"Rebellions are Built on Hope"......and Sacrifice

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2017)

This is a "War" Story...A Star "Wars" Story.
Its Template is of Rag Tag and Grit. Dirty, Disheveled, and Dour, the Movie Feels like the Only Thing going for the "Rebels" is Hope. This Supposedly "Stand Alone" Film does No Such Thing.
It is Directly Tied into the Beginning of the Whole Darn Franchise. This is a Prequel and it Presupposes what Happened in the Immediate Past just before "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" Premiered On Screens in 1977.
The Synopsis of the Film is that Opening Crawl of the George Lucas' Game Changer.
This Film is Dark, Violent, and Desperate. There are many Highlights and a Lot of it is Shot in Low Light. Although Filmed Digitally it takes Great Pains to Shoot Practical when it is Practical to do so.
There are Grand Battle Sequences and at the Center of the Story is the Plans for the "Death Star". There are Cameos from Familiar Characters and much of the Hardware of the Original is at hand for Suspense and Sprawling Sequences of Mayhem.
Some Complain that the New Characters are Lacking, but this is a Group Story. Names of the Rebels become Elusive as does the Places and Planets, because in the End this is about One Thing and One Thing Only...Hope...for the Survival of the Rebellion and the Elimination of an Awesome Weapon of Mass Destruction and the Sacrifice it took to Get the Job Done.
Overall, it is not as Kid Friendly or as much Family Fun as "The Force Awakens" (2015). This is Serious. It is Great "Star Wars" Stuff and a Significant Entry in the Franchise.