Is 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' a kid-friendly movie?

Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, is the daughter of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), who was coerced into designing the infamous Death Star. The Rebellion believes she can help them get to him.

Capt. Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, is a Rebel Alliance officer who performs spy work for the organization.

K-2SO, played by Alan Tudyk, is an Imperial droid refurbished by the Rebellion.

Chirrut Imwe, played by Donnie Yen, is a blind warrior monk and former guardian of the Kyber crystals.

Baze Malbus, played by Jiang Wen, is Chrrut Imwe's backup and friend.

Bodhi Rook, played by Riz Ahmed, is a defected Imperial cargo ship pilot with an important message.

Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whitaker, is the leader of a Rebel extremist group.

Director Orson Krennic, played by Ben Mendolsohn, leads the Advanced Weapons Research and oversees the Death Star project for the Empire.

We grew up watching the original trilogy. Today, our children get to watch the Star Wars Rebels series.

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" happens between the two, and seems like the perfect family movie for fans of the saga. In fact, because we know the Rebellion gets the plans for the Death Star, we already know the mission is successful. Happy ending, right?

For starters, the movie is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action. It is a war movie with the deaths of both bad and good guys. (One part reminded my nine-year-old son and me of Vietnam in "Forrest Gump.") Plus, there is even a typical Disney death at the beginning of the movie. However, none of the violence is incredibly gory- it is similar to what we have seen in previous Star Wars movies.

For children who may be too young to see it, it is not urgent they see it to better understand something in Rebels or future movies. In fact, all the information provided helps us better understand a movie we fell in love with almost 40 years ago. There is absolutely no pressure to see the movie, and there isn't much to spoil.

Speaking of Rebels, being a fan of that show does have its perks. There were a few things my son caught that I didn't that were from the show. Of course, there were a few things from "A New Hope" and even Episodes I-III that I caught that my son had not.

There were two very familiar characters that both my son and I were excited to see. However, there was one character, who was recreated with CGI, that even my son said did not look like a real person.

His favorite new character was the droid, K-2SO. As Captain Andor says, he speaks what's on his mind, and many times is the comic relief as a result. K-2SO even attempts to say a famous line, but is cut off, which got a giggle from both of us. That doesn't mean the other characters don't get to have fun. Even Vader got in a pun.

My son was literally on the edge of his seat- sometimes even bouncing- during the final battle scene, which alternated between land and space combat.

One neat thing about the movie is that while there are no Jedi (Vader does make an appearance, as seen in the trailers), it promotes a belief many of us seem to have, especially when something is just out of our reach- that the Force is with us all. Even Jyn Erso seems to call on the Force as Rogue One tries to get clearance through a defense shield.

The end may not be a happy one (many Rebels died for these plans), but it does hand off to a new hope for the Rebellion.

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is a great movie for Star Wars fans both young and old. It may even be best for both generations of fans to watch together to fully grasp everything the movie presents.