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| Edited By: Bryan Durham |Source: DNA |Updated: Dec 17, 2016, 07:13 AM IST
A mother dies, a daughter escapes, a father is forced to create a planet-killing Death Star by the Empire he once worked for.
Years later, she is found by a Rebel Alliance, one that wants to bring the Empire down. They're convinced that her father, now suspected of working to create aforementioned Death Star will see it through and that nobody will be safe after he's done.
As girl seeks out her long-lost dad, with a ragtag group of reluctant warriors and one kickass (though entirely pessimistic) robot. They then decide to take down the Death Star by finding the plans for it, because her dad placed a fatal flaw in it.
Do they do it? Do they live to tell the tale? Is there New Hope to be found here?
The cinematography, even at its darkest and bleakest, is a thing of rare wonder. It never lets your eyes stray away from the screen. So much so, your reward is that much more bountiful when the film's grandest scenes make an appearance. There are special appearances by old friends (certain robots and one princess) and two iconic villains that you can't miss. Donnie Yen's overly optimistic though sightless spiritual/martial arts expert Chirrut Îmwe makes you smile with his exuberance. He's a scene-stealer, for sure. Fans of the franchise are going to go crazy about the special appearances (one resurrected villain included) and while this comes in the second half, it's worth the wait.
As the film's heroine Jyn Erso, Felicity Jones is not as charismatic as a Daisy Ridley, whose winning performance in the last Star Wars film (this is a spinoff, so you're expected to be kinder and have fewer expectations than you would from one of the Episodes) was one for the books. Despite having a stellar cast, names like Diego Luna and Mads Mikkelsen don't really leave an impact. It says something when your biggest draws is the voice and the appearance of an iconic villain and a pessimistic robot (K2SO voiced by Alan Tudyk). You're wowed by the creatures in the film, though except for Admiral Raddus (played by Paul Kasey), nobody really deserves a mention. They're just part of the scenery. The film is far too long to be counted as an in-betweener film. It's almost as if everybody is just going through the motions
Despite rave reviews, it's not a film that blows us away or bamboozles us with spectacle. Maybe Episode VIII will be better?
