Rogue One

As this reviews title reads “I Dig This ‘Star Wars Story’ Movie” I just think that it’s crucial to the main movie’s storyline from‘Episode IV’ anyway, which has sequels & after seeing it many years ago for the first time I’ve always believed that the ‘Star Wars’ movies should have been 10 movies long with this coming in after ‘Episode III’ making it ‘Episode IV’ leaving A New Hope as ‘Episode V’ & so on & I still do think that this is how it should have happened personally.It’s a great film, it was very well priced & it’s must have for the ’Star Wars’ fanatics & it’s just a great watch as a film, very entertaining.

Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryBelieve 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

Very happy with product

I am collecting all the Star Wars movies with cardboard covers. This one I received without a cardboard cover. Although it is shown on the product's image.

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.

Dvd arrived on time and in great condition

Muy buena película , el diseño de la caja es increíble con sus colores cambiantes

Compra internacional que chegou antes do previsto (2 dias antes) e a qualidade da embalagem é superior as que já estamos acostumados (embalagem azul) e o disco, em 4k, apresentou erros durante a reprodução (depois de uma hora de filme, ele trava. Apresenta pixelagem). O filme não apresenta dublagem e legendas em português do Brasil. Vem também a versão em blu-ray normal. Não tive problemas com esse! Vem com opções de dublagem e legendas em português do Brasil.

El envío perfecto , sin un rasguño. La caja metálica merece mucho la pena. Es Blu-ray y sí tiene idioma castellano, que leí en algunos comentarios que no.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY [2016 / 2017] [Limited SteelBook Collector Edition] [3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus] A Rebellion Built On Hope! Join The Rebellion and Discover DTS-HD High Resolution Audio!From Lucasfilm comes an epic adventure of ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.’ In a period of great conflict, a group of unlikely heroes led by Jyn Erso, a daring fugitive, and Cassian Andor, a rebel spy, band together on a desperate mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction.From Lucasfilm comes the first of the STAR WARS standalone films. ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY,’ is an all-new 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.FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2017 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Achievement in Sound Mixing for Christopher Scarabosio, David Parker and Stuart Wilson. Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects for Hal T. Hickel, John Knoll, Mohen Leo and Neil Corbould. 2017 BAFTA Awards®: Nominated: Best Make Up and Hair. Nominated: Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects for Hal T. Hickel, John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Neil Corbould and Nigel Sumner. 2017 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Nominated: Best Science Fiction Film. Nominated: Best Director for Gareth Edwards. Nominated: Best Writing for Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Nominated: Best Writing for Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Nominated: Best Actress for Felicity Jones. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Diego Luna. Nominated: Best Music for Michael Giacchino. Nominated: Best Editing for Colin Goudie, Jabez Olssen and John Gilroy. Nominated: Best Production Design for Doug Chiang and Neil Lamont. Nominated: Best Costume Design for David Crossman and Glyn Dillon. Nominated: Best Make-Up for Amy Byrne. Nominated: Best Special Effects for Hal T. Hickel, John Knoll, Mohen Leo and Neil Corbould. 2017 Hugo Awards: Nominated: Best Dramatic Presentation in Long Form for Chris Weitz (screenplay), Gareth Edwards (director) and Tony Gilroy (screenplay). 2017 London Critics Circle Film Awards: Nominated: Technical Achievement of the Year for Neal Scanlan (visual effects)Cast: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Henry, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, Jimmy Smits, Alistair Petrie, Genevieve O'Reilly, Ben Daniels, Paul Kasey, Stephen Stanton (voice), Ian McElhinney, Fares Fares, Jonathan Aris, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Spencer Wilding (Darth Vader), Daniel Naprous (Darth Vader), James Earl Jones (Darth Vader voice), Ingvild Deila (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Valene Kane, Beau Gadsdon, Dolly Gadsdon, Duncan Pow, Jordan Stephens, Babou Ceesay, Aidan Cook, Daniel Mays, Andy de la Tour, Tony Pitts, Martin Gordon, Eric MacLennan, Robin Pearce, Francis Magee, Bronson Webb, Tim Beckmann, Geraldine James, Ariyon Bakare, Simon Farnaby, Drewe Henley (archive footage), Angus MacInnes (voice/archive footage), Gabby Wong, Richard Glover, Toby Hefferman, Richard Cunningham, Jack Roth, Michael Gould, Rufus Wright, Michael Shaeffer, Geoff Bell, James Harkness, Derek Arnold, Matt Rippy, Nick Kellington, Michael Nardone, Nathan Plant, Christopher Patrick Nolan, Michael Smiley, Warwick Davis (Weeteef Cyubee), Dee Tails, Ruth Bell, May