Members of the press, celebrities, and lucky others attended the world premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ahead of its theatrical debut on December 20, 2019. Their first impressions were mostly positive, but many claim that they will need a lot of time to digest everything that fills this final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. We did not want to spoil anyone's experience so we kept our headline and the reactions included in this spoiler-free!

Following The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker brings back director J.J. Abrams. It stars plenty of familiar faces from the series including Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, and even some previously unused footage of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.

It's a very pivotal entry to the Star Wars series, therefore you can expect to see a diverse range of takes online once the movie finally hits theaters. We won't be discussing anything from the movie here but we will have our Rise of Skywalker review going up soon. That's where you can read a more thorough summary of thoughts on the movie. Until then, here's our roundup of the first reactions to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker First Reactions

IGN's Jim Vejvoda said "I’m still processing my thoughts on #StarWars #TheRiseOfSkywalker but overall I would say I liked it but had some big problems with it. Can’t say I loved it but there’s still a lot to unpack."

IGN's Terri Schwartz says there is a lot to like in Episode IX, but overall, her feelings are "pretty mixed."

IGN's Laura Prudom praised the "spectacular emotional highs" of The Rise of Skywalker, but felt some choices were an "unnecessary course-correct from The Last Jedi."

Actress Elizabeth Banks cried while watching The Rise of Skywalker, and says it has "the best no-sex love scene I've seen in a long while."

Director Ava DuVernay called The Rise of Skywalker the "perfect end to an epic saga."

Vanity Fair's Joanna Robinson claims if you loved The Last Jedi, she has "some bad news for you." It not, you "might be pretty stoked."

Vanity Fair's Anthony Breznican "absolutely loved" this ending of the Skywalker Saga.

Vanity Fair's Angelique Jackson cried "3x" during Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg enjoyed parts of The Rise of Skywalker, but claims there is "more that is disappointing."

Uproxx's Mike Ryan likedTRoS, but thinks it is "certainly the most convoluted Star Wars."

Erik Davis of Fandango called The Rise of Skywalker a "terrific finale" that was a "wonderful way to end the Skywalker story."

Collider's Perri Nemiroff says even though The Rise of Skywalker had a "bumpy start" it does find it footing and "when it does, it flies."

Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times thinks the only way Episode IX could only have been "ruder to Rian Johnson if they had motion-smoothed it."

SlashFilm's Peter Sciretta had some "quibbles with the plot," but believes director J.J. Abrams "nailed it."

Adam B. Vary of Variety needs a bit more time to digest Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com calls The Rise of Skywalker "a lot," but calls it good and full of surprises.

Rob Keyes of ScreenRant calls Episode IX an "immensely satisfying and MASSIVE end to the saga."

CinemaBlend calls The Rise of Skywalker "a drastic departure from TLJ, but also not as invigorating as TFA."

Dan Casey of Nerdist could only say "wow."

For more on Star Wars and The Rise of Skywalker, check out our Top 10 Best Star Wars Movie Moments, read why Adam Driver believes Kylo Ren doesn't need redemption, how J.J. Abrams responded to fan's frustrations with this new sequel trilogy, and how the prequels influenced this newest film.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.