much gumpf in all his career.

[@bbrexuk]

Its been wonderful to see that these new Star Wars films from disney have made you a fan of the franchise. Understandably you were not a fan of the prequels, no sane minded star wars fan was, I was always kinda surprised by your disdain for the original trilogy, especially as you were such a vocal fan of silent running and 2001, though clearly SW is notably different in tone and style, it does however deliver a cinematic experience that at times just make the audience go "Wow!" I'm wondering if there is any other franchise out there that has managed to reach this sort of quality so far into its life, for me the last star trek film wa a disaster, especially with the beastie boys mars attacks plot rip off. rambling again

[@fortyfour1654]

Andrew Devine Nicely put! He damaged the Star Trek franchise, and then did likewise to the Star Wars franchise!

[@anirudhmenon4234]

Like it or not, the prequels have a lot of fans as well. Personally, my favourite Star Wars film is still Episode III

[@paultreneary]

Maybe I'll give it another go as I got so bored I switched off around the 1hr 10mins mark as it just seemed a shambling incoherent mess of a screenplay that jumps around far too much with thinly developed and un-engaging characters (and Daniel Mays, or maybe his acting, felt way out of place for some reason). I've found that Mr K and my views tally far more often than not so I was surprised to hear he likes it given his comments about franchises and films based on 'universes'. Some of the other comments in this thread also lead me to believe that the middle does wallow so I think it goes back on later this week but I do wonder if it might just be another hour of my life I wont get back.

[@paultreneary]

Well, a fairly un-engaging second half, though I will admit it picked up a little and I did consider if the film might have fared better if it'd been made with French actors in French and with subtitles(!), but ultimately a very disappointing film - I felt virtually no connection with any of the characters and dismissed their various demises with no regard at all - I will have to disagree with Mr K on this one.

[@niallh4194]

Spoiler:I cried so much at chriut's death and that vader scene made me poo my pants. Only negatives would be the pacing a bit during the second act and the music was disappointing. Other than that, brilliant brilliant work

[@davidsidebotham5310]

Rogue One is the best Star Wars film ever made

[@OfficialAndies]

No way, I actually agree with Kermode for a change

[@ElTrolldego]

Funny seeing this after the Red Letter Media review.

[@danielkonishi8788]

I enjoyed watching the Red Letter Media review of Rogue One. Spot on.

[@DogsBAwesome]

You can here the knuckledraggers teeth grinding when Mark said diversity 😄.