Bell, Angus Wright, Keith Dunphy, Alan Rushton, Robert Benedetti-Hall, Richard Franklin, Weston Gavin, Nick Hobbs, David Ankrum (voice) (uncredited), Russell Balogh (uncredited), Benjamín Benítez (uncredited), Ram Bergman (uncredited), Arthur L. Bernstein (uncredited), Verona Blue (uncredited), Bern Collaco (uncredited), Matthew Dale (uncredited), Nick Davison (uncredited), Ned Dennehy (uncredited), Gareth Edwards (uncredited), Daniel Eghan (uncredited), Jake Francis (uncredited), Scott Frazer (uncredited), Sam Hanover (uncredited), Benjamin Hartley (uncredited), James Henri-Thomas (uncredited), Luke Hope (uncredited), Dolly Jagdeo (uncredited), Rian Johnson (uncredited), Attila G. Kerekes (uncredited), Gary Kiely (uncredited), Jorge Leon Martinez (uncredited), Tyrone Love (uncredited), Chris Marchant (uncredited), Sandeep Mohan (uncredited), Shina Shihoko Nagai (uncredited), Robert Nairne (uncredited), Emeson Nwolie (uncredited), Hugh O'Brien (uncredited), Jem Kai Olsen (uncredited), Mac Pietowski (uncredited), Harry Pike (uncredited), Louis Samms (uncredited), David M. Santana (uncredited), Andrei Satalov (uncredited), Kiran Shah (uncredited), Tim Stafford (uncredited), Matthew Stirling (uncredited), Morgan Strebler (uncredited), Albert Tang (uncredited), Vince Taylor (uncredited), Tony Toste (uncredited), Sezer Unver (uncredited), George Vere (uncredited), Sam Wilkinson (uncredited), Boriana Williams (uncredited), Hiu Woong-Sin (uncredited), Steen Young (uncredited) and Andrew Zographos (uncredited)Director: Gareth EdwardsProducers: Allison Shearmur, Finni Johannsson, Jason D. McGatlin, John Knoll, John Swartz, Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, Simon Emanuel, Susan Towner and Toby HeffermanScreenplay: Chris Weitz (screenplay), Tony Gilroy (screenplay), Gary Whitta (story) and John Knoll (story)Composer: Michael GiacchinoCinematography: Greig Fraser, A.S.C, A.S.C (Director of Photography)Video Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 2.39:1 [ARRI ALEXA 65 Camera]Audio: English: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 Descriptive Audio, French: 5.1 DTS-HD High Resolution and English: 2.0 Dolby Digital StereoSubtitles: English SDH, French, Arabic, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and SwedishRunning Time: 133 minutesRegion: All RegionsNumber of Discs: 3Studio: Lucasfilm / Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesAndrew’s 3D Blu-ray Review: ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ [2016] finds us with the Force Is Definitely with this amazing STAR WARS spinoff. Here the story stars off with a young woman and her rebel band stealing plans for the “Death Star” perfectly captures that original-trilogy space opera magic. Talk about a blast from the past! It’s the galaxy you know and love with hints of a larger Sci-Fi world you’ve never seen. But is it worth the wait?‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ takes place just before the events of the first released STAR WARS Sci-Fi film in 1977, and this spin-off come prequel has the same primitive, lived-in, emotional, loopy, let's-put-on-a-show spirit that made us fall in love with the original trilogy. It's the first stand-alone chapter in the franchise, and not the bridge between then and now that J.J. Abrams cleverly constructed last year with the awesome and brilliant ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’ film. The action set-pieces are undoubtedly stunning and a brilliant tour de force thrill action packed Sci-Fi film.As to the actual Sci-Fi film, it can feel alternately slow and rushed at the same time, cobbled together out of spare parts, and in need of more time on the drawing board. But the damn thing is alive and bursting with the euphoric joy of discovery that caught us up in the adventurous fun nearly four decades ago. Familiar faces, human and droid make a cameo appearance. But not once do you doubt that the new characters are breathing the same air as Luke Skywalker [Mark Hamill], Princess Leia Organa [Carrie Fisher], Han Solo [Harrison Ford], Chewbacca [Peter Mayhew] and of course a really nasty evil Darth Vader, who of course was originally played by David Prowse, who has now sadly passed away.It’s easy to enjoy ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ Sci-Fi film just because it is definitely a STAR WARS film and at the same time enjoy the thrilling film music score by the equally brilliant Michael Giacchino film music score, which is equally on par with the original and brilliant John Williams film music score. There is also a comfort of being in the STAR WARS Universe and you immediately feel a renewed affection for it upon its re-entry into the cinema and our hearts.Director Gareth Edwards has really cooked up just enough plots with the film ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ to set everyone's wheels in motion, and cuts right to the chase. We are still in a world set "long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away," but that's it for the long scrawling text that opens the first official STAR WARS film is absent with this film for some unknown reason, which I should assume it really annoyed die hard STAR WARS fans.Set in the