If anyone ever complains about how late a 9:45 pm movie is again, I dare you to go to a 1:30 am employee showing and then come out and complain, just saying.

Hello everyone, I am the Movie Buff, and this month I am reviewing the most anticipated movie of 2016, the movie that would either save or put the final nail in what many consider “The Worst year in movies since the early 2000’s”. That’s hat movie, of course, is “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”.

After months of anticipation, waiting to fill our gluttonous eyes with more “Star Wars” after rewatching “The Force Awakens” for the nth time, “Rogue One” finally reared its head in theaters all across the country, much to the chagrin of moviegoers and the horror of movie theater employees such as myself.

As I’m reviewing this film, I do have to tread very lightly as any, even partial, spoilage of the film will set about complete and utter chaos across the internet, leading to rebellions springing up and buildings being knocked down. In short, we really just take our “Star Wars” too far, so just a warning, there may be light spoilers in this review.

This film stars Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a young woman whose father was the lead scientist on the superweapon constructed by the Galactic Empire; The Death Star. When her father is taken away by the Empire to finish construction and begin testing of the superweapon, Jyn is left behind. She is then rescued by Forest Whitaker’s character, Saw Gerrera, a friend of her father’s and a rebel against the Empire.

After years pass, Jyn Erso is found by the infant Rebel Alliance, brought together by different factions in order to complete their mission to rescue Erso’s father. However, while this mission is taking place, Erso learns that there is a secret exhaust port which, if damaged, will destroy the entire Death Star. Now, the race is on to steal the Death Star plans before it can be tested by the Empire.

Before I talk about the good, let’s talk about the bad, because what’s bad is really bad, and to me, that is the pacing. The movie is constantly moving along, taking very little time to sit down and tell you anything about these characters, therefore, most characters (aside from a select few) are very two-dimensional and you don’t really care that much about them.

However, with that aside, I really have to talk about the good, because there is a lot more of it than there is bad. First off, this movie feels super expansive, reaching somewhere around six different planets (give or take), all of which are absolutely stunning. From the desert moon of Jedha to the absolutely beautiful tropical paradise that is Scarif, all of the locations used blend beautifully with the CGI to make perfectly believable locations.

However, the standout of this movie is the third act. Without spoiling anything, it is one of the greatest action scenes in “Star Wars” and ends perfectly blending directly into the beginning of the original Star Wars film.

This movie is a prequel to the original as well as a standalone film, so it is very difficult to compare to any of the saga films, so I’ve decided I’m not going to. Instead, I’m going to rate it as a war film, because in all reality, it is a war film taking place in the Star Wars universe. For that, I think it is a valiant effort from Lucasfilm and Disney which work together to make a great film for fans, but maybe not a perfect film for those not in love with the franchise. All in all, I enjoyed it, but I can see how maybe it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so remember that before purchasing your ticket.

If you love Star Wars, you’ll enjoy this movie, but if you don’t like the franchise, this won’t be the one to change your mind. However, if you want a fun, enjoyable Star Wars film with a stellar scene from Darth Vader and some great action and locations, I definitely recommend it. It’s not as good as other movies I’ve seen this year, but it’s definitely worth the watch.