Ten and a half years ago, the second teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens played at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California. Screened in the exhibition hall, somewhere on a massive screen, I did not see it from our exhibition booth. I could scarce hear it, too, the speakers, facing away from us and at great distance besides, might as well have been broadcasting a warbling alien from Jabba’s Palace. What did traverse the giant space were the cheers and screams. The biggest cry of all came at the end. Later, I would learn Han Solo and Chewie’s first on-screen reveal caused this jubilance. “Chewie, we’re home.”

The Force Awakens premiered that December, and I absolutely adored it. So invested in its storyline was I, in fact, that I took the day off work to watch it’s follow-up, The Last Jedi, immediately upon release (some of this was also a fear that some random person would blurt out what happens in the movie!). But yes, I enjoyed The Force Awakens so much, I lost a whole day of wages to make sure its continuation was not spoiled. Sadly, further enjoyment was not meant to be, as I would come to hate truly hate The Last Jedi and 2019’s conclusion. But Disney’s mismanagement of the sequel trilogy can be, to borrow a line from Maz Kanada, “a tale for another time.”

As December 2025, and the prime window to write this article, approached, I found myself beset with hesitance to revisit that initial Force-awakening. What was the point if I hated (like, really hated) the two that came after? Would not watching the beginning of the trilogy just remind me of how terribly things ended? Could I not spend my time doing something, anything, else?

Eventually, I gave The Force Awakens a spin and was surprised by how much I still enjoyed it. In fact, I really enjoyed it! Despite everything that was to follow, it still worked on me in all the ways a good movie should.

First and foremost, and people seem to have a hard time understanding this, it feels like a Star Wars movie. I really cannot stress this enough. The tone is pitch-perfect with the films of the Original Trilogy. No doubt hiring Lawrence Kasdan (co-writer on The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi), a genius move by producer Kathleen Kennedy and Disney, helped with this! Lucas’s prequel films (which I also very much hate) have Jedi, lightsabers, spaceships, and aliens, yes, but they don’t feel like a classic Star Wars movie. They’re boring. And full of boring scenes. Star Wars movies aren’t supposed to be boring. They’re supposed to be exciting and fun! The Force Awakens is not boring. Would you believe it, it’s very exciting and fun!

The film is full of the OG trilogy ingredients: the rousing music after an especially heroic moment. The down-on-their-luck, likeable characters barely getting out of scrapes. The hapless baddies rigidly pacing about their bridges when our heroes elude them (again and again!). Puppets and other costumed aliens of all shapes and sizes. Heroes who ultimately want to do good, and risk their lives to do so. And don’t forget, seemingly magical talismans that auger a grand destiny and vast potential ahead. Brilliant! Just like Han said, “Chewie, we’re home.” Get it?!

The Kasdan-esque dialogue is a real treat here, especially when performed by our talented newcomers and accompanied by John Williams’s score. There are a scant number of things I love more than quippy lines during a white-knuckle action scene. Rey and Finn’s Jakku escape is a great example of this. If you need a refresher on all the fun, watch the scene below:

We’re treated to more of this when Han Solo makes his entrance into the story. Sometime later in the film, when on the run his very dangerous (and very on-the-loose) contraband, he says to himself:  “This is not how I thought today was going to go!” Classic! Add in some cute moments with BB-8 (the lighter thumbs-up, when he frightfully scurries away from the angry Chewbacca, etc.), and you’ve got a movie full of great humor and character moments.

Indeed, I was having such a great time with the film, I was (even knowing where the story would end up) asking myself these questions: Why was Luke on that planet? What did his anguished expression mean? What would Rey uncover on that island with Luke, and how would he be brought back into the fray? Why did Ben Solo turn on Luke’s students?  What would the reunion between Finn and Rey be like? Would sparks fly?! Why did Maz have Luke’s lightsaber? Just who or what is Snoke? Is Snoke actually really tiny, like Yoda? Who left Rey on Jakku, and why?

Did Luke himself leave Rey on Jakku because she was a mega-Force-user and a danger even to herself, and when she finds him on the island planet, he knows it’s time she’s ready to train, and this is why he’s like “oh, shiiii…” at the end? (This was my theory. Oh well).

The bubbling up of such questions really shows just what a good set-up The Force Awakens is.

It’s not a 100% love fest from me, however, and even though I buy the vast majority of what is happening here, some elements of the film don’t make a ton of sense. Is it lazy that there was basically an Empire 2.0 in place, and enough in place that there was a small Resistance to go against them? Would not the Republic have a big army by now, and wouldn’t the First Order be resisting them? Also, when the Republic is destroyed, it’s just some random planets? Who are those people? I wouldn’t have minded a 90-second scene where Leia (or anyone) explains what has happened in the galaxy since the Ewoks played helmet-drums.

Furthermore, I am confounded by BB-8’s missing piece of the map, and why we need R2-D2’s map to “complete it”. If BB-8’s section of the galactic map has Luke’s final location, could you not cross-reference the planets on the map piece itself, and find Luke? Luke’s whereabouts are on this map! R2’s map adds nothing to BB-8’s, so. . .I don’t get it.

Lastly, the supporting cast from the older films seemed to have little to do. Chewbacca seems a little too in-the-background for my taste, considering how involved he was in the original films. C-3PO, too, has no special treatment except to walk around and make random comments (unlike some, I am not a 3PO hater!). I’ll give R2-D2 doing nothing a pass, since he was in “low-power” mode (or whatever). Getting to our main heroes, do I lament that we did not get to see the Big Three on-screen together again? Yes, absolutely. This would seem like a complete no-brainer for any screenwriter reviving one of the most popular epics of our time. It was probably around 45% of the reason we all got tickets to see it in the first place. But what can ya do?

The popular complaints with The Force Awakens, namely: 1) The Force Awakens is “just Episode IV”, and 2) “Rey is a Mary Sue!”, will not be mentioned here, as I have never been in agreement with these criticisms. If you’re looking for them here, then you’ll get nothing but disappointment, and will have to slash up your computer console up, Ren style. (I might cover my own opinions on these criticisms n later blog articles. I’ll link them here when I do!)

Still, though, my gripes are rather minor, few and far between, and I can hand-wave away most of them. To me, the fun and interesting (and intriguing) aspects of the film far outweigh any of its faults. Also, the music is just so good. Come on, the music!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: still great and fun all these years later. I don’t plan on ever returning to the later sequels (instead perhaps to write something like this), but rest assured, I’ll be flipping this on again every now and then. Sorry Finn, we’ll be going back to Jakku!