Charles Britzman

I share the general disappointment with the Disney sequels. When I saw Kylo Ren hacking away at control panels with his light Sabre in a frustrated tantrum, I lost all respect for him-and as the remaining “story” progressed, all I could feel was the absence of George Lucas, while blithely enjoying the practical and CGI effects. In a multibillion dollar franchise with the word ‘wars’ in its title, Rogue One, for me, comes off as the first actual war movie of the series. But it had all the heart you want from SW, though most of the cast is new. We heard tangential mention of lives lost and sacrifices made by the Rebellion in previous episodes, and Rogue One pays that bill by giving us a visceral immersion into those sacrifices. Even in the presence of. Hyperdrive, force fields, energy weapons and orbital combat, plain human non-Jedi commitment , a daughter’s love for her father, can save a galaxy. “What chance do we have ?! What CHOICE?” Indeed. . .