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King Cobra : Review
NEW MOVIE
In Theatres December 16th , 2016 .
From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films , “ Rogue One : A Star Wars Story ,” an allnew epic adventure . In a time of conflict , a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star , the Empire ’ s ultimate weapon of destruction . This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things , and in doing so , become part of something greater than themselves .
Without giving away any spoilers , here are some general descriptions about what to expect when Rogue One opens on Dec . 16 :
• The film , starring Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso , an outlaw recruited by the Rebellion to steal the plans for the original Death Star , is set just prior to the events of 1977 ’ s original Star Wars , and references to the first trilogy abound , foreshadowing events-yet-to-come .
• The tone is , as promised by Lucasfilm , a war story , a relentless action tale . Fears that much-discussed reshoots were softening the story or watering down the ending appear to be unfounded , since the movie presents
a much grittier soldier ’ s story than previous films . Think of it as Band of Brothers with a Star Wars setting , more than earning its PG-13 rating .
• Chirrut Imwe , the blind warrior monk played by Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen , and K-2SO , the blunt-talking security droid played by Firefly star Alan Tudyk , steal the movie . Ironically , they both provide some of the movie ’ s funniest and most heart-tugging scenes .
• Much like The Force Awakens , there are a significant number of shots from the Rogue One trailers that aren ’ t in the finished film . Director Gareth Edwards says he shot a lot of footage in a cinema verite style , trying to capture the chaos of battle , so either trailer-makers drew heavily from material that was later unused , or portions of those scenes were reshot .
• Despite its heavy tone , there ’ s a lot of humor in Rogue One . There ’ s also a lot of heart , particularly in the father-daughter story of Jyn and Galen Erso ( Mads Mikkelsen ) a scientist who is stolen away to work on the Empire ’ s Death Star project . The film also features a gripping , almost prescient speech by Jyn that will leave many fans with a lump in their throats .
• Finally , Darth Vader … The Dark Lord of the Sith delivers one moment of pure horror . You could argue there ’ s even more than one scene that fits this description . Rogue One shows a ruthless , predatory side of Vader when he is at the height of his powers .
• Actually … one more note : Fans of the Disney XD animated series Star Wars : Rebels should keep their eyes wide open for a number of special surprises . ( That ’ s all I ’ m going to say about that .)
8 4GUYS
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