It’s here! Rogue One is the new Star Wars movie you’ve been longing for since Return of the Jedi. This is truly the prequel fans of the series deserve.
Albeit still a great movie, last year’s Star Wars: Force Awakens was effectively a shot-for-shot remake of A New Hope. Where Force Awakens fell short on originality, Rogue One more than makes up.
I will keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, giving nothing significant away that’s not in the trailer.
Rogue One takes place just before Episode IV, A New Hope and after Episode III, Revenge of the Sith.
The plot centers around The Rebel Alliance, a coalition of tribes across the galaxy who’ve banded together in the face of the tyrannical, oppressive Galactic Empire and its expansionist ambitions.
With their very own Igor Kurchatov, the Galactic Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star is nearly complete. Capable of destroying entire planets, the weapon poses an existential threat to the Empire’s dissidents.
And so, the Rebel Alliance forms a special team to track down and retrieve the Death Star’s blueprints to find a weakness in the superweapon and give the Rebellion a fighting chance.
Harry Khachatrian. 
Believe me, Harry, hardly anyone who goes to a ski-fi megamovie cares about the politics one way or the other. But I can see from your review you acknowledge that. The Star Wars power groups are just a frame within which to put ever more awesome flights, fights and explosions. Likewise the mystic-religious trappings (the force, midichlorians, mind control stuff). The special effects are what these filmmakers take more seriously than any aspect of plot or character. They spent a million bucks plus just to digitally paste long-dead Peter Cushing’s face onto another actor! Back in our day they would just re-cast.
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