---
title: "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) review"
description: "Battle of Algiers does this better. For Star Wars, this is extremely mature."
url: https://www.joekarlsson.com/reviews/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story/
---

![A still from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)](https://www.joekarlsson.com/images/reviews/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story/backdrop.webp)

# Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Jun 7, 2026 | Rated 4 out of 5 | Dir. Gareth Edwards

Battle of Algiers does this better. For Star Wars, this is extremely mature.

First rewatch since the original theatrical run. After finishing Andor seasons one and two, it hits harder.

Jyn Erso’s character is still pretty weak - that hasn’t changed. But the movie works thematically. It’s about sacrifice, and by the end I was completely moved watching the rebellion give everything they had. Seeing the real sacrifices needed to support a rebellion is super effective.

Films like The Battle of Algiers are much better at portraying this concept - the gray zones required, the moral cost, the ugly necessities. But for a Star Wars story, this is extremely mature. For me, it’s peak Disney era Star Wars, and I doubt that’ll be hit again anytime soon.

Seeing how each person gives everything in order to support the hope of winning over a fascist regime remains extremely relevant. That’s what sticks with me. Not the characters, but what they chose to do.

Also on [Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/joekarlsson/film/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story/)

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Karlsson

I write about my homelab, AI tools, databases, and the weird stuff I build on the side.

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