immediate lead-up to the original STAR WARS films (aka Episode IV: A New Hope), ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ focuses on the Rebel Alliance learning about the existence of the Death Star and the subsequent hunt to steal the plans for the deadly battle station that could be key to destroying it. Which is to say, it shows and greatly expands upon and the information that was A New Hope’s backstory when it was released 39 years ago.Jyn Erso [Felicity Jones] is not a member of the Alliance when the film begins, but a criminal and recruited by Rebel leader Mon Mothma [Genevieve O'Reilly], which finally getting lines after the vast majority of her Revenge of the Sith footage was cut, to help find her father, Galen Erso [Mads Mikkelsen], a brilliant scientist who has been coerced into working on the Death Star project in a crucial role.Teamed with valued Rebel operative Cassian Andor [Diego Luna] and his droid, K-2SO [Alan Tudyk], Jyn Erso’s mission will bring her into contact with other key figures like ex-Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook [Riz Ahmed] and the extremist anti-Empire warrior, Saw Gerrara [Forest Whitaker]. The mission also leads Jyn Erso to cross paths with a couple of formidable fighters who weren’t part of the plan, when she and Cassian encounter Chirrut Îmwe [Donnie Yen] and Baze Malbus [Wen Jiang].‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ is all part of the STAR WARS franchise, but the inclusion of elements like the Force and lightsabres always add a huge fantasy element to STAR WARS as well. ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ brings so much more of a true Sci-Fi film vibe to the STAR WARS franchise. There is definitely a powerful feel too much of the Sci-Fi film, as we watch the core characters and their Rebel allies battle in the streets, in the forest and, memorably, in the tropical environment of Scarif. The visual language (not to mention specific props and sets) of STAR WARS has been lovingly recreated, yet the film ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ still is able to have its own special vibe of excitement.That new vibe extends to how it breaks away from many of the cinematic rules of the STAR WARS franchise. There is no opening crawl, while the film includes elements like a time jump, flashbacks and onscreen text identifying different locations that the “Episode” Sci-Fi film have never used. These small yet distinct differences help the first STAR WARS story stand apart from what has come before, even as the story is still so rooted to A New Hope.‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ big strengths also include introducing a likable core group of characters that are easy to invest in and a key component given we meet so many new faces so quickly. Felicity Jones effortlessly holds the screen as Jyn, who’s put up a brash, stern wall to protect herself, thanks to a traumatic childhood. As Cassian, Luna projects innate charisma mixed with ongoing unease, as we see the Rebel Captain participate in actions he’s not always proud of in service of the greater good. While the entire cast are strong, it’s Tudyk’s K-2SO who’s often the standout and this droid is sort of C-3PO’s dark, amped up counterpoint.On the villain front, Ben Mendelsohn is perfectly smarmy and definitely right at home among the classic Empire portrayal from the original trilogy as the ambitious but possibly overreaching Director Krennic. As for the much-buzzed about appearance by Darth Vader (once more voiced by James Earl Jones), I will simply say that his screen time is minimal but amazingly effective, adding to the character’s legend in wonderful and even chilling ways.‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ also looks totally awesome and beautiful, especially in 3D. Director Gareth Edwards has utilised his more grounded, embedded warzone-type camerawork incredibly well, while taking us through several terrific locations that expand the Star Wars universe especially with Scarif, again, the standout, mixing its paradise location with some massive Stormtrooper vs. Rebels action set pieces. And those dodgy digital face recreations aside, the effects here are excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ILM. K-2S0 looks so good, it’s easy to forget that he is just a CGI character and my favourite, and the film’s big X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter space battle is mind-boggling. It’s easy to see why George Lucas is said to have loved ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY,’ as it so expertly recreates the world of his original Star Wars film, while using modern technology and something we know George Lucas is a proponent of, of course and to also deliver even more amazing visuals.3D Blu-ray Video Quality – Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures brings us a stunning 1080p 3D video experience that was shot using the ARRI ALEXA 65 Camera system, which uses a 6K source material and then transferred to a 4K master before being compressed onto this Blu-ray disc. The STAR WARS tech geeks out there are probably sobbing at the fact that Disney has not yet jumped onto the 4K band waggon as this would