The Star Wars sequel trilogy is a weird subject to tackle. It has become a toxic battlefield amongst the fanbase, never failing to spark outrage and debate. Of course, much of that is rooted in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, but JJ Abram’s The Force Awakens is far from being impervious to criticism and the discourse. It often gets maligned for narratively regurgitating familiar plot beats from A New Hope, and is mostly talked about as a middling Star Wars movie. And, personally, I just can’t fathom that when you look past its superficial veneer. In fact, as we celebrate its 10th anniversary, I would argue that it’s the best of the three.
I know I’m going to lose some of you with that previous statement, but if you follow me for a moment, there’s a lot more going on with The Force Awakens beyond simple plot mechanics. It might not be J.J. Abrams’ modus operandi, like it is for Rian Johnson, so I understand why it gets lost in translation. However, The Force Awakens is way more subversive than it gets credit for, particularly with how Abrams taps into lore to question mythos and memory. It’s a film that goes out of its way to completely flip the coin with familiar ideas and tropes, while embracing the fundamental nature of what makes it so appealing. So, yeah, on the surface is a story that harkens back to the original. A purposeful move that allows the film’s subversions to glisten all the more as it upends what we know about our characters and the idea of the Force.
For example, Han Solo is no longer the scoundrel we knew and loved. When we are first re-introduced to Han, gangs are seeking to settle debts with him, highlighting the facade that he is the same ole trouble maker who’s up to no good. But it doesn’t take long for that facade to dissipate. His belief in the Force has altered. “The Jedi were real!?” Rey questions and exclaims simultaneously at one point (much more on this later). To which Han replies, with “I used to wonder about that myself, thought it was much of mumbo jumbo, a magical power holding together good and evil, the dark and the light.” An astonishing moment that ends with him saying “the crazy thing is, it’s true. The Force. The Jedi. All of it. It’s all true.” None of this is Han from the original trilogy. But that makes sense. He’s thirty years older after all. And people change over time (I will forever argue that The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are way more closely linked than people think because that sounds a bit familiar eh? Anyway, I digress). It’s not just his views on the Force, though. It’s, of course, much more personal and emotional. We come to find out later in the film that the real reason Han appears to be a scoundrel when we first meet him is because he’s running from something. Much like his friend Luke. The reality, however, is that Han is less so a scoundrel and more so a grieving father. Ben has fallen to the Dark Side, and after some encouragement from his wife (oh, you know, the great General Leia), he becomes a desperate father trying to save his son throughout the rest of the movie. A nice juxtaposition from the Luke/Vader dynamic, and once again, a very different Han Solo. Not a single person on this planet ever saw that coming. If they claim they did, you’re being lied to. Han might still have the same scowl and rugged exterior, but underneath is a completely subverted character from previous installments.
Speaking of Ben, and earlier I had mentioned Rey, let’s talk about the new characters (at the time, obviously) and how The Force Awakens uses them as a cipher for lore and to question mythos and memory. We see it throughout the trilogy, and it’s well established in this film, that Kylo Ren and Rey are operating in parallel to each other. They’re on a similar trajectory, operating from the same plane, but from opposite sides of the Force. They have been molded by myth and the stories that have been told over the years. Kylo has come to worship Darth Vader (the symbolism behind this is quite scary in 2025) and wants to be a mirror image of him. All the way down to his mask/outfit. Rey isn’t beholden to one person, but she clearly loves the stories. “This is the millennium falcon, and you’re Han Solo” is her reaction to seeing Han for the first time. She knows all about the legends (even if she says 14 parsecs instead of 12). As I noted earlier, she is enamored to learn that the Jedi were real. This context is key to her survival later on in the film when she tries the mind trick. The film doesn’t hold your hand or explain overtly how Rey would know that. She doesn’t. But she’s heard all the stories. She’s heard the legends; the Jedi mind trick being one of those legends that are passed down.
This also explains why Kylo and Rey are raw in the Force. Rey clearly has no idea what she’s doing, but she’s very smart and intuitive. This allows for her to put the pieces together when she realizes that Jedi lore is real. That it isn’t all just fantasy stories you hear as a kid. Kylo has had some training, but as evidenced in the film, he is no Vader. His attire is just a facade. Scene after scene, The Force Awakens intentionally takes the familiar to flip the coin to the other side, demonstrating the deep effects of memory and legend.
