star_wars_rogue_one_ultimate_visual_guide_finalBy Pablo Hidalgo

DK Books, out now

All you could possibly want to know about the latest Star Wars story…

The first of Disney’s standalone movies in the Star Wars universe has met with high acclaim and huge box office receipts, helping the company to record takings for the year. The film has its faults, but overall it’s a fantastic war movie. DK’s latest guide doesn’t just explain what you’ve seen on screen, but provides acres of backstory.

If you’re a dyed in the wool Star Wars fan, you may be aware of much of what Star Wars expert Pablo Hidalgo reveals in this about the various planets, cultures, characters, ships and technology but for most, this will be eye opening, and at times explain what was going on on screen. The movie went through many changes during the production process (as is quite normal – this sort of thing used to happen all the time; we just weren’t told about it in quite such obsessive detail as we are now) and there are a lot of pictures in here that hearken back to the earlier version of the story. The description of the plot, particularly in the third act which received most of the changes, is in broad strokes, and at that macro level, the film hasn’t been altered that much.

Rogue One was always designed to lead into A New Hope, and this book shows the level of detail that was achieved to match a 2015/16 production with one from 40 years earlier. In itself, it’s a stunning coffee table book; as a record of the movie, it’s unbeatable.

Verdict: The perfect present for the Star Wars fan, young or old. 10/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order this from Amazon.co.uk

DK have also released a “level 4” guide to the movie, Secret Mission, aimed at younger readers who can read alone and query what they’ve been reading. It’s as fascinating at its own level as the larger guide, and will make a good companion for the Junior Novelisation by Matt Forbeck out next year. There’s also an Ultimate Sticker Book with pretty much every character you could think of so you can do your own revised cut of the movie!