have been just right for the taking the image to such incredible resolution that is at their disposal. But the end results with this 1080p 3D imaging are nothing short of a jaw dropping visual experience. The film looks very different from previous STAR WARS Films and something that Director Gareth Edwards supposedly did on purpose, as the Sci-Fi film has the look of a very organic and earthy look to it. The shot where Krennic dropping down onto the Erso farm at the beginning looks so foreign and alien, and even the typical STAR WARS elements like space battles and especially where Darth Vader is very “gritty” in appearance. Fine detail is exceptional from beginning to end of the film, especially with the pits on Ben Mendelsohn’s face showing up very clearly and also the brilliant CGI computer generated of the many alien combatants really blended in perfectly with the live action scenes. With all the CGI computer generated images, there were at times you got to experience some smoothness of the image presentation very much. Blacks are very deep and inky, making space battles look exceptionally sharp and very vivid. Colours are slightly pale and earthy on purpose, with a heavy emphasis on deep blues and browns. So all in all this is a brilliant stunning image extravaganza, and especially in the stunning realistic 3D images.3D Blu-ray Audio Quality – Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures brings us an awesome a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that is nothing short of like being attacked by a Storm Trooper. It is a totally vibrant and aggressive audio track that takes full advantage of all 8 channels. The opening theme for ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ is very deep and very throaty, with a fully symphonic experience that feels that just over time swells and rises up to meet the listener. Battle scenes contain some heavy audio experience that adds much needed punch to the weapon blasts and explosions alike. I never once had to adjust the volume on my Pioneer AV Receiver even though the dynamic range was pretty impressive. I did notice that sometimes I had to turn up my volume about 3 notches because I suspect the recording was a bit low, but nothing a little level matching didn’t solve. Surrounds get a hefty workout with the X-wing fighters screaming through the Eadu canyons and blaster bolts impacting all around. The film music score is reminiscent of the canon “Jedi” stories without being identical, although the imperial march does come up as well as the final ending theme song. While I loved the composed film music score and also loved the audio track’s impressive aggression, I felt that sometimes the bass was a little bit lighter than I would have wanted, especially when comparing with some of the more recent STAR WARS films like ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS.’Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Special Feature: The Stories [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [68:58] Here we get presented 10 superb collection of special features, that you can either play separately or Play All. But also very unusual is to have all these special features shown in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio presentation. But most importantly is that you get to view plenty of in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the cast and crew, plus lots more information on the characters, especially in the ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ universe, that really delves deep into how the film came to fruition, as well as how it evolved into something totally spectacular and they are presented with the following:01. A Rogue Idea [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [9:00] Here we have a presentation of the concept of the film by John Knoll and a quick look at John Knoll's initial pitch and the hiring of director Gareth Edwards idea featuring interviews with Kathleen Kennedy and various other Lucasfilm major players. We get to view some old slips of cast and crew on the original STAR WARS film, especially having a close look at the old models and special effects. We also get to have a look round the Lucasfilm Offices in San Francisco, California, as well as the Industrial Light + Magic offices. Contributors include: KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], JOHN KNOLL [Executive Producer & Visual Effects Supervisor], KIRI HART [SVP Development, Lucasfilm Story Group], DOUG CHIANG [Co-Production Designer & UP/Executive Creative Director, Lucasfilm], CHRISTIAN ALZMANN [Concept Artist & Sr. Art Director, Industrial Light + Magic], JOHN SWARTZ [Co-Producer], GARETH EDWARDS [Director] and ALLISON SHEARMUR [Producer].02. Jyn: The Rebel [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [6:16] Here we get a quick introduction to the actress Felicity Jones and her preparation and the various attributes that make her unique and set her apart from the other characters within the film. We also get to see behind-the-scene of the intricate make-up process, as well as dramatic footage of the behind-the-scene filming with dramatic exploding special effects. Contributors include: FELICITY JONES [Jyn Erso], JOHN