Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 4k Ultra-HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]

I was utterly blown away by this film; I'd mistakenly thought they couldn't do much with the concept in terms of story, and I was SO glad to be wrong. It shows a different, darker side of the Rebellion, making it clear - as the original trilogy did not and really COULD not - that the Rebels sometimes had to compromise their ideals and stoop to the Empire's level if they were to stand any real chance of winning....or, in the face of something like the Death Star, any chance of even surviving. This actually made for a much more mature film which could still appeal to the younger audience without whom the originals would never have been so successful and so popular to this day. The visuals were superb - the ringed planet Lah'mu (not named, for some reason), the final stage of the Death Star's construction, the terribly beautiful sight of the entire plateau of Jedha City erupting in a miles-high plume of destruction, Star Destroyers colliding (I doubt that could ever have been realised with practical modelwork, as much as I love the old-school techniques)...terrific stuff. Saw Gerrera was an absolutely realistic response to a totalitarian regime; in every revolution there are always extremists, but Saw was more honest than most - and still held to "the dream" even as Jedha's landscape exploded around him. Cassian, too: ruthless to a fault, but always with the core of his beliefs staying intact, not apologising to Jyn for his intent to assassinate her father, not excusing his actions either - but realising himself that it was not the way to go. Besides, what would be the point? The Empire had already built the Death Star and therefore no longer needed Galen anyway. As for Jyn - I can't help but see her as a sort of female, angry Han Solo, i.e. having lost faith in pretty much everyone and everything, expecting nothing from anyone...and very surprised to find she's nowhere near as cynical as she thinks. A very powerful character; one can only hope she found peace in the Force. Chirrut Îmwe was an absolutely brilliant creation. He could, if not written or played properly, have been a cliché if not a caricature - the blind pilgrim with mad combat skillz - but I can only wonder how deadly he could've been with a lightsabre and true Jedi training. He was most formidable with just a staff! (It would've been nice if his comment to Jyn, "The strongest stars have hearts of kyber", had been explained - as it was in the novelisation - as something Lyra once told her, i.e. 'how did he know that?!') The only minor point was that the rivalry between Krennic and Tarkin could and perhaps should have been expanded upon; left as it was Krennic seemed almost childish, which isn't really fair - again, the novelisation depicts this in more depth. Oh well. It might have been the greatest retcon in movie history, but at last the Death Star's fatal design flaw makes SENSE. (Again referring to the novelisation, there's a very clever chapter detailing communiqués between Galen and his superiors, which show how he in fact TRICKED them into APPROVING the thermal exhaust port!) Oops, I nearly forgot the brilliant K2-SO, brought to life so superbly by Alan Tudyk, beloved to Firefly fans the world over as Wash. A greater contrast to C-3PO they surely could not have come up with, even given that he was a reprogrammed Imperial droid ("and there's a fresh one if you mouth off again!" - priceless!). I am NOT getting into the whole issue of bringing deceased actors into play via CGI, beyond saying that I actually thought Tarkin was very well-executed indeed; I was taken completely by surprise, knowing as I did that Peter Cushing passed away in 1994. In fact I didn't even KNOW at first they'd used CGI; I assumed at the time they'd created a lifelike prosthesis and/or found a near-identical lookalike. But Peter had such a distinctive look that simply putting a new actor in his place wouldn't really have worked; what they did, DID work. But the final scenes with Darth Vader proving once and for all just how truly badass he was - just ELECTRIC! You can just imagine what those doomed Rebel soldiers thought when they saw his lightsabre ignite: "By the Force, what is THIS?!" followed quickly by "Oh, we are SO dead, we are utter bantha poodoo!" Yet they DID THEIR DUTY. They stood their ground and fought, even though they were so far out of their league it was like setting a kitten against a rabid tiger, and bought the time needed for the Death Star plans to be safely dispatched. Heroes of the Rebellion, every one. All in all, a wonderful film, told differently from the originals yet, in a way, even more effectively.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Believe in the rebellion. It's hard to believe, that despite being one of the biggest film series in history, The Star Wars series has yet to see a cinematic spin off, over its now 30+ year run. Despite a cartoon series, comics and numerous expanded universe books. The Star Wars series remained largely outside the spot light, forgoing opportunities to push out spin offs and sequels, up until the series acquisition by Disney in 2012. In most scenarios this would be a good thing, saving the series integrity after the questionable prequels. However after 2015s Force Awakens successfully brought the series back and recently walking out of a viewing of Rogue One this past weekend, this may be the first time a corporation buying a series out is a good thing. When the end credits rolled on Rogue One, I left fully convinced not only of Disneys control of the Star Wars license but of the potential for the future of the expanded universe. It is a visually stunning, gritty and well acted war movie, that manages to show a different side of Star Wars while also being faithful to its source material. Set before A New Hope. Rogue one's story follow Jyn Erso, an outlaw who due to reasons I won't spoil, finds herself forced to help the rebellion, after a pilot defecting from the empire claims to have info on a super weapon they've been building (something strikingly moonlike). I'll keep things vague in this review, though as most know Rogue One is the story of the team who acquired the original Death Stars plans (the plans that would assure the rebels successful assault on the Death Star, 39 years ago). It was impressive that despite having a predetermined ending, Rogue One actually manages a few surprises, as well as some good retconning explanations for events in the originals. Though it's still the small band of rebels up against the impossibly large force of the empire (seriously the emperor needs to invest in better troop training). Many moments aren't quite as cut and dry, with spanners being thrown in the works and moments of questionable morality. There's nothing particularly out there or drastically different, though for Star Wars the very definition of good versus evil, it felt refreshing. The film can be broken up into three parts, with the first being the weakest. As we are introduced to the characters and drip fed plot, it isn't bad however it can feel a little disjointed, hopping from character to character before we know any of they're names. It feels necessary however, when the film settles in and the plot really begins. The second act of the film is brilliant, with the introduction of many likeable characters. From the brilliantly sarcastic K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) a reprogrammed empire droid, who loves to tell his team the odds of their survival. To the funny back and fourth between Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) a mysterious pair, who eventually join the group. The film has a good amount of comedic relief sprinkled throughout, that thankfully never feels out of the place or forced. By the end you'll genuinely care for Rogue One's rag tag group, this is down to great acting across the board and a smart script that made me care for them, without it feeling forced or unwarranted. The film's final act is a sublime battle sequence, that showed the kind of gorilla warfare I've wanted to see in a Star Wars film for years. The feeling of desperation and stacked odds is palpable, with rebel trooper hiding in bushes, setting traps while the empire chase them down in AT-AT's. the sequence is paced perfectly so that it doesn't fatigue and the mix of space and group fighting is perfect. A film that focused more on combat than mythology or character drama had to bring the action right and Rogue One does not disappoint here. Props also goes to Gareth Edwards direction and the special effects team. Going from creating the special effect on his laptop, in his independent alien movie monsters, to Godzilla to Star Wars is an impressive career trajectory and Rogue One is definite proof it's warranted. The team has gone on record as saying they were inspired by the Vietnam war when creating rogue one and it's easy to see the influence. The gritty nature of combat here, makes Rogue One stand out. With a great sense of scale throughout. The battlefields feel big, yet being down on the ground with the rebels feels personal. Multiple memorable shots still stand out to me, like the rebels fleeing on the beach from AT-AT looming behind to x wings ducking and weaving past Star destroyers. It's visually stunning without feeling clean or distance. The special effects are as expected excellent, with incredible detail put into every ship cockpit and alien facial expression. This is by far the most visually impressive the series has looked, with CGI characters I did not expect, looking so good I hardly noticed they were (I'm being vague but you'll know what I mean when you see it). Rogue One manages to be the rarest of things. Not only is it a great spin off, it is also an excellent prequel. (Both new ground for Star Wars). Any problems to be found here are at the most forgivable and at the least nit picky. It's a gritty and refreshing war movie that manages to feel fateful to Star Wars while being something different to the main series. Disney have made a strong case for their Star Wars Anthology series here (I'm slightly less worried about the Han Solo origin story now) and just an all around great holiday season movie. Whether you're a hardcore or casual fan there's something to enjoy here. 9/10

