The first critics in America have seen the new Star Wars film The Rise Of Skywalker, and the initial reactions are actually rather mixed.
Rise Of The Skywalker serves as the follow-up to Episode VIII, The Last Jedi, which proved to be among the most divisive Star Wars films in the saga.
On Monday night, the film was given its first screening, and while critics’ full reviews are currently still embargoed, they have been sharing their first thoughts on social media.
And let’s just say, the words “it’s a lot” have already come up more than once.
Starting with the good, those who loved The Rise Of Skywalker really loved it, and quickly shared their impassioned tweets soon after leaving the screening…
It has to be said, though, that others had more mixed feelings about Episode IX, with some early reviews even verging on negative…
The Rise Of Skywalker is the last in Disney’s rebooted trilogy, which began in 2015 with The Force Awakens.
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaacs – who all joined the franchise in The Force Awakens – will all be back for the final instalment, as will Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in The Last Jedi.
Returning to directing duties is JJ Abrams, who previously helmed The Force Awakens. He replaced Colin Trevorrow, who stepped down due to creative differences with the president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy.
Once the current trilogy is complete, a new trilogy helmed by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is also in the works.
A spin-off TV series The Mandalorian is also currently streaming on Disney+ in the US (yes, the one with “Baby Yoda”).
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker arrives in UK cinemas on Friday 19 December.
