Best New Star Wars Movie

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2018)

The idea of the Star Wars series making movies outside of the main story was questionable at first, given the sheer amount they could explore, and how that would tie in to the main story. If they're all as good as Rogue One, then they're good to go. It follows the story of the Rebellion, and how they came to acquire the Death Star plans, which was the central conflict of the original 1977 Star Wars movie. While it may seem unnecessary to explain that, it does it well enough to keep us interested with a new set of characters, some mysteries explained, and some absolutely fantastic action.
There's a whole new set of characters. The main character is Jyn Erso, the daughter of the architect of the Death Star. She's not the type to get involved in the war, or to really care about it, at least at the start of the movie. She's joined by a gang of new characters, the best of which is Chirrut. Chirrut is played by Donnie Yen, popular Chinese movie star. He may or may not be Force sensitive, but he's an excellent fighter and a very wise man. The other major character is Captain Andor, the morally ambiguous leader of the group. However, it's impossible to talk about Rogue One without the ending. Everyone dies. Every single member of that crew dies. Not even K2-SO, the comic relief droid, is safe. While that may put a lot of people off, it was necessary. It avoids the giant plothole of not having them in the Originals.
It's very different from most of the Star Wars movies for a host of different reasons. The first, and most notable, is that there is very little usage of the Force. The Force is at the center of the main conflicts in the core Star Wars series, Originals, Prequels, and Sequels alike. Despite the lack of the Force, it still feels like a Star Wars movie. This is, however, owed to the fact that several classic characters and vehicles return. The other notable difference is that it's the most violent movie in the series, bar none. There's no question about it. While the main Star Wars series has all sorts of Science Fiction violence, Rogue One felt more like a straight up war movie set in the Star Wars Galaxy. This is likely due to the presence of familiar weapons and ships.
There's no denying that Darth Vader is the best thing about the movie. He's the reason a lot of people saw this movie. For anyone who didn't see the Originals in theaters, this was the chance to see Vader on the big screen. He only has two scenes, one with Krennic, and then "the scene." The scene is the ultimate fanboy moment; watching Vader rampage through a hall of Rebel soldiers. The other nostalgic callbacks are welcome. Since it's set just before the Originals begin, you have the TIE Fighters, the X-Wings, the Star Destroyers, and of course, the Death Star. The Death Star was so cool. The best shot in the whole movie was the one where it forms an eclipse over Jedha. The Battle of Scarif is, dare I say, the best space battle in the entire series. The battle on the ground was very well done too. Seeing the Rebels and the Empire clash on the big screen again was a great experience, especially for those of who were born after the Originals came out. The cameos are awesome. It's an excellent addition to the Star Wars canon, and I'd say it'll be the best of the spin-offs for quite a long time.