 Upon the video's release, several media outlets noticed a resemblance between the colorful aesthetics of "Rude Boy" and those of British singer-songwriter and rapper M.I.A.' s video "Boyz". Melina Matsoukas responded to the allegations that she had copied the idea, and said, "Afterward I was like, 'Oh, this sucks. They tore down my video ... [M.I.A.' s] video's great too. It definitely wasn't trying to rip anybody off at all, it was just our approach and the animation stuff, it had a similar vibe." Matsoukas explained that the inspiration for the video did not come from one particular source, but from a variety of pop culture icons. She concluded, "We 're all inspired by similar elements and it came together in that way." Several critics noticed the differences between Rihanna's previous singles, "Russian Roulette" and "Hard", and that "Rude Boy" had adopted a care-free and brighter image. Becky Bain of Idolator also noticed the similarities between M.I.A.'s video "Boyz" and "Rude Boy", and wrote, "We're digging the reggae-inflected jam, although the Bob Marley-meets-M.I.A. color explosion becomes a little hard on the eyes after awhile." Bain said the video "is colorful, loud, vibrant, and a complete departure from the mostly depressing captivity scenarios and over-the-top war imagery of the previous videos from her Rated R singles." Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly also commented on the vibrancy of the video and its resemblance to M.I.A.'s video, "It's a wild explosion of clashing colors, bold block lettering, and shaky camerawork. As many observers instantly pointed out, it all owes more than a little to the aesthetic of M.I.A. — which, if you ask me, is not a bad thing at all." Jocelyn Vena of MTV commented on the change of visual direction in the video, calling it "a colorful departure from the dark fare previously released from her Rated R album." Vena also wrote about the stylization of the video's content with regard to Rihanna's heritage. She wrote that the video is infused with "a kaleidoscope of prints and colors, embracing her roots in Caribbean dance-hall-inspired costumes."
