Rogue One
Director: Gareth Edwards
Year Released: 2016
Rating: 1.0
Follow-up to the Abrams-helmed The Force Awakens introduces some new rebels - orphan Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), intelligence officer Cassian (Diego Luna), snarky robot K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), blind warrior Chirrut (Donnie Yen) - as they try to stop the Death Star from blowing up planets; they succeed ... at the cost of their lives (Spoiler Alert!). Despite the clearly hefty budget and top-notch effects, it still feels like an off-brand Star Wars ... they throw Darth Vader (still voiced by James Earl Jones) and C3PO and Princess Leia in there for the fanboys and fangirls, but I get the feeling this one was cranked out for contractual obligations and to rake in holiday cash (it also wastes Ms. Jones). I'm not sure how I feel about Photoshopping both Peter Cushing's and Carrie Fisher's faces on living actors for the sake of continuity, but these are the times we live in I suppose....
