'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': Welcome Home, Son

"Luke Has Disappeared."

I was in. I was hooked. This is the point where I realized that maybe things will actually be okay. Maybe my precious Star Wars won't be ruined. Maybe God above would intervene if things went wrong and ensure that 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' won't be anything like the prequels (now officially known as the prequel-prequels). 2 hours and 16 minutes later, I exhale.

He has smiled upon us.

Image found on Blastr

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', sponsored by J.J Abrams Light Flares Inc., begins 30 years after the defeat of Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. A new evil force called The First Order, led by a big-bad named Supreme Leader Snoke, rose out of the ashes and has now sworn to take over the galaxy and obliterate all who oppose them. The last known Jedi, Luke Skywalker, has gone into hiding and is being hunted by a powerful force for the Dark Side, Kylo Ren. His disappearance has not only concerned the First Order, but also The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa, who is desperately trying to locate his whereabouts in hopes to get to him before The First Order does. In comes Rey, a scavenger from the planet Jakku, who stumbles upon a BB-8 droid and a rogue Stormtrooper, Finn, and gets caught up in everything going on and embarks on a journey to help The Resistance find Luke after coming across some intriguing and compelling information. All in all it works out to be a very simple plot that works out pretty effectively. Every character, both old and new, was introduced and fleshed out in a way that gave them a charm that one just cannot resist. I believe that's where 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' has it's true strength: it's characters. I was taken aback by how much I came to fall in love with everyone in this film (and can I just say that BB-8 is the most adorable and awesome robot EVER?!) and it feels as if they all had found their perfect place among the galaxy.

Image found on DenofGeek

There's a reason why I, and other nerds responsible adults, waited upwards of 12 hours in line for this film. Not only did 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' have to erase the shameful marks the trilogies that shall not be named from the minds of Star Wars dans young and old alike but it had the burden of proving that the Star Wars franchise was something worth saving at the hands of Disney (and J.J. Abrams). Well I'm glad to say that it did all of those things and more. Without going into too much detail, 'Star Wars: A New Hope' delivered on almost every front and was an experience that I, along with thousands of other nerds responsible adults around the world, will never forget. For many, this was the first good Star Wars movie to be seen in theaters and it's a well deserved experience. The special effects were superb and well balanced with the plethora of practical effects, fans of the series will not, and I repeat, will not be disappointed at the countless head nods to their childhood, and it's just a fun movie for fans and non-fans alike. It was obvious that Abrams and everyone involved spent a lot of time and effort on the massive sets to re-introduce the scale of everything going on in the galaxy. All in all this was a film for the fans. From the sounds of the Millennium Falcon racing through the ruins of Jakku to the opening credit roll with that all too familiar tune of the theme son gin the background, I had nostalgia feels running out of my ear holes and I loved every freakin' second of it. I felt like a kid again.

Image found on StarWars.com

But maybe that's exactly what kept 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' away from being a perfect film. And yes, it's not a perfect film. I came out of this film extremely satisfied and content with what I just saw but I couldn't help but wonder what more could have been done to give it the extra bump it needed to go from freakin' great to freakin' awesome. Like most Abram films, the story left just a tad bit more to be desired and I got the vibe that this was a really, really, safe play on Disney's part to revive the series and make it marketable again.

But you know what? That's okay.

Among the masses there are many others that feel the same way and yes, maybe there should have been a bit more of a risk involved with 'Star Wars: A New Hope' but I think this is a classic example of when a film comes to do what it's set out to do more than what we want it to do. After the horrible, abusive parenting that is the prequel-prequels that-shall-not-be-named the Star Wars franchise broke the hearts of many, people swore to only stay loyal to the original series because another good Star Wars film may never come to see the light of day. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' was announced and greeted with glee but not without some skepticism in there. Much like someone who just got out of an abusive relationship, fans cringed at the thought of getting too close and setting their hopes high in fear of being let down again. Disney was aware of the task they had to undertake and I believe that the way they chose to take care of it was the best possible way. They had to prove that Star Wars was something that people can come back to again, that it's something that won't give you scars when it promises to love you, that it's something that can still make money. What better way than to make a film that bleeds fan service but at the same time introduces you to this brand new world and has just enough story details to have you eagerly shaking with excitement for the next 2 years? If it ain't broke, don't fix it right?

They knew exactly what they were doing. Episode 8 better impress.

Image found on DenOfGeek

I think that 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is the best case scenario of a good Star Wars movie to kick off the new trilogy. It has its flaws but at the end of the day there were way more good moments than bad. This film is an adventure that one simply will not forget. The new cast of amazing characters coupled with perfectly timed humor and a plot that's easy enough for anyone, fan or non-fan, to follow has this film leading the charge on how to properly make a sequel. Take notes studios. Thank you Disney and Abrams for making me feel like a kid again. This was everything I wanted.