'Rogue One' Early Reactions: 'Wonderful,' 'Amazing,' 'Fans Are Going to Lose Their S–t!'
Stars who attended the premiere of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" hit social media to give it a Standing O
Rosemary Rossi | December 11, 2016 @ 12:07 PM	Last Updated: December 11, 2016 @ 2:51 PM
Stars who attended Saturday night's premiere of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" are weighing in on social media — and the consensus is that it's out of this world.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith called the new prequel "unbelievably wonderful" and Rainn Wilson prefers the word "amazing," while film critic Scott Mantz said, "Fans are going to LOSE THEIR S–T!"
Several blocks of Hollywood Boulevard were shut down — and an X-Wing fighter was parked on the street — to prepare for Saturday's premiere at the Pantages Theatre.
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Comic Chris Hardwick went full-on fan boy after seeing the film, posting on Instagram: "Rogue One is a STUNNING film. I cannot recommend it enough. It's dark, beautiful and satisfying. If you didn't know Star Wars you'd love it, and knowing it makes it that much better. The references to things you recognize aren't just member berries, they are justified and strengthen the story. Gareth Edwards has created an absolute gem in the Star Wars universe that will blow your brain out of your head. By the time the end credits hit, the theater was SCREAMING with unbridled excitement. See it as soon as you can before anything gets spoiled!!!"
He even joked that he took a stack of the commemorative popcorn buckets people left on the floor, adding, "I'm not even ashamed."
Holy craps @starwars #RogueOne was absolutely incredible. See it as soon as you can!!! Gareth Edwards I LOVE YOU. https://t.co/84ap5m3rwb
— Chris Hardwick (@hardwick) December 11, 2016
"Rogue One" is a standalone film in the "Star Wars" universe, taking place before the first "Star Wars" film (now subtitled "A New Hope"). Gareth Edwards directed the movie, which stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker.
Set between the prequel and original trilogies, it follows Jones as Jyn Erso and her efforts to steal the plans for the Death Star, the ultimate weapon of the Galactic Empire, which has terrorized children everywhere since the first "Star Wars" in 1977.
Here are a handful of other celebs who couldn't contain their excitement:
Wish Mrs Yen was there with me to share this very special moment tonight!????✌️️???? #Repost @sweetcil
What an… https://t.co/HqTkWuR73m
— Donnie Yen 甄子丹 (@DonnieYenCT) December 11, 2016
the science of a photo bomb by @BillNye at #RogueOne premiere last night with me and my wife @charissabarton1 pic.twitter.com/fKReavQTVW
— alan tudyk (@AlanTudyk) 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
1sr Rogue One review. It was actually AMAZING!!! Super fun & exciting. Ties in w/episode 4 perfectly. #StarWars
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) 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
I am part of the rebel alliance! #RogueOne pic.twitter.com/UuBYv7ob7A
I'm not gonna lie, Marge: part of me wanted to go in an old Trek uniform, like a certain version of me on a TV show once did.
I just saw Rouge One. I'm gonna say it.. this might be the BEST Star Wars movie!! I can't wait… https://t.co/CDs0CgmsnQ
— Dane Cook (@DaneCook) December 11, 2016
#StarWars #RogueOne is AWESOME!! SO GREAT!! LOVED it even MORE than #TheForceAwakens!! Fans are going to LOSE THEIR SHIT!!!!!
— Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) December 11, 2016
It's so AMAZING how #StarWars #RogueOne ties into #ANewHope!! GREAT SURPRISES & many "HOW'D THEY DO THAT?" moments!! 100% FUN! Great ACTION!
12 Shots from New 'Rogue One' Trailer That Show It Shaking Up 'Star Wars' Style (Photos)
"Star Wars" is not typically known for having much of a visual style -- the movies usually look good, but also pretty vanilla. "The Force Awakens" had a little bit of visual panache, but it was also very grounded in that traditional "Star Wars" look. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," though, is going all out in its own direction visually, and you can see that quite clearly in these shots from the new trailer that dropped Thursday night, including this one of Darth Vader.
Literally just a shot of the Death Star as seen from "below." This could simply be a statement of the film's intent to visually try a bunch of new things for the franchise. Though I'm sure the film itself will give it some real meaning.
This shot of Rebel troops huddling together in a transport ship is very much straight from a war movie -- and despite having that word in its title no "Star Wars" movie thus far would have fit that bill. But it does seem to be what director Gareth Edwards is going for with "Rogue One."
Nobody does regular sized things next to large things like Edwards. TIE Fighters have never been as terrifying as this one facing off with Jyn Erso.
Continuing with the war theme, here's a shot that would fit right in a World War II movie.
We've never seen a Star Destroyer hovering in a planet's atmosphere in a film before, and this sort of ground-up look at any part of the intimidating Imperial war machine is unusual. But for "Rogue One" this sort of thing appears to be the norm.
At the battle on Hoth in "The Empire Strikes Back" we saw troops on the ground taking potshots at the Imperial AT-AT walkers with blaster rifles, but the real fighting happened with Rogue Squadron's snowspeeder. Seeing one of our heroes firing a rocket launcher at one, with an over-the-shoulder perspective, then, is a super fresh new look.
And when that rocket smashes into a walker's face and its head is knocked to the side because of it, that freshness is amped up to 11.
This is a shot of the newly constructed Death Star eclipsing the sun. This sort of blatant visual metaphor is definitely not something we've seen much of in "Star Wars."
We've seen this room, or one very much like it, before -- when Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader made Princess Leia watch as they used the Death Star to destroy her home planet of Alderaan. It was ominously lit back then, but this is a whole other level of shadowy and terrifying.
There's that Edwards scale at work again, with the tiny Rebel ship caught in a massive storm.
"The Force Awakens" introduced to "Star Wars" the idea of a shot that follows a starfighter through cool maneuvers, but there's a moody atmosphere here that those shots lacked. Given that we see one of the X-Wings opening its wings this is likely a stealth approach before an attack -- a scenario we've seen described in a number of "Star Wars" novels but not depicted on screen.
Director Gareth Edwards has promised to bring his own distinctive visual style to "Star Wars" and you can see that in the new teaser
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