Star Wars: Rogue One

This review is spoiler-free, assuming that you've seen a trailer or two.

Last year, Star Wars returned to the big screen with Episode VII (The Force Awakens).  That movie, however, was set decades after Episode VI (Return of the Jedi) and was an "Episode" film- part of the main story arc which (to date) has seven movies, with at least two more to come.  This week, Disney released the first non-Episode film, Rogue One.  Set immediately before Episode IV (A New Hope), this is a side story, featuring all-new characters.  Here, the Empire is building a superweapon- the dreaded Death Star- and a band of rag-tag Rebels works to steal its schematics, hoping to find a weakness and bring hope to a galaxy gripped by fear.  Will they succeed?  Anyone who's seen A New Hope knows they do, as that movie starts with Princess Leia in possession of said plans.  But how they succeed, it turns out, is a tale worth telling.

I liked this movie.  A lot.  The time period takes us back to the original trilogy (Episodes IV-VI) era, which (for me) is the best and most interesting.  It's fun to meet new characters, and there are some good ones here; the droid and blind monk were my favorites.  The movie was darker/grittier than the originals, which I enjoyed.  There were some delightful 'easter eggs'- pay attention, star wars fans.  There are several surprising twists, which were fun (though some are sad).  And the action- wow.  Epic battles on land (stormtroopers!  Imperial walkers!) and in space (spaceships!) made me want to watch this again and again.  Now, there are some downsides- the pace is super-fast, rushing character/plot development, and the music (not done by John Williams) lacks the power of the Episodes.  But overall, this is a good one.  I need to see this again in the theaters.

Rating: A