An exhilarating ride

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2016)

I had been eagerly waiting for this movie since the first trailer premiered in April and I was not disappointed. While I don't necessarily agree with some decisions made in regards to some of the characters, the buildup to A New Hope is amazing and so well done. When the movie ended, my heart was racing and I felt like I needed to decompress somewhere. There was so much buildup and suspense. It was awesome!
The effects and the CGI were amazing and I will be very surprised if Rogue One doesn't win the Oscar for Best Special Effects. Also, there is a reason this movie has been described as "Saving Private Ryan in space". This is very much a war movie with very little down time for the characters (and the audience) to collect themselves before the next action sequence starts. But perhaps, this is exactly what the Star Wars series has needed. However, the new droid K-2SO was a great source of snark and sarcasm which was greatly needed for such a heavy movie.
It was great to see Felicity Jones in a movie like this after having seen her in so many period dramas or lighthearted comedies. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses and I can't wait to see what she does in the future.
One thing I will mention: I highly recommend reading (or at least reading a summary of) the prequel book, Catalyst: A Rogue One Story. It gives a lot of backstory to the Erso family as well as some elements of the movie that I would not have appreciated as much had I not read the book beforehand.
An amazing addition to the Star Wars series and one that shouldn't be missed on the big screen!