Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuted on December 16, 2016. It is a FANTASTIC movie!

I have seen it twice so far. And I plan to see it again.😃

I have put together a list of things that I loved about the movie, in addition to some things I despised.

But first, A little about the film:

Director: Gareth Edwards
Film series: Star Wars Anthology Series
Music composed by: Michael Giacchino
Budget: 200 million USD

Story line:

" Former scientist Galen Erso lives on a farm with his wife and young daughter Jyn. His peaceful existence comes crashing down when the evil Orson Krennic takes him away from his beloved family. Many years later, Galen is now the Empire's lead engineer for the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, the Death Star. Knowing that her father holds the key to its destruction, a vengeful Jyn joins forces with a spy and other resistance fighters to steal the space station's plans for the Rebel Alliance. "

What I Loved About Rogue One

Rogue One is part of the Star Wars Anthology Series. If the film makes enough money, we will see more stand alone Star Wars films. We might even get some based around characters like Boba Fett?!

One can hope :)

I loved Rogue one because the storyline was cool and believable. The relationship between Galen Erso and his daughter is powerful and adds depth to the movie. This can be compared to the The Force Awakens, where Rey can battle Kylo Ren with no training or experience with the Force. Um ok. (point 1 :Rogue One)

We get awesome glimpses of Darth Vader!

We see him in a bacta tank (a cylindrical tank into which a being could be submerged for extensive exposure to bacta, a fluid that could accelerate healing and treat major injuries.) We also see him in one of his private lairs. This is what the picture above is depicting.

We get to learn more about Saw Gurrera. Who fought in the Clone Wars alongside Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Saw Gurrera appeared in the Animated Clone Wars series:

I love when new creatures are introduced. In Rogue One we learn about the mind reading tentacle being used by Saw Gurrera.

Believable droids. This is a must. In some of the movies (I II & III) the droids are sassy and act much like humans. These droids are not full conscience AI. They are computer programs built with masters. They can be reprogrammed as we see with K-2SO. He is still funny, just witty and sharp.

I loved the battle scenes. CGI has come a long way. These battles are brilliant.

Yay for new ships and machines!

In this movie we get to see the Tie Striker, Director Krennic's Imperial Shuttle and the Imperial AT-ACT Cargo Walker, which is bigger than the regular version.

Director Krennic's Shuttle:

We get to Learn about Jedha and Kyber Crystals.

Jedha is a moon that is very significant for the Jedi. We see a fallen Jedi statue on the surface of the moon during the film. Additionally, the moon is a source of Kyber crystals. In Rogue One, the Imperials use the Kyber crystals to power the Death Star's weapon. Traditionally the Jedi used them to power their lightsabers. Although this is just one kind of a crystal that can power a lightsaber.

"During the Great Sith War epoch, many lightsabers were created using Kunda stones, a natural geologic formation from the planet Kadril, in place of crystals. "

"Before placing the crystal in the lightsaber, the Jedi or Sith had to imbue them with the Force. To do this, the Force-user was required to meditate on the crystal for many days. Luke Skywalker meditated on his crystal in Ben Kenobi's home for many days with only R2-D2 to keep him company"

"While the Jedi used natural crystals, the Sith mostly used red-hued synthetic crystals. Sith-made synthetic crystals created a slightly more powerful blade when energized by the dark side of the Force. Sith lightsaber blades could "break" the blade of a Jedi Saber, but such occurrences were rare. Darth Sidious had Darth Maul use a special furnace to make his own crystals. Maul worked constantly for several days to make the four crystals needed for his double-bladed lightsaber."

Imperial Shuttles hauling away Kyber crystals from Jedha:

With the statue and abundance of crystals, the moon was likely home to a Jedi temple a long time ago. This is the kind of information that helps make the Star Wars universe great. Many people dislike Episode I The Phantom Menace, but without this movie we don't properly learn of midichlorians, the back story to Palpatine's rise to emperorship, and what the Jedi temple or Council looked like.

An finally that last thing I loved is the ending. The movie wraps up perfectly for a beautiful intro to Episode IV A New Hope.

What I Hated About Rogue One

Yes that's right there are parts that I downright hate.

WE DON'T GET ENOUGH DARTH VADER!

We get one epic fight scene with Darth Vader. He slaughters 20 or more Rebel fighters in a short amount of time and with his lightsaber. But this is Darth Vader's prime! Vader was conceived of the Force! He has so much power!

The directors / creators really dropped the ball on this one. They had a chance to make many more Darth Vader scenes. Think of the things that could have been! Common guys!

But as it stands, the scenes we did get with Vader were very good.

Another thing I hated was how everyone understood the Force. In most Star Wars stories, average people have no clue about the Force. It is something that only the Jedi and Sith understand and can command. It makes sense that the Erso's would know, as Galen Erso worked with Kyber crystals. But it seemed as if everyone knew about the Force and that the Force is somehow only good. People forget that the Force helps the Sith too. It was Anakin/ Vader who used the Force to slaughter all the Jedi in the Temple. There is a duality at play with the Force. The two sides are always wrestling. Much like the Yin and the Yang.

Another thing I hated was the absence of Jedi. Now I know during this period, the Jedi were practically extinct. But we are given a poser Jedi instead.

Chirrut Imwe is a blind man who has some Force abilities. He is one of the protectors of the Kyber crystals on Jedha. He helps Jyn Erso on her mission and is a major part of the movie. I really did like his character, I just kept thinking, what if he was trained by the Jedi. How much more capable could he have been?

I think this goes back to every Star Wars fans desire for real Sith and Jedi confrontation \ lightsaber battles.

And finally my last discrepancy is with the intro. We did not get any text floating through the galaxy!?

Like, What?!

It's not that hard, you can make them here or watch this one: