The climax to the Skywalker saga has been seen by a select few – so what's the verdict?
It's been a long wait but the final chapter in the Star Wars saga is finally upon us, wrapping up the stories of several original trilogy characters as well as the new trio of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac).
Many die-hard fans will be queueing up to watch The Rise of Skywalker at midnight on Wednesday, but a select few who attended its glitzy LA premiere are already spilling the beans on what they thought.
The reaction has been far from unanimous, but the film has seen a lot of praise out of the gate, with one key word that keeps cropping up: "Satisfying."
Another observation that's been doing the rounds is how the film is markedly different to its precursor The Last Jedi, which proved very divisive with audiences due to its radical character and story choices.
Mansoor Mithaiwala, features editor at Screen Rant, tweeted: "Bottom line is: if you like Last Jedi, you probably won't like #TheRiseOfSkwalker. If you didn't like Last Jedi, you'll love this."
That verdict may well be partly true, but other commentators have taken issue with a plot that feels bloated and packed with a few too many ideas.
When director JJ Abrams announced that Finn and Poe would not be getting together in the Rise of Skywalker, he did say that fans would see a different form of LGBT+ representation instead. Well, about that...
Overall, the initial reaction to Rise of Skywalker seems reasonably positive, but inevitably not all fans are going to be pleased with the direction it takes.
The discourse around the film is about to blow up, as general audiences will get to see it starting from midnight on Wednesday.
Expect millions of tweets, reviews and hot takes within the first 24 hours...
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in UK cinemas from Thursday 19th December
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
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