Star Wars: Rogue One (spoiler free review)

I can't talk about this movie without spoilers (ironically not the spoiler you would think of a direct prequel to the original 1977 Star Wars), so I'll try to summarize this film in ten non-spoilery bullet points:

1. If the prequels had been like this it would have been Amazing.

2. I think Tarkin was a CGI character but....I couldn't tell for sure. Woah.

3. About halfway through the movie this started not only feeling like a true, hardcore Star Wars film...it started "out-Star Warsing" prior Star Wars movies.

4. Despite how amazing this film was, all six key characters in the movie could have stood with some better background introductions. By the end you knew them, but really wish you knew them better.

5. This is not a good movie to see if you are afraid of foreigners with funny accents.

6. Jyn Erso has an interesting character arc that starts very basic, but rapidly evolves her into a meaningful character.

7. Is this a spoiler? Dunno. This was not the start of a Rogue One franchise. It really is an honest-to-gosh stand alone prequel to the original trilogy.

8. I need to rewatch the Dirty Dozen because elements of this movie really feel inspired by that classic.

9. The robot was cool.

10. When you see actual characters from Episode IV they successfully look, sound, and act like those very people/actors/masks. What sort of CGI witchcraft was involved makes me wonder what we are in for in the future of film making....we appear to be genuinely past the wall of the uncanny divide when it comes to CGI humans.

I'll talk spoilers next week. Give people a chance to see it....