"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" recently became available for early viewing, which garnered mixed reviews. The makers of "Rogue One" previous mentioned that the success of the latest film in the franchise will determine whether they should create a sequel.
'Rogue One' Garnered Mostly Positive Reviews
Variety wrote that early reviews for "Rogue One" have mostly been positive, although there were also some who thought that the spinoff was mediocre with an unimpressive script. "Rogue One" is set before the events of "Star Wars: A New Hope."
Fans noted that several elements were absent in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," such as Ewoks, Jedi and familiar characters who appeared in the previous films. However, the creators of the new movie actually intended to make it entirely new, with only minimal familiar characters. "Rogue One" critics praised the third part of the movie, which many thought was its highlight.
Peter Debruge of Variety stated that "Rogue One" overlapped slightly with "Episode IV," but takes away the latter's weak point where a small fighter successfully destroyed an entire battlestation. In other words, the new film was more realistic in terms of the battle sequences and featured the characters relying heavily on teamwork and strategy.
'Rogue One' Review: Happy and Unhappy Critics
A.O. Scott of The New York Times thought that "Rogue One" was a thoroughly mediocre movie with a surprisingly hackish script. Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald was also underwhelmed by the latest film.
He stated that there were not a lot of exciting parts, and it was very foolish of the Death Star designers to expose its exhaust ports vulnerable to a missile attack. The New Yorker described "Rogue One" as lobotomized and depersonalized.
On the contrary, a number of critics lauded "Rogue One" for providing a new side to the saga. Chris Nashaway of Entertainment Weekly appreciated how the spinoff created a connection with the previous films and offered more depth to the storyline.
Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair wrote that "Rogue One" was marvelous and moving. Jen Yamato of The Daily Beast thought that it was the best "Star Wars" movie since "The Empire Strikes Back." Overall, "Rogue One" seemed to have rated well with most critics, which may be enough to compel fans to watch.
