It's been well over a month since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" came out in theaters across the globe, and as expected with a franchise loved the world over, a vast majority of the population has paid money to take a journey far, far away. We have all felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices cried out with their opinions on the film. Knowing this, I had to be the next one to chime in with my opinion on the film, and here it is. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you can obviously expect spoilers. And, well, that's not my fault. You had a month.

Synopsis

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is set roughly 30 years after the events of "Return of the Jedi," and it would appear that the Jedi did not return. Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi, has disappeared, and is hunted by the First Order, an organization that arose from the ashes of the Galactic Empire. Also in search of Luke is the Resistance, led by his sister, General Leia Organa.

At the opening of the film, on the planet Jakku, we see a Resistance pilot by the name of Poe Dameron give the map to Luke Skywalker's location to the absolutely adorable BB-8, who then must flee due to an attack by the First Order. Their leader, Kylo Ren, captures Poe and interrogates him, learning that the map is with BB-8. Meanwhile, Stormtrooper FN-2187 has a moral crisis and refuses to carry out orders to execute a village on Jakku. Returning to the First Order Star Destroyer, this same trooper has another moral dilemma and frees Poe Dameron from captivity. The two then escape in a black and red TIE Fighter, where Poe gives him the name Finn. They don't get very far, and are shot down over Jakku. Believing that Poe is dead, Finn traverses the deserts of Jakku and runs into BB-8, who is accompanied by Rey, a young local woman waiting for her family to come back and take her from this planet. Rey and Finn become mixed up in the First Order's pursuit of BB-8. They run into many iconic characters, and Rey discovers that she has Force Powers.

Analysis

When watching this movie, I was overcome by a flooding wave of nostalgia. I felt like I was 5 again, watching "Star Wars" for the first time. There were many moments in the film where I gasped aloud, such as when Han and Chewie first appeared, seeing Admiral Akbar and many other direct nods to the original trilogy. The entire theater clapped at all of these moments as well, a nice show of solidarity among fans.

Critically speaking, the dialogue was well written; the conversations flowed nicely and felt organic, rather than stifled and bookish. The lighting, setting and cinematography were of course spot on, as well as all the technical and practical effects, which is not a surprise when you think about who made the film. The acting was also precise; you could tell that every character knew who they were supposed to be, and made you feel as if they were actually themselves on screen. Most of my problems from this film stemmed primarily from the story itself, as well as some issues revolving around the characters.

What I Disliked

1. Many of the major plot points in this film were recycled directly from the original trilogy.

There were parts that paid homage, but also parts that were purely ripoffs from Lucas's original works. The bad guys searching for a droid with secret intel on a desert planet; a young hero on this planet who wishes for a life away from the sands; a bad guy dressed in all black with a mask; as well as several other small things, but finally, my biggest gripe:

A third Death Star.

Not one, not two, but three times the villains in the "Star Wars" universe got together and said, "You know what would be a good idea? A planet...that shoots laser beams!"

For some reason, the bad guys always seem to think building one of these things is going to help them win. The first time seeing the original Death Star, audiences filled with a sense of dread at a weapon capable of eviscerating an entire planet. When that one went kaput, the bad guys sat at their giant conference table sipping on lattes that their unpaid Stormtrooper interns flew to Starbucks to grab, and thought "Let's build it again! Only this time, we'll make it bigger!" And then I imagine they all went to a strip club somewhere on Tattooine to snort space cocaine and celebrate how smart they are. Then, as they were building the second one, that one also got blown up. So 30 years later, a new guy comes along and says, "Remember the Death Star? That was cool, but get this: what if we make a third one, but give it more lasers?! Wouldn't that be sick bro?!" And then they high-fived each other and went to the gym to pump some lead. Death Star 3.0 is proof that Abrams was either higher than a Boeing 747 or just tired and said, "Eh, screw it."

