10 Reasons Rogue One Is The Smartest Star Wars Movie Ever

by Ewan Paterson

1. It Forces A Reappraisal Of The Entire Saga

Star Wars Rogue One Death Star
Lucasfilm

Rogue One is just a beautiful film. But I've already said that. A lot. And whilst I'd love to prattle on for another two-and-a-half thousand words on the subject, I'd imagine that it would get a tad tedious. Just a tad though.

The main thing to consider when you leave the cinema having seen Rogue One (and this goes for any film, by the way), is how it made you feel. Cinema, of course, has that wonderful ability to convey huge swathes of emotion over the course of two hours. But when it comes to a franchise like Star Wars - something inherently nostalgic and wondrous to a great many people - the feeling you get when you leave the cinema is already a foregone conclusion. Right?

You'll probably leave, goosebumps all over, gawping over the amazing visuals, memorable characters, and wonderful narrative. Rogue One is different though, and, far be it from it to illicit a response solely consumed by mere nostalgia and its ability to give you the fuzzies, it leaves you with an altogether different kind of feeling; one that is, for lack of a better term, simply mind-blowing. The way it so effortlessly turns one of cinema's most lampoonable contrivances into such an emotive crux in the saga, is a masterstroke on Chris Weitz, Tony Gilroy, John Knoll, and Gary Whitta's behalf. Not only have they turned in a near-perfect Star Wars experience, they've managed to make the 1977 original - a milestone in contemporary popular-culture - even better. Like, just how do you even do that? It's bonkers.

Of all the amendments to the Original Trilogy, Rogue One has to be my fave.

What did you like most about Rogue One? Do you think it's the best Star Wars film yet? Be sure to sound off in the comments below!

Advertisement
Horror

20 INSANE Horror Movie Moments You'll Never Stop Thinking About

TV

20 Most Underrated Actors Working Today

20 Upcoming Movies That Have Made ONE Big Mistake

Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.