Disney has done it again!!!

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2016)

Wow! Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was spectacular. I was able to see a screening on opening night and man was I pleased with the product. ALERT: If you haven't seen the movie yet and can spare to wait a few more days, read the book Catalyst. This book is a prequel to the movie and gives a deep backstory of how the Empire functions, the Erso family, and Krennic's connection to them. Knowing a little more backstory before was huge for me in terms of my enjoyment of the film, especially since there is no opening crawl. The great thing about this movie is that the worst part is the fact that there is no opening crawl, which for me being a huge fan and knowing what was going on, the absence of a crawl could affect a lot of people in terms of understanding the story. Furthermore, I won't get into any spoilers in this review, other than the fact that this movie is good for casual or non-fans, but excellent for hardcore fans. There are numerous nods to the original trilogy and prequel trilogy in this movie, some even in the form of characters. This movie mixes just the right amount of nostalgia with new lore. So, as I rap up this review, my final talking point is the 1st act and part of the 2nd act of the film. Once again, no spoilers, but from a watching standpoint the movie tends to be a little slow and sometimes boring in the middle of the film, but you must understand it is setting up these characters and their stories. After you see the 3rd act everything fits in nicely and I believe that upon rewatch, the 1st and 2nd acts will be much better. In conclusion, this movie is not The Force Awakens. It's a war movie with an emotional connection to the Original Trilogy. This is a true Star Wars movie and in my eyes Disney is 2 for 2 so far.
P.S. You'll like what you'll see from Vader 😏