Caution - This is Not Star Wars 8

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2016)

Walking in I was assuming this was Star Wars 8. It is not. It is actually an independent story based upon one off-handed line delivered a long time ago in a movie theater far far away. I'm so daft that it wasn't until my 11 year old enlightened me going out of the theater that it all fell into place. The Rebel Alliance is afraid to oppose the Empire with its new rumored planet killer. In to the mix steps Jyn Erso, daughter of the unwilling weapons designer for the Empire. The Alliance receives information about a potential weakness in the planet killer, and Erso and Cassian on their own initiative set out to obtain its structural plans. They are assisted by, among others, a blind fighter and his friend, ably played by Yen and Jiang. Their primary foe is Director Krennic, the latest in a line of weasel Empire leaders. As it was I was sort of wondering throughout how this all fit in with the series, I kept seeing strangely familiar faces unexpectedly.
Jones and Luna are the real deal in their starring roles, the CGI is quite fine and not herky-jerky, the running time was good and the story just kept moving. There are a lot of worlds presented, all in their visual glory. For those who like hanging at the beach the last world is the best of all, although there isn't a lot of sun-bathing going on when we see it. Highly recommended, I might have given it a 10 if I had known exactly what this was about in the big picture, but I think the uncertainty of that was supposed to be part of the fun.