Instead of just making more money by producing new Star Wars, Disney intend to bring the cinema audience stand alone movies set in the fictional universe of Star Wars as well. This is the first of them. It takes place in between Star Wars episode three and episode four. Familiarity with those films will naturally help you get more from this one. Although chances are you will have seen them if you are reading this. At the start, we meet a young girl whose father fled the empire. But who finds he can't hide forever. She becomes a young girl forced to grow up fast. Fend for herself. And want to get revenge on the empire. Years pass, and said young girl is now Jyn Erso [Felicity Jones] who gets the chance she has been waiting a long time for, when given an offer by a group of rebels. To help them steal the plans of a new weapon of mass destruction the empire is building. A mission she has a bit of a personal connection to. The imperial forces will stop at nothing to ensure they prevail. This might just be a suicide mission... There's no opening title scroll to fill the viewer in on any exposition, and without that, and a lot to set up at the start, it does take about fifteen minutes to really get into this. Early on the interest is held by the pragmatic and forthright K-2SO, [voiced by Alan Tudyk] who has a delightfully entertaining way of speaking. But action and laser gunfights come along whenever the script needs. And Felicity Jones carries the lead role pretty well. Steadily, though, as it goes along, this does get pretty good and pretty involving. And it's all worth it for the final quarter. Which has some excellent non stop action. It doesn't pull it's punches. It consistenly grips. There are stunning visuals. And it's very much a war movie that tries to be as realistic in it's depiction of combat as it can. All of which results in a film that ultimately hooks and ends up being excellent entertainment. It also rather smartly tries to fill in a few of the blanks and join up a few dots, as it were. But it never compromises anything from earlier films when doing that. Which is as it should be. Thus fans get their fun and everyone else gets their entertainment. This does get past the problem of one cast member from the original no longer being with us by means of digital trickery. The technology is impressive to say the least, but how you feel about it being used this way is going to be a matter of opinion. There are no extra scenes in the end credits. If all of these stand alone movies are as good as this, then Disney are onto a winner. It's not a cash grab. It's good entertainment. And hopefully more will follow. The disc has the following language and subtitle options: Languages: English. Spanish. English audio described. Subtitles: English, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portugese, Spanish, Swedish. The dvd goes straight to the main menu when loaded, with no adverts or trailers. It has no extras whatsoever.

