Wow.

I’m writing this article at 3:00 a.m., thirty minutes after I have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and all I can say, again, is wow. As an avid Star Wars fan and someone who has been waiting for this day for months, I can safely say that it lives up to all the hype and then some. It is the perfect way to reintroduce Star Wars to the world and remind everyone just how great the series can be.

I have yet to fully digest what I just witnessed on screen but I will try to keep calm and avoid rambling on about the utter awesomeness of it.

The movie focuses on a female scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley) and a Storm Trooper named Finn (John Boyega). They are two people who come from two very different pasts, but are thrown together when the galaxy faces the wrath of villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

As well as an entire new cast of characters, there were some familiar faces in the crowd who made large appearances in the film. Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) were just a few of the old cast members to play significant roles.

It is no small treat to see older generation of heroes coexisting and fighting alongside the new heroes that will be on screen for years to come. Watching everyone develop and progress as characters was simply spectacular.

The only complaint I have (and this is because I feel obligated to find something to gripe about) is that while this is a new trilogy, it leans a lot on the previous trilogy. This movie is very much a continuation of the old films and relies on audience knowledge for most of the crowd reactions.

This is a very minor negative in an extremely positive movie, and even this negative is simply amazing at times. Watching Han Solo pilot the Millennium Falcon once again just felt like everything was right in the world. Also, key secondary droid characters C-3PO and R2-D2 make appearances and really brighten the mood of the entire movie.

This movie is brilliantly directed by J.J. Abrams, who had very large shoes to fill since George Lucas (the creator of Star Wars) wasn’t sitting in the director’s chair. Abrams had to step up his game after fans were very disappointed with the prequels The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. I personally believe Abrams knocked it out of the park and has created a cinematic masterpiece.

One of the best parts of this movie is that you don’t even need to see the previous ones to know what’s happening. Yes, it does help to understand the old trilogy’s characters, but it’s certainly not a necessity.

If you’re looking for a movie for the ages, then look no further than this one. I strongly think that this movie will stand the test of time and go down as one of the greatest movies of our generation. The force is extremely strong with this one.