On the 15th December the new Star Wars Rogue One film aired in the UK. For Star Wars fans and Sci-Fi lovers this was a very exciting addition to the trilogy but for those who do not know much about Star Wars this is a must watch for you! I highly recommend this film as it was captivating, well-acted and intense. 

George Lucas, the Director of the first Star Wars films decided from the very beginning of Star Wars that he would start from the end and work backwards in terms of the story line.The first Star Wars films were released in the late 1970's and early 1980's and were in actual fact episodes 4,5 and 6. The continuation of this story took place in the 2000’s with Episodes 1, 2 and 3. However Rogue One is a prequel to all of the other Star Wars films yet and looks at how the galaxy was before the events of the films took place and also fits in with the beginning of the other films. Rogue One looks at a group of unlikely heroes that are allied with the Republic who plan to steal the plans to the planet- destroying death star (features in the first 3 films). 

Felicity Jones plays the main female role Jyn Erso alongside Diego Luna who plays Cassian Andor, with their team Donnie Yen who plays Chirrut Imwe, Jiang Wen who plays Blaze Malbus, and the unforgettable imperial robot helper K-2SO voiced by Alan Tudyk. As a group they all worked very well together with a combination of comedic, serious and action filled scenes. For example when K-2SO says the line "I've got a bad feeling about this." before being cut off. This is a very famous line used throughout all the other Star Wars trilogy movies. The film was easily understood and would be a great starting point for any people that are interested in the Star Wars story and how it all came about. 

Not only were the team of heroes successful in Rogue One but also Darth Vader played by Spencer Wilding and his imperial accomplice Orson Krennic played by Ben Mendelsohn. My personal favourite scene in the film is towards the end and features Darth Vader inside a republic ship. During this scene we can hear that somebody is coming whilst republic troops stand in one place, waiting and looking terrified, the lights go out and they are standing in pitch black. All that we can hear are the soldiers breathing nervously until we see a red light of a lightsaber emerge alongside the swooshing sound it makes. The rest of the scene is carnage as we see Darth Vader dodge all of the soldier’s attacks and slice through them with his lightsaber. It is a truly terrifying and epic scene to watch.

Overall, I would give Rogue One 5 stars as I feel that it is a brilliant prequel with plenty of action with unexpected features and twists in the film to keep watchers at the edge of their seats. It is definitely a must-see. I would also suggest it to anybody who doesn’t know the story of Star Wars as this is a very good introduction to the trilogy. 

Written by Hannah Smithson from Coloma Convent Girls School Sixth Form.