Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

"For many Star Wars fans just the mention of the word ‘prequel’ is enough to send them running in the opposite direction. For this reason, it was wise to not describe Rogue One (the first standalone ‘Star Wars story’) as such, but unfortunately this rugged women/men-on-a-mission war pic is not nearly enough of its own, distinctive, beast. Instead, it’s riddled with callbacks and overt references from its predecessors - lines of dialogue, recreated shots, and, most annoyingly, too many characters cameo-ing, some resurrected from the grave or the past with very good, but still lifeless, uncanny valley CGI."

"For the original generation of "Star Wars" fans who weren't sure what to make of episodes one, two, and three, "Rogue One" is the prequel they've always wanted."

"Rogue One might trade heavily in nostalgia but it's bold enough to take risks, and will leave you stirred, fired up and raring for more."

"A punchy standalone action tale about a spunky Rebel Alliance resistance group."

"All the pieces are there ... like Lego figures in a box. The problem is that the filmmakers haven't really bothered to think of anything very interesting to do with them."

"Its variations on a theme are muscular and adroit. This is another really entertaining fantasy with fan-fiction energy and attack."

"C3PO predecessor K2SO provides the comic relief in an otherwise dull and cloudy script..."

"Where Rogue One falls down is in the character development. There isn’t much..."

"A swiftly paced, rough-and-ready entertainment that, in anticipating the canonical events of "A New Hope," manages the tricky feat of seeming at once casually diverting and hugely consequential."

"Loaded with more battle action than any of its seven predecessors, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story plays like a set-up for the events in the 1977 original and, for the most part, does so quite entertainingly."

"This is a gorgeous and immersive film."

"The ultimate Star Wars fan film, it's short on whimsy but when it gets going there's enough risk-taking and spectacle to bode well for future standalones."