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****
Dir: Gareth Edwards (12A, 133 mins)
The Star Wars saga continues in a separate stand-alone story that takes us back to prequel territory, but thankfully not to CGI heavy Jar Jar Binks territory. This is set just before the events of A New Hope, the first Star Wars, and details the plan to steal the blueprints of the Death Star thereby allowing Luke Skywalker to blow it up. Director Gareth Edwards lends a handheld sensibility to the unfolding drama as Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso leads a rag tag team to steal the plans, after discovering that her father, played by Mads Mikkelsen, has been instrumental in creating this massive weapon of destruction. Rounding out the cast as a sort of Dirty Dozen are warrior monk type Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk voicing a hardcore droid, Diego Luna Forest Whittaker and Riz Ahmed. They will confront the dastardly Ben Mendelshon’s Director Orson Krennic, and the big breather himself Darth Vader also cameos. Perhaps not as hotly anticipated as The Force Awakens, this marks a broadening of the franchisee to stand alone stories, next will be a young Han Solo movie. Much will depend on how Edwards’ vision is received. It certainly looks impressive, Imperial Walkers laying waste to beaches, the Death Star being built and a stirring father/daughter story. The Force will no doubt be strong with this one.
Opens Dec 15