In 2012, LucasFilm, creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, sold their properties to Disney. From then on, George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, let go of his brainchild. Disney then started production of the unofficial "Star Wars Cinematic Universe" similar to what they did with Marvel. Last year, they rolled out the hotly anticipated seventh chapter in the Star Wars Saga, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Needless to say, the movie was a critical success and a box office smash with more than 2 billion at the box office. And now, with Disney putting out a new Star Wars movie every year, they decided to make an "Anthology" series, telling smaller, closed-off, stories about the history of the galaxy, not relating to the story of the Skywalkers. So here we are, the untold story of the spies mentioned in a New Hope, who provided the plans for the destruction of the infamous superweapon, the Death Star.

Rogue One follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) , a reformed criminal, and daughter of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) a imperial scientist working on the aforementioned weapon (who does not want to), taken from his home and his then-young daughter early in the film by the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Galactic Empire (I know, a mouthful) Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendhelson). 15 years after Galen was taken, Jyn is rescued from Imperial custody by the Rebel Alliance and taken back to their base at Yavin 4, where she learns of her father's part in the formation of the Death Star, and she is set on a path to retrieve the plans for it, the catalyst for the events in Episode 4: A New Hope. Jyn is joined by Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a Rebel Intelligence Officer, K2S0 (Alan Tudyk), a reprogrammed Imperial droid with a snarky personality, Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) a blind Force-believing guardian of the Jedi Temple on the Mecca-like planet Jedha, Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) the trigger-happy best friend of Imwe, and Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) a defected Imperial cargo pilot with a message that will change the galaxy. They all set out to find the plans, but find Director Krennic, Imperial forces, and the ominous Darth Vader (James Earl Jones).

Rogue One was my most anticipated movie of 2016, and it did NOT dissapoint. The plot is stellar, weaving in clever references to the Star Wars mythos in creative ways, and pulling twists I did not expect to happen. I found myself craving a further story with these characters, but sadly Disney has confirmed there will be no "Rogue Two". Director Gareth Edwards clearly loves Star Wars, and shows that in his direction, with shots reminiscing of the Original Trilogy and perfect recreations of places we have been already, like Yavin 4 or the Death Star. His shots are also beautiful and sometimes gave me goosebumps, not because of fear, but how photoreal they were. I also love the characters in this movie. Jyn, while not my favorite character, was a good protagonist, with Felicity Jones giving heartbreaking performances in multiple scenes. My favorite character(s) were Cassian Andor and Orson Krennic forr one overarching reason: they weren't black and white. Andor was a conflicted Rebel, someone who believed in the cause, but wasn't the clear good guy that Luke Skywalker and Rey are portrayed to be. He makes choices that are criminal, but for the right reason. Diego Luna did a great job portraying him. I loved his character a lot, and sincerely hope we can see more from him. Orson Krennic was also more or less conflicted. While he may agree with the Empire's ideals, he's just a man who wants to please his superiors and get to the top. At some points in the flim, I oddly sympathized with him, as he had a great arc that I really enjoyed following. Ben Mendhelson did an astounding job with the character, with flowing white cape and gleefully over-the-top lines. Yen, Tudyk, Ahmed, and Guy Henry (playing a character I don't want to spoil) all did a great job in the movie. The music in the film is also very good. While not composed by John Williams, Michael Giacchino did a good job with the score, with "Hope" on the soundtrack one of my all time favorites in Star Wars history. And yes, Darth Vader is in the movie, albeit for approximately 2-3 minutes. He has some great quotable lines and James Earl Jones gives a harrowing and an expected amazing performance. Also, Vader has one scene (no spoilers) which is brutal and fantastic near the end of the film, which is now my favorite scene in the WHOLE  Star Wars Saga. You'll know when you see it. The movie is very good, but has some flaws. The first third jumps around a lot to new characters and planets. For a viewer not caught up on the story beforehand, it can be overwhelming. Also, Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) was criminally underused in the movie, with a very interesting background and characterization. I wish there was more of him. Finally, there is some spotty CGI in the movie which wasn't neccesary. And it is very obvious and predominant, without any spoilers.

All in all, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a stellar addition to the Star Wars saga, with interesting characters, great performaces, a refreshing story, and a new but different score. 9/10

Note: This is my ranking of the Star Wars movies after Rogue One.

1. Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
3. Star Wars - Episode VI: A New Hope
4. Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens
5. Star Wars - Episode IV: Return of the Jedi
6. Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
7. Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones
8. Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace