Two Things: This with be a NON SPOILER review and I should share up front that I have been a long time fan of Star Wars going all the way back to it initial release.

From Disney:
“Following the foundation of the Galactic Empire, a wayward band of Rebel fighters come together to carry out a desperate mission: to steal the plans for the Death Star before it can be used to enforce the Emperor’s rule.“

In 1977, it wasn't “Episode IV” nor “A New Hope”; it was just Star Wars. And in the nearly four decades, it has become something greater than any had expected. There have been seven theatrical films since that time, chronicling the Skywalker Saga. This eighth movie is an experiment in telling a standalone story in the Star Wars Universe, but not with the Skywalkers.

And make no mistake: Rogue One is VERY much different from anything in the previous films.

As it is using the events in Episode IV, it is easy to see those familiar with the movies as it having a “Titanic Problem”, i.e. we all know the ship sinks, just as we know the Rebellion get the plans to the Death Star. But what Rogue One is focusing on is the more important How and Who that gets us there.

Through Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, Donnie Yen, and Forrest Whitaker, we see the people that make up a force coming together to try and stop the Empire. I would have liked a little more detail in the changes the Jones and Luna's characters go through. What the group is called upon to do to retrieve the Death Star plans is sometimes hard and even dishonorable, done in the name of a greater cause. This is something we've never explored with the Rebellion-the human price to rebel.

Now, I'm not saying that this isn't a Star Wars movie. Director Gareth Evans has been able to both deliver a rousing “group on a mission” movie, who's last act is quite rousing and action-packed. But he's also showing the human faces behind the soldier and pilots who fight and sometimes don't come back from missions. In many ways, this is the film for the grown-ups who were kids when they watched the Original Trilogy.

This is a darker film than most of the Star Wars films, though a comparison to The Empire Strikes Back is not without merit. But I saw the film seated next to a ten-year old who was just astounded at what he was seeing on screen. Not scared or bored, but genuinely engaged at everything that was coming of the screen, new and old. When it comes right down to it, Rogue One worked for both of us Star Wars fans.

If you've never seen the Star Wars films, you won't be lost and you won't need it explained to you. If you are a Star Wars fan, there are plenty of call-outs & Easter eggs that will make it worthy of repeated viewing (including from the Clone Wars & Rebels animated series and the original Star Wars novelization!) I think Disney & Lucasfilm's experiment succeeded.

I plan on seeing Rogue One again in theaters as soon as I am able.

I can't say that about a lot of films in 2016.

NOTE: There is no post-credits scene.