Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Stephen King, Writer

Another Star Wars movie has been made, but not by George Lucas, instead by J.J. Abrams and Disney. First there was the original trilogy of episodes four-six, and the prequel films episodes one-three, which did not do very well, especially episode one where a certain Gungan can be blamed for it. But this new movie episode takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi as episode seven, under the name Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Episode seven features the return of old, main characters Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and the familiar droids, R2-D2 (Kenny Baker and Jimmy Vee) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) who now has a red arm. It also features new characters acting as the main focus of the movie, Rey (Daisy Ridley), FN-2187 or Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac), and the new lovable spherical droid BB-8 (Dave Chapman and Brian Herring) as they fight against the New Order led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

The movie features Rey’s growth from a simple scavenger to a fighter of the Resistance, the all new Rebellion, as it fights against the all new Empire, the New Order, along with Finn who decides to betray the New Order, being unable to work the evil job as a Stormtrooper, teams up with Rey as they work together to deliver BB-8 to the Resistance from the best X-Wing pilot, Poe Dameron, all at the same time meeting the old characters and fighting against Kylo Ren as the new Darth Vader-like Sith lord.

The movie did a very great job with not only its story, but also its character developments, such as where Rey starts off as a lone scavenger on the new planet Jakku who grows into the Light side of the Force, Finn becomes the first Stormtrooper to be a main character, BB-8 is a new astromech droid with a gyroscopic body who will likely be a common fan favorite, and the longsword-like lightsaber Kylo Ren being a younger, angrier version of the Sith lord he obsesses over, Darth Vader, who like him also has a shocking secret. The movie starts off with nostalgia beginning with the traditional opening crawl, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” and the return of the Millenium Falcon.

If anybody wants to see a Star Wars that successfully makes up for The Phantom Menace, this is the right movie to see.