“There has been an awakening; have you felt it?”

Are you old enough to remember the original Star Wars? I am, barely. It was the first movie I saw in the movie theatre. I adored the original trilogy. I’ve been looking forward to, and hoping for a new Star Wars movie, for my whole teen and adult life

The Force is Strong with this movie. Whether you’re a super fan, or only a kind of fan, you need to see it. You won’t be disappointed. It’s everything you could have hoped for and more with its nostalgic nod yet modern

How to describe Star Wars: The Force Awakens? My friend Marshall said it best today: “Imagine how you would feel seeing someone you loved again after 30+ years when you thought you would never see them again? That is THE FORCE AWAKENS.” He is so right.

Here are 9 reasons why you NEED to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens

1. J.J. Abrams is a freaking genius. Seriously.

I could end with that statement, but that would be a very short post and you’d feel duped that you’d clicked here and waited for a page to load for one very short sentence on something that we basically both already know.

2. Kicking it old school

As in film old school, to bring back the nostalgic feel much like we had with the original trilogy. J.J. Abrams shot the movie on 65 mm Kodak film, giving it that beautiful grainy quality you just don’t get from digital. As the daughter of a photographer, I can’t help but feel an extra twinge of nostalgia for this.

3. BB-8 Droid

Aside from being possibly the most adorable droid you’ve ever seen in your life, BB-8 is highly essential to the movie. Forget CGI, they went back to Neal Scanlan and his incredible puppetry to bring BB-8 to life to make him as integral, embedded, and realistic looking as he is important—and it shows on screen.

4. An incredible story

Gah! The story! I’m still wanting more. Two hours and 28 minutes wasn’t long enough. It could have been 4 hours and I would have sat on the edge of my seat just the same way. Great interaction between characters and some really good one-liners. You’ll get some questions answered, but of course you’ll get lots more questions where those came from. Get ready for Episode VIII. J.J. and Lawrence Kasdan nailed the story. Nailed it.

5. Strong female characters and strong relationships

Just like in the original stories, you’ve got Han and Leia and their feisty little interchanges. They've introduced the new heroine, Rey. Rey is a powerful female lead character who’s breaking boundaries all over the place. She is the strong female character and role model girls need, boys need, we all need. Excellent new characters and their stories. Strong, deep relationships between characters.

6. Memorable quotes

Move over famous Star Wars quotes, there are some great new ones that are about to be just as timeless as “May the Force be With You,” “I’m your Father,” and “I Love You,” “I Know.” So many great quotes in this movie.

“This is not how I thought this day was going to go.”

“I know how to run without you holding my hand.”

“Women always figure out the truth.”

“We’ll just use the Force.” “That’s not how it works.”

“Where did you get that?” “That’s a good question for another time.”

“I can’t explain it, and you wouldn’t believe me”

7. Almost no lens flare

I’m a HUGE J.J. Abrams fan, but the lens flare never really did it for me. I was glad to see that he canned most of his propensity for lens flare when he went back to the natural feel of the original Star Wars trilogy and use of film to make it look more photo-realistic.

8. It will make you forget Episodes I, II, and III

What Episodes I, II, and III? While J.J. Abrams has talked publicly about this movie standing on the shoulders of the previous six installments, super fans have all secretly hoped he really meant the first three.

9. Because Star Wars

Because it's Star Wars. Why else? Do you actually need another reason?

***Possible Spoiler Alert***

Here’s where you close out from reading this post because this could be taken as spoilers, maybe.

If you walk away after seeing this movie with even more than a modicum of dislike for this movie, you’re crazy. Seriously, crazy. Like, we can’t be friends.

There are only two aspects of this movie where I was like, “Well, maybe I have a new love/hate relationship for J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan.”

One was how quickly one character became one with The Force and how quickly that character was able to use The Force. It took Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker three episodes to be able to do what this character does in one episode.

The other: there’s always one big reveal, one scene in a movie that is a pivotal point in the plot where you just go, “Wow.” I’m still reeling and my childhood is forever changed.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS opens in theatres December 18th.

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Jana

Jana Seitzer is a full-time mom to 4 amazing kids, wife, writer, photographer, marketer, designer, and social media maven. She loves to travel all over the world—solo and with her family—and tell stories about her travel adventures, adventures that often involve a glass of wine or whisky.

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