Broadly speaking, as a tentpole film inches closer and closer to release, eager fans begin pouring over all the minute details, searching for clues and, frankly, any indication of how the finished product stacks up – you know, before the actual review embargo lifts. One such metric that is so often the topic of conversation ahead of launch is running time, with the underlying assumption being that any movie that clocks in at over two hours and 30 minutes really needs to justify its length.
Potential pacing issues aside, those preconceptions tend to be unfair in the sense that a lengthy running times doesn’t always equate to a better quality experience, or vice versa. Think of how The Wolf of Wall Street manages to keep you locked in for a bum-numbing three hours, and you’ll begin to realize these things ought to be judged on a case-by-case basis.
Now, it’s almost time to welcome Rogue One: A Star Wars Story into theaters and if a report unearthed by Making Star Wars (via The Playlist) is to be believed, Gareth Edwards’ imminent anthology film will weigh in at 133 minutes (two hours and 13 minutes). Should that hold true, that puts it in the same region as The Force Awakens (136 minutes), with Attack Of The Clones being the longest in the entire series at 142 minutes in length.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is due to land on December 16. It’s the next chapter in Disney’s overhauled universe, with Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII poised to welcome fans back to the core timeline late next year. Speaking of which, as principal photography on the spacefaring sequel has now wrapped, surely the House of Mouse will attach some form of Episode VIII teaser to Rogue One in two months’ time, right?
