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In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together to steal the plans for the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's deep space mobile battle station that is capable of destroying entire planets, setting up the epic saga to follow.
The good news is that Edwards' effort to make a storm-the-beach war film produces a tense third act that earns most of its big moments and also justifies much of what's come before.
This is a slightly darker shade of Star Wars adventure, for better and for worse. But it's also a refreshingly diverse collection of heroes this time, a multi-cultural crew against a white supremacist dictatorship.
With all the aerial dogfights, armored combat vehicles, grenades, flame-throwers and snipers, Rogue One feels like a film for those who think that most Star Wars movies are insufficiently like World War II flicks.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has gorgeous visuals, including an excellent production design and great special effects, but when it comes to the narrative, there's a lot left to be desired thanks to a screenplay that refuses to develop the characters.
It emphasizes the necessity of sacrifice for victory, and celebrates the anonymous, forgotten fighters who put it all on the line before that Skywalker kid even got up to bat.
Audiences once packed theaters to gawk at the future; now, it's to soak in the past. The emphasis is on packing in as much nostalgia as possible and tersely editing it together to resemble a film.
Hopping from planet to planet, battle to battle, the fast-paced narrative means there's little time to flesh out everyone involved. Yet even if their characters remain sketchy, several make vivid impressions... [Tudyk's K-2SO] is a scene-stealing delight.
Rogue One is largely free of the weight of myth and expectation that were borne by The Force Awakens, and this turns out to be both a good and a bad thing.