Star Wars: James Gunn Shares Love for Rogue One as It Mysteriously Trends

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Social media algorithms can be mysterious, which means that when a film from 2016 inexplicably starts to trend, no one really knows what ignited the discourse, but Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn was happy to take the opportunity to share his love for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The filmmaker expressed how he thinks it's the most underrated "anything" in the Star Wars franchise, seemingly feeling as though it's an adventure that many fans overlook. Other Twitter users were quick to echo their love of the project, confirming that the standalone film has plenty of fans.

"I don't know why Rogue One is trending, but I'm glad it is, as it's the most underrated Star Wars anything," Gunn tweeted. 

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at 84% positive reviews from critics and 86% positive reactions from audiences, which are strong numbers on both fronts, even if not the highest for any entry in the Star Wars series. Despite the clear love for the project on all fronts, there are likely a number of factors as to why some might feel the film is overlooked, one of which surely being the timing of its release.

In 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens marked the first sequel to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and the first film produced following Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, resulting in a massive cultural sensation. The film would go on to take in $2.1 billion worldwide and sits at 93% positive critical reviews and 85% positive reactions from audiences. Hitting theaters just a year later, Rogue One was definitively a success with audiences, though it took in $1.1 billion, feeling less like the cultural event The Force Awakens proved to be.

Just a year after the release of Rogue One, Star Wars: The Last Jedi landed in theaters and, while it would go on to take in $1.3 billion worldwide, it sparked a divide among Star Wars fans that is still felt to this day. In some respects, The Last Jedi was an even bigger cultural event, though not for the whole world, just specifically for Star Wars fans who either passionately supported or decried that film. Six months later, Solo: A Star Wars Story hit theaters after famously undergoing some behind-the-scenes challenges, ultimately becoming the lowest-grossing entry into the live-action franchise.

While Rogue One clearly has a number of fans, it's easy to see how it might get overlooked, given the polarizing and passionate reactions people have to other corners of the franchise.

What do you think of the film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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