We've been hearing about this movie for the last couple of years. From the very first teaser that leaked to the internet to the re-shoots that made Star Wars fans nervous. Is there anything to be nervous about with Rogue One (2016)? No way!! This is one of the best Star Wars movie I've seen.

The opening is different from all the episodes of Star Wars and for good reason. This is not your normal Star Wars movie. Rogue One is a war film. An alliance of factions forming a rebellion against an oppressive Empire. An Empire that builds super weapons and tests them on innocent planets and people.

Our journey follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) from childhood in hiding to adulthood behind bars. Jyn has had a tough life and her relationship to her father is very important to both herself but to the galaxy. Jyn is brought to the Rebel base and given an ultimatum. Find her father and help the rebellion or be put back on a prison planet. That's about as far as I will go in describing the plot. No spoilers here.

The special effects are amazing. The dog fight scenes harkens back to Star Wars (1977) right down to the look and sounds of each X-Wing fighter. This is truly one of the best looking star battles we've seen and rivals Ep. III's opening fight and Ep. VI's battle over Endor. There are some other sfx that I can't talk about...I'll just let you see it for yourself.

The acting was top notch. I never felt like these actors were just playing a role. They are a central part of the story and no one drops the ball. I could feel their desperation and pain in their performance and in the end you felt like they were old Star Wars friends.

The audience's reaction? I wasn't sure at first. Our theater was hardly full when we got there an hour early. We found really good seats and then it started to fill up. It was not completely full by the time it started but pretty close. I will only tell you this...everyone laughed, everyone gasped and everyone, I mean everyone clapped at the end. There were even a few who gave it a standing ovation. People were happy at the end of The Force Awakens...but it was not like this one at all...people applauded for a good 20-30 seconds...and not a golf clap, it was applause you might here at a football game.

As a non-spoiler review, all I can say is GO SEE IT! If you have any love for Star Wars - A New Hope, this will be the icing on the cake. As soon as the movie was over I wanted to watch Ep. IV as soon as possible. This is a prequel that needed to be made but I didn't even realize it until I saw it. Well done!