Great film

My six year old has just watched all the star wars films in story timeline order. I am a little jealous.....because, even though we had to start with Phantom Menace, it all stood up together rather well (Revenge of the Syth was the best of the frist three according to my daughter!).............but all that aside when it came to rogue one we were both hypnotized and amazed by this film (It was my third go at it and it looked even better the third time!!). I guess it is the heart and the texture of the film, settings, characters and use of effects which makes this prelude to episode 4 so outstanding. The thing that makes the best star wars films tick is the heart of the story, supported by the masterfully poignant use of effects, props, the force mythology and quality character building. For me this film has it all - and everyone involved should be so proud of this - You should have seen the look on my daughters face when episode 4 kicked in - the story and how it continued made sense to her and she really wanted to know more about everything.......but as far as the film being a stand alone goes it also is so memorable and rewarding a viewing experience - the ending leaves you pumping but also distraught, and excited - just like any decent mythical short story, you are itching for more. Mythical stories tend to contain the bare bones of what an audience truely craves - the heroes and villains yes, but also the fight, the heart and the adventure, the passion....you do not need to show everything about a character - leave the audience something to use their imaginations with.........I Anyway I am starting to twitter on, so just let me re-assure you if you have any doubts - this film rocks - the people who made this did so with great care and affection. Watch, enjoy, then watch again......... By the way - watching all 8 films so far in order is an awesome experience.......just have to wait 5 months and me and my little one will be in front of the big screen waiting for The Last Jedi........my daughter rated this film in first place, new hope in 2nd, Empire Strikes Back 3rd and believe it or not Force Awakens 4th............and yes I kind of agree with her! We both agreed that whatever the case this has to be one of the greatest stories told ever!

Everything is OK. Good quality.

A great addition to the franchise and provides a few iconic moments of such quality that it's hard to believe they came from the same Disney stable that has effectively wrecked the last trilogy and some of the TV adaptations. Looks and sounds great on this Blu-ray.

PLOT... All looks lost for the Rebellion against the Empire as they learn of the existence of a new super weapon, the Death Star. Once a possible weakness in its construction is uncovered, the Rebel Alliance must set out on a desperate mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. The future of the entire galaxy now rests upon its success. This movie mixes everything we love about the classic original saga and mixes it with a modern day edge but still keeping that classic look and feel in every way, for me personally its the best star wars movie ever made, the story is brilliant and plays out really well, the movie sets a slightly darker more grim tone than previous movies as we all know the fate of what happens in the future stories, the cast is great, Felicity Jones is an amazing and beautifully talented actress (Doctor Who, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Inferno) she makes a perfect lead along with Diego Luna, Donnie Yen (Martial artist and Hong Kong action star) Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker and so many more, the special effects are absolutely top notch all the way and the music score is one of the best star wars soundtracks ever recorded! Overall its a solid movie with everything you love about star wars, the magic is back again in a new way for new and old fans! A must see! And as a special treat on top of that we get to see some major characters we love come back, the major one being Darth Vader of course and he certainly makes use of his screen time with one of the most EPIC jaw dropping scenes from a star wars movie you will ever see! The Blu-ray has a fantastic HD picture Features include lots of mini featurettes on the making with interviews and cool facts about the movie (total 1hr 12mins) Bonus features are exclusive to Blu-ray too, the DVD has none. Region FREE ABC, 134-mins, 2016. Languages English, French, English audio described. Subtitles English hearing impaired, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, French. First lot come with a nice slipcover.