2. The predictability of Han Solo's death at the hands of his son Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo.

This scene was sluggish and felt forced. From the moment Han called out his son's name, it was glaringly obvious that his time had come. If this scene had happened at a quicker pace, then it may have been more believable, but instead we were left with a lackluster cliche and awkward attempt at an "Oh no!" moment.

3. Finn and Rey somehow being able to use a lightsaber and hold their own, even if only for a minute, against the trained Kylo Ren.

I can understand that Finn may have had some melee weapon training, but definitely not with a lightsaber and not against anyone as capable as Ren. Rey was also pretty handy with her staff but once again, not a blade and definitely not Ren. Him being injured by Chewie was the only thing that kept both Finn and Rey from dying in a matter of seconds. Also, the ground perfectly splitting between Ren and Rey at the end was also a terrible and cliche attempt at showing us a "divide" between good and evil.

4. The complete waste of the awesome-looking Captain Phasma.

Just like my favorite "Star Wars" character Boba Fett, Captain Phasma had about two lines, looked cool and was disposed of in such a demeaning manner. Her character offers absolutely nothing to the story, and could have been replaced or completely done away with. If rumors are true, her character will return in the next film and serve a much larger role, just as Boba Fett is rumored to appear in his own upcoming stand-alone movie.

5. Kylo Ren taking off his helmet at any point.

6. Kylo Ren acting like a princess who didn't get a pony for her half birthday.

While Ren is an extremely powerful Force-wielding warrior, capable of stopping blaster bolts with his mind alone, there were many moments when he unnecessarily threw tantrums like a child. This is a point that I both like and dislike: it shows us that Kylo Ren has not fully matured and is still in need of training. However, it also takes away from Kylo being a serious opponent. Would you be able to take your enemy seriously if he cries and starts breaking things when he doesn't get his way? But in the end, Kylo Ren being a brat gave us some hilarious moments to laugh at, such as this:

What I Liked

1. A fairly diverse leading cast, composed of a black man, Hispanic man, robot and a female lead.

"Star Wars" is known for being primarily cast with white male leads, and it was nice to see a break from tradition that didn't feel like a forced attempt at being politically correct. The characters are written in a way that leaves their skin color completely irrelevant, so any actor can fill the spot, and the ones chosen were perfect for their roles. We as a people are always far too focused on race and color, something you'd think we would have gotten right by now. Elitist and racist fans cried and complained when a woman and a black man were chosen to lead the film, because it breaks away from what they envision "Star Wars" as, forgetting that "Star Wars" appeals to people of every race, gender and religion.

2. This guy right here

3. The ability to maintain a story that had a dark and serious tone, while sprinkling it with moments of hilarity and laughter.

It's always nice to see a film blend dramatic plots with comedic relief, and this movie manages to do that seamlessly. The Stormtroopers were the funniest part of the film, especially when Princess Kylo Ren threw a tantrum in this scene:

4. No Jar Jar Binks.

5. Famous characters from the original trilogy were brought back, but they didn't hog the screen.

The newest characters were given plenty of time in the limelight, and weren't ignored because an A-List actor was on the bill. John Boyega, Oscar Issac and Daisy Ridley were all shown ample amounts of screen time, and Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill were also given room to act while not becoming the main stars once again. Many people complained about Mark Hamill only having five minutes of screen time; I personally preferred this, since he'll be back for the next film.

6. The absolute best part of this film: the sick-spinning, loyal-to-a-fault Stormtrooper, FN-2199.

My Rating: 7/10 stars

Conclusion

While there were some moments in the movie that could have been done without, and some plot details that could be changed, the movie as a whole was an experience worth watching. From the iconic opening crawl to the last second of John Williams' beautiful score, the movie captured my mind and made feel what I felt the very first time I saw "Star Wars." I'd go back and watch it another time if I wasn't a broke college student, but at least getting the chance to see it once reminded me of all the reasons I loved "Star Wars" to begin with.