Growing up with an older brother, I ended up watching a lot of Star Wars. I still remember going with my family to see Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith and thinking that it was the coolest movie I’d ever seen. Fake duels with plastic lightsabers and Star Wars action figures became a regular occurrence at my house, and I will never forget the awe that my six-year-old self felt after my brother constructed a two-feet-tall Lego Yoda. Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that there would be a new Star Wars film, directed by the legendary J.J. Abrams.

My family and I ended up seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens together the morning after Christmas, and I absolutely loved it. Abrams did a great job of creating new and exciting characters, while still featuring some old favorites. I was especially thrilled to see that my personal favorite character, Han Solo, made an appearance in this film. Overall, the cast was phenomenal. I had never seen Daisy Ridley or John Boyega act before, and I was positively surprised. They both gave dynamic performances that were worthy of the Star Wars series, which is not easy to do… especially considering that they had to share the screen with Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, two of the original Star Wars greats. Even Mark Hamill put in an appearance in The Force Awakens, although it was probably his smallest role in years.

In addition to a great lineup of actors, The Force Awakens was unbelievably successful in its special effects. I was speechless when I saw the spacecraft from The Empire Strikes Back being flown in high definition, and the new droid, BB-8, was much more high-tech than I had expected. The computer animation was incredibly advanced, even compared to the episode shot just ten years ago. The Force Awakens was easily the most technologically advanced Star Wars film yet.

In all, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was one of my favorite episodes yet. It received a good deal of criticism for bearing too much similarity to Episode I, but this fact didn’t bother me too much. I thought that Episode VII brought a bright new energy to the series, and I definitely can’t wait to see what happens in Episode VIII. May the force be with Rian Johnson!