Exactly five years ago today, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released in theatres worldwide. It was the first film in the franchise since 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, and the first in the sequel trilogy. It was also the first film to be distributed by Disney, following their buyout of Lucasfilm in 2012. In this article, I will be recounting my experiences of watching the film for the first time, as well as my thoughts on it and the trilogy as a whole. This is less of a review, but more so a retrospective. 

On the way to the theatre on December 18th, 2015, I could hardly believe what I was about to see. For years, I had wanted to see an Episode VII of Star Wars, but I never thought it would happen. After all, Return of the Jedi seemed to close the saga perfectly, so what need would there be for a sequel trilogy? The creator of the franchise, George Lucas, had originally envisioned the saga to consist of nine episodes, but changed his mind following the completion of the prequel trilogy in 2005. The harsh criticism that Lucas faced from fans upset about the prequels dissuaded him from making Episodes VII-IX himself. Thus, in October 2012, Lucas sold the franchise to the Walt Disney Company for $4 billion. Alongside the announcement of the buyout was the confirmation that there would be a sequel trilogy after all, with Episode VII being set to release in 2015. Not long after, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher were all confirmed to be returning as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia respectively. JJ Abrams was announced to be directing the film. Before we knew it, we were seeing the first footage from Episode VII, officially titled The Force Awakens, from a teaser trailer released on Black Friday of 2014. The trailer was equal parts mysterious and nostalgic. 

2015 flew by. Before I knew it, I was waiting in line outside a small movie theatre in Bernardsville. For the first time in my life, I was waiting in a line to see a movie. It was freezing outside, but you could feel the excitement in the air. The line moved quickly, and my dad and I got our tickets, popcorn, and sat down in the theatre. I was about to see a new Star Wars movie. It was not the first time I had seen a Star Wars movie in theatres, as my dad and I saw The Phantom Menace when it was re-released in 3D in 2012. After the trailers played, the lights dimmed. The crowd began to cheer as the Lucasfilm logo and “A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away” appeared on the screen. And then, bam! The iconic Star Wars theme blasted in all its glory as the opening crawl began. Seeing the words “Episode VII” on the big screen was surreal. The crowd went wild as we read the words floating in space. From it, we learned that Luke Skywalker had vanished, and a new enemy had arisen from the ashes of the Empire: The First Order. Fortunately, Princess Leia, now a general, had formed a resistance with the support of the Republic to fight this new threat. An ally of the Resistance had discovered a clue regarding Luke’s whereabouts, and so Leia has sent their best pilot to the planet of Jakku in hopes of finding the last Jedi. 

From there, the film was a blast. The new characters Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren were great new additions to the cast. Of course, seeing our beloved heroes from the original trilogy again drew applause from the audience. This is what made the theatre experience for The Force Awakens so great. Laughs, cheers, and applause roared throughout the theatre throughout the film, which is something that isn’t new to Star Wars, but I had never seen anything like it before myself. This is why, to this day, The Force Awakens is my favorite movie theatre experience. It was simply magical. I loved the film itself, as did many critics and fans. However, as half-a-decade has passed since that fateful December evening, my opinions on it, and the trilogy as a whole, has evolved over time.

One criticism levied at the film that I do agree with is that it is too similar to A New Hope. I don’t deny that. It makes sense that Episode VII would play it safe, and stick to what fans of the original trilogy loved, as the reception to the prequels was sour. However, I think this decision ultimately hurt the film as time went on. While it has great new characters and is an exhilarating thrill-ride, The Force Awakens lacks in substance. Fortunately, this would be made up with the film’s sequel, 2017’s Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Reception to this film is much more divided. Some absolutely adore it, while others hate it. I am in the camp that loves it. It took the foundation of The Force Awakens and gave the characters more meaning, took risks in its storytelling, and had gorgeous cinematography, fantastic performances, among many other things. It’s my second-favorite film in the franchise next to The Empire Strikes Back. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker released in 2019, and it disappointed me virtually every way. JJ Abrams returned to direct, and the film seemed as if it took the advice of The Last Jedi’s loudest critics. Many plot threads from the film were abandoned, as were characters. The film suffered over-reliance on nostalgia and fan-service and lacked even more substance than The Force Awakens. It’s one of my least favorites for sure. Overall, in retrospect, the Star Wars sequel trilogy is very much a mixed bag. It sports some of the highest highs and the lowest lows in the saga.

The Force Awakens, while flawed, is still an enjoyable movie and makes for a great popcorn flick. It introduced Star Wars to a whole new generation of fans, raked in over $2 billion dollars at the box office, and brought us many great new characters and moments. While I vastly prefer its sequel, The Last Jedi, I still think Episode VII is a worthy addition to the saga. The fact that we even have a sequel trilogy at all is still mind blowing to me. I’m glad I got to experience it in the theatre, something that I never thought would happen.