The sound of blaster fire. The sight of new alien worlds. Crowds of unfamiliar creatures.  Lucasfilm’s newest film Rogue One has finally come, something Star Wars fanatics have been waiting for ever since their passion was sparked again by the release of The Force Awakens last year. The new movie was exceptional, all two hours and thirteen minutes of it.

Rogue One takes place before George Lucas’s original Star Wars movie: A New Hope. It was meant to show how the Rebel Alliance secured the plans for the Death Star. Their goal was a success as this movie, although labeled as a standalone film, fit seamlessly in with the series.

Galyn Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) works with the Imperials to build new destructive weapons. His daughter, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), is the main character. She was sent away at a very young age. A dozen years later Jyn gets entangled in the Rebels’ affairs. She is asked to help find her father to help interrogate him about this new weapon he tells about and the weak spot he’s hidden in it. Along the way she meets many friends including Captain Cassian (Diego Luna), Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), and the comedic droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk).

The beginning of the movie was definitely confusing. Many different characters and settings were introduced within a span of ten minutes. Continue watching, however, and the audience will see all the pieces fit into place. Every part of this film was meaningful and after the introduction the pace did speed up and remained that way to the end. Even sitting in the comfy leather longue chair at the theater did not make me want to fall asleep. It had many heart-pounding escapes and thrilling battle scenes.

Futhermore, the costumes were spectacular. The bulky armor of the Stormtroopers. The immaculate suits of Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) and other Imperial officers. The fear-inducing outfit of Darth Vader himself. Everyone looked like they belonged in the future Star Wars is set in.

The music was also great with the classic Star Wars theme songs and some new ones as well. They all helped to pull emotions out of the audience, from when Darth Vader arrives to when the Death Star is used on its first target. The casting was done extremely well. All of the actors were new to the Star Wars saga. There were no big names involved in the film, but the actors still did an incredible job. I felt every emotion they did and was warmed to the rebellious personalities each possessed.

If you call yourself a Star Wars fan you have to see this film. Even if you haven’t the slightest knowledge of the Star Wars world I encourage you to go out and see Rogue One. It won’t disappoint.