Well, it's finally here. The long awaited "Rogue One: A Star Wars" Story has opened, and it has geeks all over dusting off their costumes and putting their hair in buns to celebrate the now annual tradition of a December Star Wars theatrical release. But to many people, 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", while incredibly well received, was not enough to convince them to board the Disney Express. So the question surrounding this film was "can Disney show us that they're worthy?" Should this movie be a flop, the Disney execs will undoubtedly be forced to take a step back and reevaluate their map for the Star Wars cinematic universe. However, should "Rogue One" succeed, they may very well prove to those die hard fans, which are still holding on to their skepticism, that that they can be trusted to bear the weight of a galaxy far far away.

So, what do I think?

Well, before I go into my thoughts, I must warn you of spoilers. This is an official spoiler alert. I don't believe that I can truly articulate my feelings about the movie without giving away important plot points, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, I do not want to ruin your experience.

Okay, let's get into it.

I loved this movie. A lot. I was very optimistic about this movie going into the theater, and I was not disappointed. Director Gareth Edwards and his spectacular team should be commended for the fine work they have put into this film. One can tell that this was a movie created by a team with love and dedication to the universe. What I wanted to see out of the first spin-off "Star Wars" movie was a film that was noticeably different than the saga stories, and that's what I got. Edwards and co. had the courage to push the boundaries of what we know as "Star Wars," but also the reverence for the essence of this universe to make sure that we were never taken out of this galaxy.

The plotof this movie flowed very, very well into the original trilogy. "Rogue One" had a very unique opportunity to add weight to the existing stories of the original trilogy, and that it did. I will not watch "A New Hope" the same ever again– in a good way. Though the first act was a bit shaky for me, with all the quick cuts between scenes, I felt like the story was having a hard time "settling in" for lack of a better term, to the that it wanted to go. However, once the direction was set and the pace was defined, it had me looking ahead and never looking back. The moment that I committed and told myself "I'm on board, here take my heart" was Jyn's last moment with her father. That was one of the best character motivation/plot developing moments to ever happen in a Star Wars movie. There were so many moments in this movie that were callbacks to the original trilogy, but I believe that for the most part they were used very tastefully. I, like so many others, was wondering how they would use Tarkin, and they pulled it off very well. But, Vader – holy crap. That was perfect. Just when I was thinking to myself "okay, that's all I'm going to see of Vader" I was treated to one of my now favorite sequences in any Star Wars movie. The moment of him slicing and dicing in the rebel ship had my jaw dropped. Literally. What I also love about that moment was it wasn't just in there for the sake of showing off Vader. That sequence added so much to the beginning of "A New Hope", as I said before, I'm never going to see that movie the same again.

The characterswere the best part of this movie. This was the best performed Star Wars movie to date. Felicity Jones at the helm of this cast was perfect. She doesn't just give us the headstrong "I rebel" character that we see in the trailers. Jyn Erso 's arc was an absolute masterpiece of characterization in both writing and acting. She's not just a combative loner. She's scared, she's vulnerable, and we understand why. The way she breaks down after seeing her father's message, or her final moments with him, all the way up towards her noble end added up to one of the best performances in a Star Wars movie. Diego Luna as Cassian Andor added a great deal to the film as well. Cassian had the potential to be a simple "throw away" character who just followed archetypes and didn't really add anything- but his depth and dynamism as a character give Jyn so much to play off of while at the same time making us fall in love with him too. K-2SO, performed by Alan Tudyk, was the anti-Jar Jar. He provides humor in the right way. In these kinds of movies, humor is a necessary element, but it cannot be forced. This lovable droid's humor isn't just purposeful, but it's also tasteful.

Ben Mendlsohn as Orson Krennic was everything I wanted him to be. The ambitious, slithering imperial officer hit all the right notes, highlighted by his interaction with Darth Vader in the middle of the movie. They way he shows so much fear, yet clings to his desperate attempt at recognition give us a first-person experience at how it was to live under Lord Vader.

I know I am part of a minority when I say this, but I was completely fine with not having tons of backstory for the other members of Jyn's team. This story wasn't about learning why all these people are where they are. We don't need to know how they all got there. It's about, seeing them band together and do something extraordinary. At each and every character's death, I felt a punch. I cared for them. And that is what matters.

All in all, this movie more than exceeded my already optimistic expectations. I will undoubtedly be seeing this movie several more times in the theater. It was a true pleasure to experience this story, and I can't say enough how satisfied I am with the end result of countless hours of hard work put into this film. This is an amazing time to be a Star Wars fan, and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" takes us one giant leap forward into the ever-expanding Star Wars universe.