Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Gareth Edwards, 2016)

Buckle up, there'll be plenty more of these to come. As it is, this is a pretty no-nonsense affair, plunging you straight in without preambles, because they're now making these just for absolute devotees. The casting is strong (who'd have imagined you could get Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker in a Star Wars film?) even if you have to keep reminding yourself that the heroine isn't the same plucky girl as in the last one, and the action sharp and more adult-oriented than other films in the series so far. It's not a revelatory work, partly constrained by having nowhere to go than making a plot bridge to A New Hope, but it does do that with no small amount of skill. The link-spotting alone is a fun parlour game.

6/10