Christmas is coming up, but the most important event of the month has already arrived: I'm talking about the new "Star Wars" movie, "The Force Awakens." I saw the movie on opening day with my boyfriend, and l was blown away. The effects were amazing, and the actors were superb. I was so glad to see Han, Leia, and Luke on screen with the new main characters, Rey, Finn, and Poe. The hype has been real, and opening week, it really got ramped up 10 notches.
At premieres for the movie all across the world, we got to see Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, dress up and hit the red carpet with her costars John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), and Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kantana). And let me just say that they looked amazing. Just take a look at Daisy's and Lupita's dresses!
Throughout the country, there were opening night (12/17) and opening day (12/18) celebrations. On Snapchat, they even had an "Explore" section for the opening night; on there, people sent in videos of cosplayers dressed up like their favorite characters and fireworks shows at Disney Parks in celebration of opening night. There were lightsaber fights galore, and it made me kind of jealous, because I didn't get to go to a cool opening night, but I did have a lot of fun seeing it.
When I saw it, the theater was packed. Fans of all ages were there, just as excited as I was. This saga has been a part of my life since I was born, practically; I grew up watching the original trilogy with my mom and stepfather, and for my ninth birthday, I had my birthday party at a local cinema so we could see "Revenge of the Sith," which we all thought was the final installment to the saga. I read dozens of books that were part of the Extended Universe and did quite a few book reports on them. So you could say I'm a bit of a fanatic.
When I saw that they were making another movie, I begged my boyfriend to take me. I had to go! We bought our tickets the day they went on sale, and I counted down the days until it was finally time. My boyfriend and I even bought lightsabers for ourselves to bring to the show -- he had Vader's and I had Anakin's, and we even took a picture in front of the sign! I couldn't contain my joy. I thought this was going to be amazing, and I was right.
Daisy Ridley was absolutely phenomenal as Rey. She, like Boyega, Isaac, and many of the other actors in the movie was previously a mostly unknown actress, so many fangirls and fanboys were worried that these new "unknowns" would ruin the movie for them. They couldn't have been more wrong. Her first scene was so interesting, because we got to see what her life was like, and how her life would be changed forever because of that one little droid.
Finn, played by Boyega, was also a great and interesting character. His life, too, was changed because of that little droid we know as BB-8, but for a completely different reason. I found the chemistry between Boyega and Ridley great, and I am so excited to see how they continue on in the next two movies.
"The Force Awakens" was filled with action, suspense, shock, and sorrow. This is also the first "Star Wars" movie to really show blood, which is surprising, considering all the violence that has been in earlier movies. Some people complained that this movie was just a reboot of "A New Hope," and while it did have some similarities, I think there were enough differences to show that it is its own movie. It also makes sense, because J.J. Abrams, the director and screenwriter for the movie, said that he wanted to return to the roots of the original movies.
While the movie had it's surprising parts, I think it was amazing, and definitely worth the wait. I think I will definitely be seeing the movie again while it's out, and of course I'm buying the DVD! But nothing was better than sitting in that theater opening day, surrounded by strangers that were family -- the "Star Wars" community is a giant family, and I am so happy to be a part of it.