KNOLL [Executive Producer & Visual Effects Supervisor], KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], KIRI HART [SVP Development, Lucasfilm Story Group], PABLO HIDALGO [Creative Executive, Lucasfilm Story Group], GARETH EDWARDS [Director] and DIEGO LUNA [Cassian Andor].03. Cassian: The Spy [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [4:14] Here we get to see am in-depth short brief preparation of Diego Luna and analysis of his character Cassian Andor in the film, as well as lots of clips of behind-the-scene filming of certain scenes in the film. Contributors include: DIEGO LUNA [Cassian Andor], KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], PABLO HIDALGO [Creative Executive, Lucasfilm Story Group], ALLISON SHEARMUR [Producer] and GARETH EDWARDS [Director].04. K-2SO: The Droid [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [7:43] Here we get to see the preparation of Alan Tudyk and analysis of his character, especially looking at the new generation of droids, especially the main character K-2SO, who I enjoyed immensely while his character lasted a certain length of time in the film. This is a really fun look at Alan Tudyk's robot droid character, and also the motion capture work he did. It's pretty clear they let the guy improve with his deadpan humour and they also thought this English actor was fun to work with as they thought he was very funny and droll like his droid character, and they felt the English accent has a certain style that suited the K-2SO droid. We also get to glimpse some very rare footage of behind-the-scene filming on the set of the original STAR WARS film. Contributors include: JOHN KNOLL [Executive Producer & Visual Effects Supervisor], ALAN TUDYK [K-2SO], DOUG CHIANG [Co-Production Designer & UP/Executive Creative Director, Lucasfilm], CHRISTIAN ALZMANN [Concept Artist & Sr. Art Director, Industrial Light + Magic], RALPH McQUARRIE [American Conceptual Illustrator], HAL T. HICKEL [Animation Supervisor, Industrial Light + Magic], DIEGO LUNA [Cassian Andor], FELICITY JONES [Jyn Erso] and GARETH EDWARDS [Director].05. Baze & Chirrut: The Guardians Of The Whills [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [6:20] Here we to view some more in-depth behind-the-scenes preparation of the actors Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen and get to analysis their characters in the film. They also talk about the audition process and landing their respective roles as their characters Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe, as well as their experiences filming on location. We also find out that the two actors Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen are massive stars in the Chinese film industry. Contributors include: KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], GARETH EDWARDS [Director], JOHN SWARTZ [Co-Producer], DONNIE YEN [Chirrut Îmwe], JIANG WEN [Baze Malbus], ALLISON SHEARMUR [Producer] and CHRIS WEIZT [Co-Screenwriter].06. Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [8:35] Here we get to see the preparation of Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrara and Riz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook and their personal in-depth analysis of their characters and their personal place within their story and past events. We also get more clips from the film and also behind-the-scene filming, as well a couple of clips from Riz Ahmed’s hilarious video audition. Contributors include: KIRI HART [SVP Development, Lucasfilm Story Group], ALAN TUDYK [K-2SO], KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], PABLO HIDALGO [Creative Executive, Lucasfilm Story Group], JOHN SWARTZ [Co-Producer], GARETH EDWARDS [Director], RIZ AHMED [Bodhi Rook], FORESTER WHITAKER [Saw Gerrara], RAYNE ROBERTS [Creative Executive, Lucasfilm Story Group] and FELICITY JONES [Jyn Erso].07. The Empire [2017] [1080p [2.39:1] [8:18] Here is an intimate portrait of the evil character played by Ben Mendelsohn as Director Orson Krennic, as well as Darth Vader played by Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous. We also get a much more in-depth look at The Empire and especially where the Director informs us that he wanted a much more bleaker black-and-white image of the landscape on the different worlds that we view throughout the film. We also get an in-depth look at the character Galen Erso [Mads Mikkelsen] who of course was the inventor of the awesome destructive Death Star and also see behind-the-scene filming with this actor. We also get to view the computer capture technology of turning the actor Guy Henry into Peter Cushing who was of course the original Governor Tarkin and on top of all that Guy Henry greatly admired Peter Cushing enormously. Contributors include: GARETH EDWARDS [Director], GARY WHITTA [Co-Story for ROGUE ONE], MADS MIKKELSEN [Galen Erso], CHRIS WEITZ [Co-Screenwriter], BEN MENDELSOHN [Director Orson Krennic], KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], GUY HENRY [Governor Tarkin] and GREIG FRASER [Director of Photography].08. Vision of Hope: The Look of ROGUE ONE [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [8:24] Here we get another in-depth look at the design of the many different