The Single Best Thing In Every Star Wars Movie
7. Rogue One - A Star Wars Story: The Dark, War Movie-Like Tone
Rogue One is not just one of the best Star Wars films, as well as the only film from the Disney era that hasn't been bombarded with fan negativity (isn't that swell?), but it's one of the most fascinatingly audacious Hollywood blockbusters of the last few years.
There are many things that make this one work so well, such as Gareth Edwards' fantastic direction, stunning action sequences, on-point world building and a smashing cast - but the main reason Rogue One hits so hard is its cleverly judged tone.
Essentially, Rogue One is a dark, thought-provoking and unrelentingly bleak war movie that just happens to be set in the Star Wars universe, and the way in which the film depicts such an iconic fictional universe in such a different, thought-provoking way makes this an exceptionally interesting movie to watch.
It also adds new emotional dimensions to the Skywalker Saga at large by showing the reality of life under the Galactic Empire and displaying the sacrifices made to get those Death Star plans, which are of course the primary MacGuffin in A New Hope.
It ultimately concludes in a ferociously downbeat, emotionally bruising final act that's among the ballsiest things Star Wars has ever done and although it's not the greatest Star Wars film - mainly thanks to some uncanny special effects, occasionally slow pacing and a very hit-and-miss group of lead characters - it very much shows the franchise at its most powerful and inventive.