djross wrote:Any method of critical evaluation that determines the most recent Stars Wars product to be among the best movies of the year has been corrupted from any fidelity to genuine aesthetic judgment.
I'm not sure if you'd actually like the film, but Rogue One is different than other Star Wars movies in several ways. It's still a fairy tale for kids, but I found it more grounded and focused on ordinary people than other films in the series, and it's all the better for it.
Another fascinating thing about it is that the American right, especially the far right, seems to hate it, whereas publications like Jacobin, one of the leading socialist publications in America, are writing positive reviews: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/12/rogu ... lion-left/.
For better or worse, it's become a peculiar flashpoint issue in American movie criticism and I'd say it's worth checking out for that reason alone. Those that are inclined to look at it as a film in isolation, like Richard Brody and A.O. Scott, have written negative reviews, and their criticisms are valid. But I think when you look at the film within the context of modern American politics, it's unusually brazen for a blockbuster.