The end of the year is upon us, and what better way to cap off the year than to review a Star Wars movie?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first anthology movie in the Star Wars franchise, taking place before the first Star Wars film ever made: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. In this film, Felicity Jones of Theory of Everything fame plays Jyn Erso, the daughter of an Imperial science officer who decides to go rogue (ha ha! Get it?!) and is scooped up by the Rebel Alliance. Erso, along with Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), his droid K2-SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) and a handful of defectors of both the Empire and the Rebels to do the unthinkable: steal the plans to the most iconic weapon of mass destruction in the Star Wars lexicon, the Death Star. Now we have our Star Wars war movie.

To say that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is good is a bit of an understatement. It’s great. Felicity Jones delivers one of her best performances in a while, as she does a more than remarkable job playing Jyn, same with Diego Luna as Cassian Andor. The two really do bounce off each other very well, and the chemistry between them was beyond fantastic. What really makes this movie work was the dialogue between all of the characters, including the two scene stealers of the film: Donnie Yen’s Chirrut Imwe and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO. Chirrut acts as the Yoda of this film while also not being a Jedi. Donnie Yen’s blind “monk” character was the spiritual leader of the group that later becomes Rogue One, pressing the guys and gals to trust in the Force, even in the face of death. His character, while we know so little about him, carries this film and adds realism to a science fiction film about a group who tries to blow up a planet-bursting weapon. And while Chirrut adds spiritual realism, K-2SO adds some much needed humor. Tudyk found a way to add some sort of sass to a character that has artificial intelligence, the likes of which we don’t usually see in modern films. He was hilarious and likable, having some pretty sweet moments in the film alongside Cassian and Jyn.

The greatest thing about Rogue One is how grounded it is compared to the rest of the Star Wars universe. While Episodes 1-7 all had their element of the mystic and flair, Rogue One is much more grounded in reality, in every facet. Even small details like the dirt on the Stormtroopers’ armor to the lack of Jedi and Sith adds gives weight to the world that is Star Wars that we could not have experienced with the main episodes. The shootout scenes all have their gritty feel to them, and the final battle feels like a scene ripped out of Saving Private Ryan, which is never a bad thing. The film just grips you with how real it feels and how it really shows that Star Wars isn’t just a sci-fi romp just because; it’s another extension of humanity, just like comics. Rogue One, a story where a group of nobodies give their lives for something greater than themselves, echoes a sentiment shared by not just the American population, but the world as a whole. To give their lives for their families, their freedoms and their country is truly a message that hits with anyone and it’s the message celebrated in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

As great as the action and overall feel of the movie was, Rogue One is not perfect. There is some pacing issues in the second third of the film, where things just seem to happen for the sake of having it happen. Also, some characters seem to just come and go with no explanation, specifically Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrerra. He came and went in what feels like a second of the film’s runtime, only to give Jyn some more exposition. Granted, we got a visually stunning scene with the Death Star, but his involvement with the movie seemed out-of-place. And while there was no secret that none of the Rogue One squad survives, some deaths in the film seemed only there for shock value. There are a few tear-jerking deaths, but some just felt off compared to the rest of them. And the villain didn’t feel like a villain. Ben Mendelsohn delivers it all in this film, but his character seems like an ungrateful stepson who wants to matter to his higher ups. I mean, he was great, but he didn’t feel like a villain.

In the end, there is no better way to end such a polarizing year than to watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Great acting, great action, and a down-to-Earth feel makes Rogue One a must-see for everyone. How it seamlessly feeds into A New Hope makes it worth watching by itself. If you’re looking for a film that combines the blockbuster feel with the dramatic Saving Private Ryan film, save the dream. Go Rogue.