Super Bowl halftime show review: Was it a generally acceptable performance?

Fans finally got Rihanna on Sunday at Super Bowl LVII for almost 15 minutes after waiting half a decade. After being chosen as this year's Super Bowl halftime performer in September, Rihanna gave fans a break from the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs to reacquaint herself with the world. That was exactly what she did.

An all-hits soundtrack that delighted fans and several anti-gravity acts made it a special concert that received considerable acclaim. As soon as she ended her short but memorable concert at the halftime show in Glendale, Arizona, Rihanna announced that she was expecting her second child, which left fans in awe.

In case there was any doubt, Rihanna was the sole focus of the halftime show. No interruptions, pauses, or changes in momentum. She held everybody's attention by delivering one classic after the other, from "Work" to "Umbrella," starting off on a scaffold hanging above the arena and passionately singing out the uplifting "Diamonds."

Everything was an unorthodox outgrowth of the uncommon choice to act in that condition.

Unlike other musicians, Rihanna has been insistent that her follow-up to 2016's "Anti-" is not yet finalized. Most musicians use a Super Bowl halftime performance to promote a new body of work.

Rihanna, though, didn't even deliver "Lift Me Up," the song she contributed to the musicals of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," which has been nominated for an Oscar.

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What are critics saying about Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show?

The GRAMMY-winning superstar performed a show-stopping setlist packed with surprises, getting the audience just as excited about her performance as they were about the game proper.

While some fans were pleased by the anti-gravity routine and the all-hits mix, others weren't as wowed.

It's safe to say that Rihanna's show on Sunday was eagerly awaited, as she hasn't given a musical concert since January 2018 and hasn't put out a new album since she dropped "Anti" in 2016.

Rihanna performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium

For some, the outcome wasn't satisfying. Critics followed the halftime performance with distaste amid their "Satanic fear" about her crimson attire and daring choreography.