Although reviews of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" remain under embargo, initial reactions following Saturday's Hollywood premiere indicate the standalone film is every bit as good as franchise fans had hoped. And all of that hand-wringing about the reshoots may have been for nothing.
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The first in a planned series of "Star Wars" anthology movies -- the untitled Han Solo feature follows in 2018 -- is being described as "fun," "action-packed," "gritty," "relentless" and, in the words of Kevin Smith, "unbelievably wonderful." Felicity Jones and Alan Tudyk have been singled out for their portrayals of Jyn Erso and K-2SO, while fans eagerly anticipating the return of Darth Vader are said to be rewarded with "a moment of pure horror."
Directed by Gareth Edwards ("Godzilla," "Monsters"), "Rogue One" is set just prior to the events of 1977's "Star Wars," and centers on a ragtag group of Rebels as they undertake a dangerous mission to steal the plans for the Galactic Empire's planet-destroying new superweapon, the Death Star. The most reject box-office projections place the film on a course to open somewhere between $280 million and $350 million worldwide; between $140 million and $150 million of that is expected to come from the United States and Canada.
Here's a selection of some of the early reactions to "Rogue One" on Twitter:
ROGUE ONE = excellent. People around me saying even better than THE FORCE AWAKENS. Congrats Disney/Lucasfilm/amazing talent involved.
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) December 11, 2016
#RogueOne is FANTASTIC. Incredible action, both planetary and interstellar, and looks GORGEOUS. Most importantly, it feels like Star Wars.
— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) December 11, 2016
The last time I loved a Star Wars movie as much as I loved #RogueOne, it was 1977.
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) December 11, 2016
Holy Sith! @RogueOneMovie is unbelievably wonderful! No lie: it is #EmpireStrikesBack great! An excellent chapter in the @starwars Universe! pic.twitter.com/Lb0vQ06ifh
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) December 11, 2016
ROGUE ONE mvps: Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, and Alan Tudyk's shade-serving robot
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) December 11, 2016
RUN to see #RogueOne #StarWars !! No seriously, RUN. It's so F'ing good!! @RogueOneMovie
— Constance Zimmer (@ConstanceZimmer) December 11, 2016
People worried about #RogueOne not being a gritty war film need not worry. It's intense, relentless. You can practically taste the grit.
— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) December 11, 2016
Perfect Felicity Jones an action heroine I would follow into space battle any day, in a film full of great hero turns #rogueone
— jen yamato (@jenyamato) December 11, 2016
Opening Dec. 15 in the United Kingdom and Dec. 16 in the United States, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker.