20 Films That Will Define 2016

2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Release Date: 16th December (US / UK) Director: Gareth Edwards Starring: Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker The Force Awakens is going to be a global success no matter how good it turns out to be, it's something everyone will watch simply because (beyond the truly committed fanbase). It's something of a gimme. That however cannot be said for Rogue One which for me as an individual, looks far more exciting and impressive across every department. For starters, the great Edwards serves as director. He understands how to carve realised characters and intelligent storytelling regardless of the project scale he is working on. At heart, the auteur is an indie filmmaker, consequently more in touch personally than financially. Then there is the cast involved. Academy Award-nominee Jones - one of Britain's finest - is teamed up with Mikkelsen, Mendelsohn and Whitaker (that's quite a trio), plus Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna and Donnie Yen are all down for the ride. Furthermore, the principal narrative is not another camp space opera, rather something more rugged. Rebels setting out to steal the Death Star? It sounds insanely cool and massively unlike the mega-franchise it is attached to. 2015 might be all Lightsabers and Stormtroopers, but 2016 plays out the heist from the darker depths of the galaxy.