An awakening in the Force

It was December 17, 2015. At approximately 3:00 p.m., I stood outside of Walnut Creek Century Theatres wrapped in a Darth Vader blanket and clutching a hot chocolate.

What was so important that I would spend my entire day in the cold waiting to see? Star Wars.

But not just any Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. This is the movie fans have been waiting for since before the prequels were released in the early 2000’s, some since 1983 after the release of Episode VII.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is action packed, comedic, and stays true to the style of the original trilogy yet somehow making it modern and innovative. It represents a new era of Star Wars films, hooking a new generation, without brutally slaughtering the entire concept.

The opening credits begin with “Luke Skywalker has vanished!” So immediately everyone assumes the whole movie is about finding Luke.

But the best element of the film was the new characters. The scavenger Rey was an amazing addition to the series, she is entertaining to watch and enthralls the audience with her acting. Although the thing that I liked the most about her is that, in theory, she will be the first female Jedi serving as a main character in any Star Wars film.

In previous Star Wars books and lore, one must be force sensitive to even use a lightsaber. It’s also evident that Rey is force sensitive, she uses the force numerous times throughout the movie, including when she resists Kylo’s mind tricks and defeats him in a lightsaber duel.

And then, there’s the cute, lovable little droid who stole the hearts of the audience. BB-8 brought something new and modern to the table, the way he interacts with what’s around him and how he communicates with the other characters. The funniest scenes in the movie always contained BB-8 and my other favorite character, Finn.

I adored Finn’s character. He is one of the most human characters in the whole series. His mind is his own and he refuses to conform to the ways and wishes of the First Order, symbolizing a hero’s quest and the fight against the Dark Side.

As the Empire was destroyed at the end of Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi, the new antagonists are the First Order, a group based off the remnants of the fallen Empire.

In the movie, General Hux, a leader of the First Order, converses with Kylo Ren about “The [stormtrooper] from the village, FN-2187.” FN-2187, or Finn’s, decision to come to the light was also his “call to the Force”, which Rey and Kylo Ren also experienced during the film.

And it was the naive and emotional sith lord Kylo Ren that I was most excited for when they announced the movie. But Kylo Ren was over emotional and made rash decisions. This is explicitly shown by his tantrums, he would unsheathe his lightsaber and just start flailing it around, destroying everything.

During one of these emotional fits, Kylo Ren killed his father, Han Solo. Everyone in the theatre was in the moment when Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo, stood face to face with his father, we all knew once Kylo Ren pulled out his lightsaber, someone was going to die.

While everyone assumed the whole movie was about finding Luke, we were all pleasantly surprised when Luke awoke from his meditative hibernation to greet Rey. As Rey offered him his old lightsaber, she was seeking a master in the ways of the force, he gave her a look that would trigger the continuation of this series- Rey’s adventure had only just begun.