The verdicts are in.
It's safe to say that it is looking like the Star Wars fandom are going to be no less divided with the release of Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker , as the first reviews indicate a mixed reaction.
The final chapter of the Skywalker saga follows the events of The Last Jedi one year later, as Rey ( Daisy Ridley ) and the Resistance aim to stop the villainous First Order and its conflicted leader, Kylo Ren ( Adam Driver ).
However, danger awaits them both as an even greater evil is reemerging in the form of Emperor Palpatine ( Ian McDiarmid ).
So, what did The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams get right and what did he get wrong with The Rise of Skywalker?
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker review round-up
The Mirror
Our very own Chris Hunneysett and called it "a thrilling and emotional conclusion".
"It's an earth-shattering romp packed with cross-generational appeal which is guaranteed to be another box office smash for Disney, and is machine tooled by director JJ Abrams in his typical light speed style to please hardcore fans and casual viewers alike."
Empire
Empire's Helen O'Hara delivered a mixed three-star review.
Helen O'Hara writes: "There are effective emotional punches before the end, as we say a final goodbye to Carrie Fisher and her generation of stars and as Kylo and Rey face their demons.
"Arguably the story more or less ends up in the right place, despite the threads left hanging. When it focuses on Rey and Kylo, this film usually works. Whatever the Dark Side says, we can make our own destiny, and we change the universe when we do."
The Guardian
Steve Rose gave the film another mixed review with his three-star take on the film.
Rose noted: "Given that there is no possible way of pleasing all the people even half the time when it comes to Star Wars, the good news is, The Rise of Skywalker is the send-off the saga deserves.
"The bad news is, it is largely the send-off we expected. Of course there is epic action to savour and surprises and spoilers to spill, but given the long, long build-up, some of the saga’s big revelations and developments might be a little unsatisfying on reflection."
Variety
Owen Gliebberman writes in his positive review : "It’s a puckish and engrossing movie, fulsome but light on its rocket feet. At two hours and 28 minutes, is it too long? Yes. Does it feature several dead characters coming all too conveniently back to life? Yes."
He adds: "If you look past its foibles, though, “The Rise of Skywalker” has been directed, by J.J. Abrams (the script is by Abrams and Chris Terrio), with much the same neo-classic-Lucas precision and crispness and verve that he brought to “The Force Awakens,” though in this case with less of the lockstep nostalgia that made that film such a direct clone of the first “Star Wars” that the thrill of going back to 1977 was mitigated by the fact that the entire thing had been transparently engineered to give you that feeling."
Collider
With the headline calling it "a piece of junk, Matt Goldberg gives the film a highly negative review.
Goldberg writes: "The nature of the failure is also not entirely unexpected if you look at Abrams’ filmography. A skilled mimic, Abrams has trouble drilling down on the finer aspects of stories, relying more on nostalgia and recognition rather than surprising story turns.
"He’s able to paper over this weakness with endearing characters and breakneck pacing. He got away with it before with the charming-yet-safe The Force Awakens , but with The Rise of Skywalker , his weaknesses get the better of him resulting in a film with poor plotting, shallow character development, and underwhelming revelations."
Rotten Tomatoes
What does review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes say about the film?
The reviews counted so far are only 55% "Fresh", meaning it is deemed "Rotten" by critics.
The consensus reads: "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker suffers from a frustrating lack of imagination, but concludes this beloved saga with fan-focused devotion."
However, the audience rating currently has the film rated at 86%.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out in cinemas now.
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