Many moons ago, i watched a war film called Operation Daybreak, the story of Czech partisans – fighting for the British Army – whose mission it is to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich . Heydrich was the brain behind the plan for the Final Solution – a soultion that would see millions of Jews being sent to the gas chamber. A man who was truly evil, and without a moral compass.  Operation Daybreak was a movie about individual heroism, and a mission that is greater than your own life. I have seen many such films base on true life incidents of war, but Operation Daybreak has stuck in my memory, possibly because it was the first one that I saw in that genre.

When i began watching Rogue One yesterday, it was impossible not to make comparisons. A well organised, united,  highly militarised enemy. Rebels who are not organised, not united, and have weapons cobbled together from leftovers. And, a mission to destroy a weapon of mass destruction, that would save the universe.

If you look at the film and ask, what is the film about – it is about heroes, who fight for something they believe in, for a better tomorrow. A film about hope. IT is also a war film, in the true sense of a war film. A small squad of misfits who goes to take on the Goliath military operation- think Guns of Navarone.

The film had a magnificent set of characters, and unlike most films in recent times, i wished that the movie was slightly longer so that i could get to know them better. All in all, story wise, a much better outing on the franchise, than the last 4 films. I would still rate Empire Strikes Back as the best Star Wars Film, this comes very close in toppling that number one status.

If you are a star wars fan – this is a must watch. And, if you don’t know the universe at all (how is that even possible), it is still worth viewing for the tightly plotted storyline and well etched characters