costumes featured in the film, compared to what you have viewed in the other STAR WARS films. We also get to view in detail all the designs for all the structures featured in the film. We are also informed that with this film they filmed in four countries, also filmed on seven sound stages, two backlots, three enormous United Kingdom locations that you are bound to appreciate why this film was such a huge epic, especially being a really beautiful rich film in all aspects. Contributors include: GARETH EDWARDS [Director], DOUG CHIANG [Co-Production Designer & UP/Executive Creative Director, Lucasfilm], JOHN SWARTZ [Co-Producer], GARY TOMKINS [Senior Art Director], NEIL LAMONT [Co-Production Designer], ANDREW BOOTH [Computer Graphics Supervisor], GREIG FRASER [Director of Photography], JASON D. McGATLIN [Executive Producer], KIRI HART [SVP Development, Lucasfilm Story Group], JORDANA FINKEL [Art Director], DAVE CROSSMAN [Co-Costume Designer], GLYN DILLON [Co-Costume Designer] and SIMON EMANUEL [Producer].09. The Princess & The Governor [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [5:49] Here we get to view the making of the virtual characters of Governor Tarkin and Princess Leia. This is a very brief but interesting look at how they digitally recreated two integral characters digitally. The stuff covering Guy Henry's recreation of Governor Tarkin and turning Ingvild Deila into the Princess Leia character is particularly impressive with the computer capture technology and how technology has gone in leaps and bounds compared to what was available with the original STAR WARS film. Contributors include: JOHN KNOLL [Executive Producer & Visual Effects Supervisor], KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], GARETH EDWARDS [Director], INGVILD DEILA [Princess Leia], HAL T. HICKEL [Animation Supervisor, Industrial Light + Magic], PAUL GIACOPPO [Model Supervisor, Industrial Light + Magic], TODD VAZIRI [Lead Compositor, Industrial Light + Magic] and JEE YOUNG PARK [Lead Animator, Industrial Light + Magic].10. Epilogue: The Story Continues [2017] [1080p] [2.39:1] [4:15] Here with this particular special feature, we take a look at the World Film Premiere in Los Angeles, that took place on Sunday the 10th December, 2016. We are also introduced to some of the cast and crew that was involved with the film, as well as a look at the annoying nerdy STAR WARS fans, who in my opinion spoil the whole proceedings. But we also look forward into the future STAR WARS stories yet to be told. But as we finally come to the end of this particular special feature, we get to view some of the more dramatic clips from the film ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.’ Contributors include: JOHN SWARTZ [Co-Producer], DOUG CHIANG [Co-Production Designer & UP/Executive Creative Director, Lucasfilm], JOHN KNOLL [Executive Producer & Visual Effects Supervisor], KATHLEEN KENNEDY [President of Lucasfilm], RAYNE ROBERTS [Creative Executive. Lucasfilm Story Group] and GARETH EDWARDS [Director].Special Feature: Rogue Connections [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:31] This is a special one off commissioned feature into the phenomenon of the film ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ and this piece shares some secrets behind the film, not just the connective references but cameos, also how certain weird character from previous STAR WARS films now appear in this film, as well as all other relevant information we get to see regarding the hidden connections between the rest of the STAR WARS continuing saga. This is also a very quick look at all of the tangent titbits that connects this Sci-Fi film with other events in the previous Prequel Trilogy, as well as the Original Trilogy films. But what was most interesting was pointing out who appears in certain shots in the film, which included the director Gareth Edwards, as well as certain Producers and Crew that appear in different scenes in the film.Finally, ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ is a Sci-Fi film that is crammed with so much action that should keep STAR WARS fans well and truly serviced, and there is little to complain about and much to really admire for sheer exhilarating adventurous excitement. The film offers a remarkable recreation of the original STAR WARS world, while exploring this universe from a different angle, and a much more edgy perspective than is the norm. It also expertly delivers thrills, tension and genuine rollercoaster action, despite the audience's prior knowledge that the Sci-Fi film central mission will be a successful one. Director Gareth Edwards has shown, with his venture into his first ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ film that these spinoffs can have plenty of life in them, adding even more excitement to the STAR WARS Sci-Fi franchise huge modern resurgence. On top of all that this is the first STAR WARS Sci-Fi feature film that is not graced by the original John Williams music film score, whereas his successor, the estimable Michael Giacchino, aptly weaves some of his predecessor's famous themes into his own work, with totally awesome solid result. Very Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom