“The Force Awakens” adds to Star Wars saga despite slim promotion

“The Force Awakens” awakened more than the force within main character Rey. The seventh movie in the Star Wars Saga ignited the passion and obsession seen in many die-hard fans of the previous movies and has even made some new fans altogether.

Not only were theaters sold out, but also it was not rare to see people in costume attending the movies, or even for a father and daughter to go into the movie theater with matching Star Wars t-shirts. The expectations for the movie were very high— an inadequate continuation of a popular 80’s movie would leave millions of fans furious.

Fans went into the movie blind. Promotion and advertisement for the movie was scarce, resulting in people being very curious as to what would occur. This sense of anticipation led to cheers as the screen darkened and the words “In a Galaxy Far, Far Away” appeared on the screen. As the movie began, any slight fear of this movie being as gut wrenching as a dreaded sequel diminished and the movie soon lived up to what millions had hoped it would.

“The Force Awakens” focuses on an independent woman, Rey, who survives on a very low income and awaiting her family’s return. Her dull life is ultimately changed when she crosses paths with a droid containing part of a map that leads to the famous Luke Skywalker. She is joined with soon-to-be companion Finn, an ex-Stormtrooper for the First Order.

Even though these new characters are introduced, old characters are displayed again later on in the movie. R2-D2, Chewy, Han Solo, Princess Leia and C3-PO all appear in the film.

Han Solo and Princess Leia’s son, Jacen, is the grandson of Darth Vader and is on a quest to be just like his grandfather. The movie is a spiral of comedy, action, conflict and self-awareness as Rey finds the force within her. There is even a hinted romantic connection between Rey and Finn, even though no affirmative action proves what many believe to be a possible relationship.

The intricate family tree may seem difficult to follow in writing, but the film readily displays the various relationships in a blunt manner making it easy for anyone to follow.

As the battle between the light and dark side plays out, the movie comes to an end with Rey choosing a side on top of leaving the audience with a cliffhanger ending. For many, the next episode coming out in 2017 could not come fast enough.

The only downfall to the movie was the duration, over two hours, but many disregarded the time since the action-packed movie never seemed to leave the audience time to let go of their breath. The movie flawlessly blends in the old characters with the new and adds depth to a storyline that was already a blockbuster in movie history. The special effects were realistic and life-like in 3D, and a more edgy and modernistic touch lead to the audience’s willingness to believe in this fictitious world.

“The Force Awakens” has also become so popular due to its main character Rey. This movie uniquely labels Rey as the hero, making her someone for girls across the world to look up to. The stereotypical “guy saves the day” scenario is not necessarily depicted in this film.

Filmmakers have exceeded the expectations of the viewers and set the bar even higher for themselves in tackling the process of making episode eight. Until that date, people by the millions will occupy themselves with watching the series again and feeding off of the fictional fantasy the entertainment world is currently obsessed with.