Anyone who knows me knows that the "Star Wars" films are my favorite films of all time. To me, the epic space operas are masterpieces. I could watch them every week if I felt like it. So, when Disney bought Lucasfilm and the rights to "Star Wars" from creator George Lucas for $4 billion andannounced a new trilogy, I was beyond ecstatic. However, every film critic and fan of the films asked one question as "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" came closer and closer to its December 18, 2015, release date: How good would this new film be? Would it be a masterpiece like the Original Trilogy (ironically, Episodes "IV," "V," and "VI") or would it be another disappointment like Episodes "I," "II," and "III"?
Another question that went through our minds was what this new film was exactly about? We knew most of our favorites from the Original Trilogy would be back in a story taking place thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi and they would be combined with new characters. But Disney and Lucasfilm didn’t really tell us much more while marketing it. We also had questions also about “Where is Luke?” The protagonist of the Original Trilogy was absent from virtually all marketing for the film, leading to many fan theories. They virtually forced us to go watch The Force Awakens.
So when my brother and I saw it on opening night (see above), we were thrilled. We were in awe when the first line of the opening crawl revealed Luke was missing. The theater cheered when the camera panned over to our favorite ship of all time, the Millennium Falcon. When Han and Chewie returned “home”, the tears were tears of joy. We cheered for the Resistance, an independent ally of the new Republic, to beat the remnants of the Empire, the First Order. When we learned Rey was possibly the next great Jedi and not Finn, we were in shock and awe. We laughed when she used a Jedi mind trick to escape from a guard played by James Bond himself Daniel Craig and when C-3P0 made his grand entrance. Then we cried when Kylo Ren, the film’s main villain, killed off his father, Han Solo. Finally, we felt satisfaction when Starkiller base was destroyed and Rey and Chewie took the Falcon and finally found Luke Skywalker.
We know the film successful financially and has also been nominated for some awards. Worldwide, it made $529 million it’s opening weekend; $248 million of that in the United States alone. That is biggest opening weekend ever. It grossed one billion dollars in 12 days, faster than any film has ever done so. As of February 23, it has grossed $2.04 billion worldwide, with about $1.118 billion coming from international (non-US) markets, making it the third-highest grossing film ever. It holds many box office records, including highest-grossing domestic film ever. It was also nominated for five Academy Awards, and four BAFTAs (The British version of the Academy Awards). So it’s safe to say the film did well in those areas.
Critically, the film also did very well. 306 of the 330 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes rated it as fresh, a 93% mark. On Metacritic, it has a grade of 81 based on 52 reviews. Fans liked the film in general as well. It has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes’ fan review, and an 8.4/10 on IMDb’s fan review. It has also been on many films of the year list, cracking most top 10s and many top 5s on those lists.
Many hardcore Star Wars fans, however, thought the film’s plot was too similar to the Original Trilogy. They noted Starkiller Base was basically another Death Star, the mission of BB-8 was very similar to that of R2-D2’s in A New Hope. They didn’t care for the finding of Luke and the end of the film, saying it would work better in Episode VIII, as well as numerous other things. However, I personally overlook most of these. I think for this film to have been the success it is. It needed to go back to some of the basics, since going away from them didn’t work as well in the Prequel Trilogy. I think it works well because while it feels somewhat similar, it also feels new. The new characters of BB-8, Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, Poe, and others blend nearly perfectly with the established characters. They mention in the film that Starkiller Base is pretty much another Death Star. It was also great by the amount of practical effects the film had, as opposed to a great deal of CGI like the Prequels (I, II, and III).
As a true fan, this film is much more than a good Star Wars movie. It’s a new beginning for so many. There were many young fans under the PG-13 age who were watching the film. Many left drawn onto Star Wars. This new movie was able to introduce a wonderful saga to many of new fans, something every series need in order to still be loved. I left the theater that night wanting Episode VIII right away. The Force Awakens left us with many questions needing to be answered in Episodes VIII and IX, but it also set up those movies very well. In the end, director and writer J.J. Abrams and his crew did a wonderful job bringing Star Wars back and awakening The Force.
