Best Star Wars movie since Empire in my opinion. It doesn't get overly involved with the Skywalker saga to try to fit in too much, yet takes advantage of enough of the Star Wars universe to give it the SW charm. It has it's own feel to it that makes it stand out from the rest as well. More of a WW2 spy movie that takes place in a galaxy far far away. Similar to how Ant Man was a heist movie set in the Marvel Universe. This was a great stepping stone for the stand alone spin-off SW movies.

I had no interest in Star Wars despite having seen the original in the theaters as a kid. Of course I had watched them all over time, but always felt the storyline of the Skywalker canonical was tepid at best. It wasn't until I started reading the books of the expanded universe, and watching Clone Wars with my son that I began to see SW in a different light. Despite that the mainstream story line never held any interest for me.

And then this movie arrived. THIS is everything I had imagined after reading many books and watched the entire Clone Wars series. Great characters, raw, gritty. War in all it's guises. This is a fantastic story, and with proper direction and leadership the Star Wars franchise could blossom. Just no more Kylo Ren and all that please!!

This is the way you make a great Star Wars movie!

It's hard to avoid spoilers, but if you considered this movie's plot, which is woven into A New Hope, you can't deny that it is basically Star Wars Episode 3.5, or even a "Prequal" to A New Hope. Once you finish the end you will know what we're talking about - it's epic and demanding to watch the next movie.

Episode 3 is very emotional, there are a few times that get the juices flowing, but the last 3rd of Rogue One is more influential and emotional than Episode 3.

They say Episode 4 and 5 are stellar, but to me that's more on a directive and ground-breaking scale - Episode 5, Empire Strikes Back, has a lot of plot building, which I think is why it gets high ratings... Rogue One, is almost all plot building, which sets Rogue One apart from most of the other Star Wars main movies. My girlfriend and I, we just started watching the Star Wars movies a few weeks ago, and we got to Rogue One -- she stated, on her own, that of Episodes 1 through 6 so far, this one tells "the most story" than any of them, which I agree with.

Knowing what happens in the other movies is what makes Rogue One so emotional at the end, to know what's at stake, and what is happening, and the line in Episode 6, about many lives were sacrificed, rings true every time I watch Rogue One, it puts new meaning into The Rebellion.

This is an entirely different ball of wax: a great script, not a silly comic book story that's made entertaining by effects and a few cool older actors (the original series), not an utterly pretentious, turgid waste of money (the second trilogy) and not a mere re-make of the first movie (the incurable PLAGIARIST J.J. Abrams' offering). And, to go with a great script, a terrific director, utterly jaw-dropping effects (including bringing Peter Cushing back from the grave and giving the late Carrie Fisher youth again), and, above all, the RIGHT ACTORS, not the most FAMOUS ACTORS. These are all really accomplished, serious people, BUT -- this may not be a movie for the kiddies. For the first time, "Star Wars" really DOES have a "dark side:" tough, gritty, tragic, moving drama. NOT WHAT ONE EXPECTS FROM THIS SERIES, and I say that as someone who, as a young man, was entranced by the first movie: but time revealed that to be an effects, not a dramatic, impression. THIS IS THE BEST, PERIOD, FULL-STOP, OF THEM ALL.

There is an argument to be made that Rogue One is the third-best of all the Star Wars movies ever made, after the iconic A New Hope and the amazing sequel The Empire Strikes Back. Fresh, vigorous, entertaining and even moving, this is a terrific movie. And the Darth Vader portrayed here is one of the most deliciously villainous versions of all his screen appearances. Rogue One belongs embedded in the Star Wars canon.

I never thought anything would overtake Return of the Jedi for me (my favorite since it came out). But, this is it. This move is so dark, and so moving, I was shocked at how much I was crying (total wuss) in the final scenes on the planet. It took me completely by surprise. The characters are complex and realistic, and hard to let go. The way the movie follows through up until the very moment the New Hope movie begins completely nailed it. When it was over, it lingered like a blow to the chest. For me, it was so dark. But, "A New Hope" for the next movie title never seemed more appropriate. I actually had to go home and watch it just to get out of the sad mood I was in.

For people who don't like how "hokey" the Star Wars films seem to them, this is definitely a new breed of Star Wars film. My mom always hated Star Wars films and she was totally into it the whole time. It's not pop-bubble gum, we fight the bad guys and win, and lots of people died, but we'll just gloss over that because we won, type of movie.

Depending on the kid's maturity level, and what they've been allowed to watch in the past - I would not recommend this for kids under 10 unless they've been watching rated R movies already. I know it's PG-13 because there are no curse words, nudity, or suggestive themes - but it's not a happy movie.

“Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.”

Where no one has gone before? Sorry, wrong film franchise. Anyway, keep going! Sure, abstractly related as the director of the flagship new films of Star Wars and Star Trek are one and the same...and Star Wars the main franchise is in some stage of burning to the ground...or smoldering ash I think at this point. Basically here's the fundamental Star Wars fan equation into the future: Anything with "A Star Wars Story" after it is good, everything else is almost entirely utter garbage assembled for the sole purpose of selling toys, Disney ride tickets, and/or building stacks of marketing cash in some way. It's the new normal. Rogue One is number one. It's so much more a spiritual successor to the original films than anything else since the Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi if you are a fan of the muppets as well. Plus it's actually fun to watch, has characters that are not incredibly annoying, with both dialogue and plot that are actually not incredibly trite, predictable, formulaic, and lame hiding behind CGI lightsabers. Huge leap forward for Star Wars in a movie that actually takes 10 steps back in time. They should really do this more often, and with this guy directing, not the other guy, he should stay in his lane with Star Trek only, get outta here JJ.

For sure a BETTER movie than ANY of the Pre-Trilogy and so far better than the Post-To-Be-Trilogy films.

But, like the other movies, they WASTE the most interesting characters, in this instance: Donnie Yen's Chirrut Îmwe, who is basically a FORCE NINJA. Much like Ray Park's Darth Maul... too many opportunities WASTED. Hell, in the newest Star Wars canon, they brought on the stars of The Raid and made a big deal about... WASTED OPPORTUNITY to do something COOL with them.

This is a fun film, darker toned than most and pretty well paced.

K-2SO embodies everything that you grew weary of R2D2 and C3PO and turns it on it's ear. Funny, almost not helpful and an inspired character.

Besides the wasted opportunity of using actors like Donnie Yen and Forest Whitaker (ever see Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai? Forrest can be a legit BAD ASS), the CGI over for Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher was creepy and... It's a CHEAP cop-out.

Darth Vader being a BASS ASS, made up for quite a bit of the shortcomings of the movie.

After seeing this, it gave me "New Hope" for where The Last Jedi might become. This movie seems to be a "one-off". I have NOT seen "Solo" and have ZERO intention to. After "Last Jedi", I have no intention of seeing "Skywalker." This series and Universe has lost it's way and overall, these movies suck. And I am a LONG TIME Star Wars fan. I loved and adored the original trilogy. So much that has come since, has been CRAP.

This movie, gave me some hope.