The force is back with us
Main feature
STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE, 12A, 134MINS
Released today including Hollywood Plaza, Scarborough
The harsh realities of war – for the warriors on the battleground and those waiting nervously back home – are brought into sharp focus in the first spin-off anthology film from the Star Wars saga, which enriches the history of the universe created by George Lucas, before the arrival of Star Wars Episode VIII next December.
Since Rogue One is a standalone storyline, Gareth Edwards’ film will not opening with the iconic title credits crawl accompanied by a deafening blast of John Williams’ theme music.
Rogue One unfolds in a galaxy far, far away, shortly before the events of the blockbusting 1977 picture Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The Galactic Empire begins construction of a new superweapon called the Death Star under the watchful eye of Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) and weapons research director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn).
If this behemoth becomes fully operational, the Imperial Military will be able to destroy entire planets and crush all resistance to its relentless power-hungry onslaught. The Rebel Alliance launches a decisive response and recruits Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), whose estranged father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) is somehow linked to the project. Jyn must steal the design schematics as part of a crack team including Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and an enforcer droid called K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), whose memory has been wiped.