Like many others around the world, I arrived to the theater on December 15th wearing my Yoda socks, Star Wars tank top, and Darth Vader sweater, with high hopes about the new Star Wars movie, “Rogue One”. This movie breaches the gap between “Episode III, The Revenge of the Sith” and “Episode IV, A New Hope”. It follows a new character, Jyn Erso, the daughter of an imperial scientist, who has lived her life as an ex-con after losing both parents. She is forced into joining the rebellion and eventually sees the worth in their cause and decides to steal the plans to the Death Star. She fights alongside a group of rebels working to dismantle the empire. Felicity Jones, who plays Jyn Erso, was a stunning choice for the strong female lead and brought a new energy to the series.

   These characters differ from most Star Wars movies of the past in their lack of powers. These characters are normal people with troubled pasts and extraordinary courage, making them more relatable and inspirational. So if you’re looking for a movie featuring Jedi and lightsaber battles, you’re not going to find them here.

Although it was written as the first standalone Star Wars movie, I wouldn’t suggest seeing it unless you have seen or have a basic knowledge of the rest of the Star Wars trilogy. Watching this movie align with moments we didn’t get to see in some of the original movies was a great experience that you would miss out on if you hadn’t seen Episode III and IV. The director did an amazing job of integrating characters from the other movies without putting too much attention on them. For example, unless you were looking for it you most likely wouldn’t have noticed that Princess Leia’s real-life daughter, Billie Lourd Fisher, had a small role as Lieutenant Connix with approximately one line. You also may have missed the inclusion of some of the battle footage from A New Hope.

   Overall, this movie was really fun to watch especially with the inclusion of all the new CGI effects that brought old action and characters to life. Even though the middle was a little slow, focusing on the development of all the new characters and spending a lot of time with repetitive fight scenes, the ending was thrilling and left all fans of the original series in the theater cheering. This movie was a must see for all galactic enthusiasts and Star Wars fans but if you are new to the blockbusters, I would suggest starting at the beginning.