So the embargo has been lifted and the reviews for Rogue One has been pouring in like an angry swarm of bees. And if you are a Star Wars fan, you would be glad to know that the movie have got some really good reviews with many labelling it as the most mature, grittiest Star Wars movie that is aimed more for the adults than the kids. Rogue One is a spin-off based the Star Wars Universe, set before the events of A New Hope, the first Star Wars movie. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is directed by Gareth Edwards, who made Monsters and 2014 movie Godzilla. Felicity Jones leads the cast, with Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn and Mad Mikkelsen playing important roles. The movie is scheduled to release worldwide, including India, on December 16.
After the embargo has been lifted, here's what we got from the reviews that have poured in from the international media.
Deadline
"It is not hype on my part to say I really think this could be my favorite. It's certainly the grittiest, even using indie film technique like handheld cameras, and also is the first one to play like a war picture."
Rolling Stone
"As always, a Star Wars movie lives or dies depending on how much we give a damn or don't about the characters. Luckily, there are no cutesy Ewoks to soften Jyn's journey into the heart of Imperial darkness. It's no lie that some of the interactions get lost under the weight of front-loaded exposition. But with the smashing Jones giving us a female warrior to rank with the great ones and a cast that knows how to keep it real even in a sci-fi fantasy, Rogue One proves itself a Star Wars story worth telling."
Entertainment Weekly
"Rogue One would have been a very good standalone sci-fi movie if it came out under a different name. But what makes it especially exciting is how it perfectly snaps right into the Star Wars timeline and connects events we already know by heart with ones that we never even considered. It makes you wonder how many other untold stories are waiting in the shadowy corners of Lucas' galaxy far, far away."
The Hollywood Reporter
"Rogue One definitely puts the war back into Star Wars. It may call itself rogue, but this first standalone feature in the series officially unconnected with any of the previous entries fits comfortably in the universe George Lucas birthed 40 years ago. Loaded with more battle action than any of its seven predecessors, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story plays like a setup for the events in the 1977 original and, for the most part, does so quite entertainingly."
Vanity Fair
"I won't say anything about the specifics of the plot, because I'm not supposed to, and I don't want to. But I will say that Rogue One is full of striking inventions. Its planets and smaller settings are vibrant and individual: a citadel city with North African flair, a rainy world of craggy cliffs and tragic ends, an island paradise that becomes a fiery hell. Its careful details and Easter eggs are plentiful, but never too winking or cheaply fan-servicing."
Polygon
"It is the first Star Wars movie I've ever seen where I genuinely felt as if I didn't know how it was going to end--even though, more than any other, its ending is obvious and established. The Rebels succeed in liberating the Death Star plans. The space station is destroyed in a daring offensive. Some years later, the Rebellion is won."
However, not all reviews are in favour of the movie. Here are some of the adverse ones...
The New York Times
"There are too many characters, too much tactical, and technical explanation, too much pseudo-political prattle. And at the same time, there isn't quite enough of the filial dynamic between Galen and Jyn, and not enough weight given to the ethical and strategic problems of rebellion. When might ends justify means? What kind of sacrifice is required in the service of a righteous cause?"
The Wrap
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is for the fans, all right, but in that expression's worst way. Unless you're thrilled by the idea of 133 minutes of sideways mentions, shout-outs, and straight-up references to the original Star Wars (or Episode IV: A New Hope, for those born after 1977), there's not nearly enough excitement going on here, much less character, plot, or story. A direct prequel to A New Hope--it's the story of how those blueprints for the Death Star got snuck out and into the hands of the Rebel Alliance--this is less a movie than it is an epic of fan-fiction, laden with Easter eggs that super-devotees can congratulate themselves for finding."
Watch this space for BollywoodLife's own review, that will come up in some time...
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