'Outlander' Star's New Jane Austen Movie Officially Scores Major Win

A year after the world celebrated her 250th birthday, the legacy of Jane Austen has been fittingly recognized with a selection of critically acclaimed adaptations. Perhaps the best of these debuted earlier this year, as the BBC and BritBox delivered The Other Bennet Sister, the acclaimed adaptation of Janice Hadlow's novel of the same name, starring Ella Bruccoleri as the often-overlooked middle Bennet sister, Mary.

With Bruccoleri earning widespread acclaim for her lead performance and the show nominated in two major categories at this year's British National Television Awards, it's fair to say this Austen interpretation has impressed even the most critical of fans. Later this year, the series will return for a three-part Christmas special, set after Mary and Tom's marriage. But before those festivities, Austen fans have the small matter of an ambitious big-screen adaptation of the writer's first novel.

Of course, we're talking about Sense and Sensibility, led by Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones and Pond Life's Esmé Creed-Miles as Elinor and Marianne, the Dashwood sisters. Also featuring Outlander star Caitríona Balfe as Mrs. Dashwood, alongside Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, and George MacKay as the sisters' suitors, the stage is set for Georgia Oakley's interpretation to find the same acclaim as Ang Lee's 1995 adaptation, which starred Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and Alan Rickman.

Ahead of Sense and Sensibility's big-screen arrival, the review embargo has lifted, and the adaptation currently sits at a strong 75% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. A promising early score, it is still considerably lower than the near-perfect 97% of Lee's adaptation.

What Have Critics Said About 'Sense and Sensibility'?

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Sense and Sensibility debuts in the UK this weekend before arriving in the U.S. on October 16. The first reviews, largely from across the pond, have proven quite split, with some hailing the film as a masterful adaptation and others declaring it a flop. One critic was left frustrated by "the grimy, dark, drab appearance" of the film, while another praised it as "fresh, occasionally electric, and wholly inviting to a new generation." You can make up your own mind next month.