STACK #147 Jan 2017

REVIEW CINEMA

The gang hit the streets of New York with new director F. Gary Gray straight outta Straight Outta Compton . Charlize Theron is the villain and Dame Helen Mirren is along for the ride. April . THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS

Cool monsters, baby Groot, Star-Lord, Kurt Russell, an all-new Mix Tape, and director James Gunn back at the helm. The sequel to Marvel's very best can't come soon enough. April . GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Gareth Edwards CAST: Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn RATING: M

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

Rebel with a cause.

T he Force Awakens was a worthy Star Wars sequel, and Rogue One is the first true prequel. It’s also the first standalone Star Wars film and immediately announces itself as such by eschewing the fanfare and opening credit crawl we’ve become accustomed to. This is a Star Wars story we sort of know already – the theft of the Death Star plans by the Rebel Alliance. It all hinges on information imparted by the Imperial battle station’s designer, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), whose feisty daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones) discovers that her father has built an inherent weakness into the Death Star which the Rebels can exploit. Together with Han Solo-like ‘scoundrel’ Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), blind warrior Chirrut Imwe (a terrific Donnie Yen), Imperial defector Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), droll droid K-2SO (a less irritating C-3PO, voiced by Alan Tudyk), and a squad of rebel soldiers, Jyn leads a mission to the tropical planet Scarif where the Empire’s archives are kept. Their main opposition is the Death Star’s head of security, Orson Krennic (a scowling Ben Mendelsohn), who answers to a certain Imperial Governor we’ve met before (and who has been resurrected in a creepy, CGI posthumous performance). And then of course there’s Darth Vader, whose inclusion is surprisingly superfluous and more a case of fan service. While there’s no denying the rush of nostalgia generated by a return to ‘70s Star Wars – director Gareth Edwards ensures the aesthetic

matches the original – Rogue One is closer in tone to World War II adventures like The Guns of Navarone than A New Hope . Edwards has always had a great eye for locations ( Monsters ) and artistic shots ( Godzilla ) and that’s just as evident in Rogue One – the Death Star eclipsing a sun, or rising above the horizon like an enormous moon (that’s no moon!) – and he shoots the space battles with the undisguised glee of a fanboy in a dream job. Rogue One is undeniably grim for a Star Wars film, even more so than The Empire Strikes Back . It’s also a slow burner, introducing far too many players that look similar and spending too much time planet hopping before the decision is finally made to snatch the Death Star plans. And unlike the regular ensemble we’ve grown to know and love, you won’t care too much about this new bunch of heroes. The relentless final act, however, delivers what we expect (and want) from a Star Wars movie as the Rebel fleet joins the battle – the action alternating between AT-AT ground assault and TIE Fighter/X-Wing dogfights above. If The Force Awakens stood accused of recycling A New Hope , then Rogue One is guilty of re-staging the finale of Return of the Jedi (sans Ewoks of course). Like J.J. Abrams’ film, this over-reliance on nostalgia and familiarity is both a strength and a weakness. If the Star Wars universe is to further expand, it doesn’t so much need a new hope as a bold new direction. Scott Hocking

The colony ship Covenant discover something nasty on a paradise planet. The drooling xenomorph on the poster confirms this is indeed an "official" prequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece. May . ALIEN: COVENANT

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

After multiple delays, Stephen King's seven volume fantasy/western epic is finally heading for the big screen, with Idris Elba nicely cast as gunslinger hero Roland Deschain. July . THE DARK TOWER

It doesn't have an official title yet, but hopefully the next chapter will reveal who Rey really is and how Maz got hold of Luke's lightsaber. Enjoy Rogue One for now and look forward to December . STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII

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