I'm officially on the Star Wars wagon!

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2016)

Rogue One is everything you would expect from the 8th installment of the Star Wars saga.
We have incredible CGI and special effects that make this epic film larger than life. Fast paced space and ground battles with all the necessary trimmings and space troopers galore. Not to mention the funny android with an attitude problem and more personality than most humans. It is all there.
The music score is very much in line with the series, yet still unique in its own way. This only adds to the overall feeling and knowledge that this is a self contained movie.
The opening of Rogue One departs from the big score and introduction scrolling across the screen. I found this part a tiny bit disappointing - it is kind of a Star Wars thing after all. Even I know that, and admittedly I don't know much.
The Story
Set between Episode III and IV Rogue One tells the story of a band of rebels who are trying to get the plans for the Death Star. They are lead by Jyn Erso, who is the daughter of Galen Erso, the man who reluctantly developed the machine.
During the construction Galen had secretly built in a weak spot at the core, hoping that the rebellion would be able to destroy the deadly weapon before the Empire had a chance to use it.
His wish did not exactly come true, because the evil Orson Krennic uses it to destroy Jedha City in order to show its power to the Empirial Senat. This makes the task at hand all the more urgent and the rebels are prepared to sacrifice everything to complete their mission.
The final showdown happens on the planet Scarif where the plans are stored. Star Wars fans who have been with the franchise for a while will probably know or at least guess the outcome of the movie. In my opinion that does not take anything away from the glory of watching it all happen in such a spectacular fashion on the big screen in 3D.
Sequel yes / no?
Rogue One is a stand alone movie but rumours continue to linger that there may be works in the pipeline to continue the story. I guess only time will tell. It is a very profitable franchise after all, so nothing is really unthinkable.
Disney revamped the Star Wars tale with The Force Awakens in 2015. They are currently working to get the chapter of that out in 2017. If the trend continues then the next movies after that is not due until 2019, which leaves the perfect open spot in 2018 for something else. But that is just speculation on my part.
Final thoughts
I have never been a Star Wars fan. To tell the truth the first movie in the franchise I ever saw was Episode I, and that only partly. I watched it years ago and the only part I remembered is the pod race. The first Star Wars movie I consciously watched was indeed The Force Awakens last year. After watching Rogue One now I am determined to make a marathon session over Christmas out of watching the entire series in one go. I will be off work for a few days, so that will give me the perfect opportunity to do that.
There are two reasons for that. First is my newfound appreciation for the story. And secondly there is the knowledge that I am missing the overall picture. I can't really place any of the events around those two movies within the timeframe of the entire story. As I am certain, that there will be more films coming and I am also certain that I am going to watch them, I want to be able to see the whole picture when I do that.