A big, crowd-pleasing reboot that mostly succeeds by recapturing the original trilogy’s sense of wonder, momentum, and character chemistry. It’s familiar to a fault, but the new trio and the practical-scale adventure give it real lift.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Adventure · Action
Tue · 2h 16m
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
Overview
Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.
Director
J.J. Abrams
Cast
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
Curator Review
Verdict
A big, crowd-pleasing reboot that mostly succeeds by recapturing the original trilogy’s sense of wonder, momentum, and character chemistry. It’s familiar to a fault, but the new trio and the practical-scale adventure give it real lift.
Best for
fans of classic space adventure
viewers who want a nostalgic blockbuster with strong pacing
audiences who enjoy charismatic ensemble chemistry
people looking for a gateway into the franchise
Skip if
you want bold reinvention over homage
you’re tired of franchise reboots that retread old beats
you prefer tighter worldbuilding and less mystery-box plotting
Overview
The Force Awakens works because it understands the emotional job of a Star Wars movie: make the galaxy feel alive again, then hand the torch to a new generation without dropping the old one. It’s brisk, funny, and built around a trio with immediate chemistry, especially Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, who give the film a fresh pulse.
Worth noting
J.J. Abrams leans hard on nostalgia, sometimes too hard, but the movie’s craftsmanship is undeniable. The action is clean, the pacing is relentless, and the final stretch delivers the kind of big-screen charge that made the original films endure. Even when the story echoes A New Hope a little too closely, it usually does so with enough energy to keep the ride entertaining.
Bottom line
Its biggest weakness is also its biggest conversation starter: it restores the franchise by playing it safe. That makes it less surprising than it could have been, but for viewers who want a polished, emotionally accessible return to a beloved universe, it still lands as a satisfying blockbuster.
Top Letterboxd reviews
dani✨ (4★) · 4129 likes
i hate people who don't take me seriously when i say i'd die for poe dameron
liam f (4★) · 3620 likes
okay but how did the force fall asleep in the first place
SilentDawn (5★) · 3567 likes
FUCK. I laughed. I cried. I got genuine, bona-fide chills. I cheered. I wanted to leap in the air and hug every human, droid, and alien in the vicinity. STAR WARS isn't just back, but fully expanded and revitalized. It's a genuine spectacle with enough history and operatic energy to fill every STAR WARS fan with undiluted glee and vicious emotion. I now believe in aliens, because JJ Abrams somehow convinced them to revive the essential spirit of the original… more
samantha (5★) · 2576 likes
the force sure did awaken and it was GAY
davidehrlich (3.5★) · 2248 likes
first things first, BB-8 should be in every movie ever made. i understand that certain legal and logistical realities might make that difficult, but that's your problem. i'm sure disney's lawyers are perfectly reasonable people. BB-8 is the best character in the whole fucking galaxy. omg what if he's a death star??? what if somewhere in space there's a GIANT BB-8 ADORABLE DEATH STAR??? save us, colin trevorrow, you're our only hope. honestly, i would have been much more on… more
Themes
legacy and inheritance, chosen one mythology, rebirth and renewal, found family, good versus evil, resistance against empire, nostalgia and homage, identity and destiny