Pleasantly surprised!

I just happened to catch this movie on TV the other day, and knew nothing about it going in, other than of course it was a Star Wars story. And though Star Wars movies can be hit or miss, I grew up with them, and the saga still brings me joy from time to time.

I really love how they made a sub-story to justify what has long been considered a plot-hole/whatever else you would call it regarding the *SPOILERS* integral defect within the Death Star.
Also, this is the first time I ever considered the possibility that the Death Star might represent, or be an allegory (?), for nuclear weapons, or weapons of mass destruction, and the Empire represents a government that engages in genocide, and how terrible it is to have those two elements combined.

I do wish the story had taken longer to develop, there were so many little seeds of story that are simply left to imagination, but all in all the pacing really does work, just a slam bam thank you ma’am and here we go type shindig.

Also, I respect the filmmakers for *SPOILERS* making the story a true tragedy. No sappy cop-outs. We all know that the Death Star is gonna blow up Alderan, so of course this story couldn’t have a happy ending. But it was the right ending. These characters sacrifice their lives for a higher cause. And though it is tragic, for some reason it is still uplifting. Kind of like the feeling you get from war movies.

Anyway, just my two cents. I highly recommend this film to anyone who had Star Wars as a part of their childhood.