It has been ten years since the release of Star Wars Episode Three and I have to admit I was skeptical when I heard about the making of The Force Wakens, especially since Disney bought out Lucas Films. Going into this, I only knew two things: One, that it was going to take place thirty years after Episode Six. And two, the director was going to be the one and only J. J. Abrams, the mastermind behind the newer Star Trek movies. My familiarity with the director made me slightly less worried about the outcome of the movie, but still, I worried. For some reason Star Wars and Disney, two things I love, didn’t mesh well in my head.

However, after seeing the movie, all I can say is, “sorry for doubting you, Disney.” The Force Awakens took my worry and expectations and completely beat them to a pulp. This movie is without doubt the best movie that has come out of 2015 and I’ll even go as far as saying that this is the best movie that has came out of the last five years. I’ll even dare to say maybe even the last ten years.
So as of now I won’t give away any spoilers, but towards the end of this review I will. Don’t worry though; when the spoilers are coming I’ll warn you. Right now I will just stick to the basics of this movie. One of the best things that they did was bring back the original cast, like Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford to play their roles of Princess Leia and Han Solo. It was simply amazing to see them again and, considering I grew up on Star Wars,  it was quite nostalgic to see these iconic actors fulfilling their original roles. Which brings me to my next acclaim: the casting for this movie was utterly spectacular. Here’s why: it is so diverse. Neither of the two leading characters is a white man. The leading characters are Finn and Rey played by John Boyega, an African English man, and Daisy Ridley, a white English woman. Also, in general, there are a lot more women in this movie. One plays the Commander of the empire’s clone army and others are scattered throughout playing pilots and other rebels. I think this strong representation of women sends an important message to the viewer: It shows young girls and women that they too can be and are powerful, influential, and brave.

Now about John Boyega and his character Finn.  Boyega himself said, and this is not a direct quote, that he did not want to depict Finn as a hero. He wanted Finn to be just a normal guy doing what he feels is right. To me this makes the character 100% more relatable. He’s not some unattainable goal; he’s a real person who acts like one. Not only is Finn one of the main characters, but he is also played by a person of color, a component that has been missing and is overdue in the Star Wars saga. While some may overlook this aspect, let me tell you what I saw on Instagram the other day:

As I was scrolling, I saw that someone posted a picture of a small African American boy in a Stormtrooper costume holding a picture of Boyega’s character, Finn, dressed in similar Stormtrooper armor. Finally, Star Wars has provided today’s African American youth have a realistic and relatable role model to look up to.
I highly recommend this movie for first-timers and active Star Wars fans alike. All I can say without spoiling the movie is to go see it. Trust me, you won’t regret it.