This is what makes J.J.’s script so remarkably underrated. It’s easy to dismiss something because of nostalgia, but J.J. uses the familiar to subvert mythos and legend to recontextualize who these new characters are at this place in the timeline and why they make the choices they do. The idea that war heroes and legends only exist in stories, almost in a fantastical kind of way. But what happens when myth and reality merge?
I find that filmmaking ethos as clever and thought-provoking as anything we’ve seen in Star Wars. We’ve all played with lightsabers and pretended to use the Force when walking into grocery stores. But what if we wake up tomorrow, stumble onto the Millenium Falcon and find out that the Jedi do exist and it wasn’t just a series of movies about them? I love what J.J. does here with that thematic nucleus.
Of course, that’s just one piece of the pie. As if that’s not enough, The Force Awakens is the most emotionally affecting of the trilogy for me. Granted, in 2015, I was a brand new father and I’m willing to admit that perhaps adds a bias. But on its own terms, the emotional underbelly of a father desperately trying to save his son is affecting. And the fact that it’s Han Solo makes it even more engrossing to me. Han and Leia’s conversations in this film shatter me every time I hear them. The way Han approaches Ben on the platform. His plea to his son. Kylo’s betrayal. Slays me. And again, I love how it’s the inverse to Return of the Jedi. As much as we all love Luke’s final moment with Anakin and saving his father, a moment that invokes an emotional high, Han’s death at the hands of his own son is just gut-wrenching.
I haven’t talked about them as much here, but Poe Damron and Finn are also great additions to the franchise. There’s been a lot of talk/meme’ing with those two characters, and perhaps that dynamic is a missed opportunity later on in the trilogy, but The Force Awakens establishes those characters wonderfully. They’re really fun together, and there’s no denying the chemistry between Oscar Isaac and John Boyega. One scene that geeks me out, and admittedly this is very much a “me” thing, is the moment of Finn losing his mind as Poe dogfights in the sky above and just obliterating the enemy. The camera circles around as Finn as he looks in wonder, never cutting and we all witness as Poe becomes his own legend. I love it deeply, especially as someone who grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot. But it also works because of how the film navigates those characters and that particular friendship.
Then there’s Finn and Rey. Again, say what you will about how the rest of the trilogy (namely The Rise of Skywalker) treats this relationship, but similarly there’s a great rapport established in The Force Awakens, complementing the film’s emotional underbelly as they cement a bond through mutual survival and shared experiences. In the spirit of the film’s narrative approach, it also avoids conventional romanticizing. The platonic, yet lovable duo, mirror each other’s longing for identity and acceptance, giving their relationship an intimacy despite its subversions. Something that gives credence to Finn’s fierce determination to rescue Rey from Starkiller base and their cathartic farewell in the final scenes. The connection between the two feels earned and deeply human, tapping into the franchises’ overarching theme of hope and togetherness as they now forge a new path against a new empire.
Which is to say, I really don’t care how familiar the superficial plot beats are to A New Hope. It’s a lazy criticism. The evidence of Abrams purposefully utilizing certain tropes to actively undermine them (in all of these various ways) is overwhelming. Whether it be emotionally speaking, thematically, or relationally. Or even blurring the lines between mythos, legend, and reality. There is a lot happening here aside from how the moves from point A to Point B, weaponizing nostalgia to do something incredibly poignant and thematically riveting. Simply, I think Abrams set the foundation perfectly for the new trilogy (something that, at least in my opinion, Rian Johnson *complements* in The Last Jedi).
A lot of words and I have yet to utter the name John Williams. For as iconic as his Star Wars score has become, it’s astounding to me that he would render new themes for The Force Awakens, and they’re as captivating as anything else he’s scored for this franchise. The Rey theme is just absurd. The Kylo cue is brilliant. Like the film itself, it’s an impeccable concoction of the old and the new. He’s the GOAT for a reason.
Disney has (rightfully) taken a fair amount of abuse for what they’ve done with Star Wars. The reaction to The Last Jedi has derailed everything completely. They’ve announced, and then cancelled, no less than a dozen projects (that we know of). LucasFilm has mostly focused on the TV side of things, and that’s been extremely hit or miss. And the sad thing is, it didn’t have to become this. It’s clear that the Kathleen Kennedy/LucasFilm/Disney group did not have a streamlined plan from the beginning. They let Abrams do his thing. They let Johnson do his thing. And I will forever die on the hill that both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are excellent companion pieces. All they had to do was continue the trajectory. The Rise of Skywalker is the only film in that trilogy that missed the mark (and boy did it miss).
At any rate, happy 10 years to The Force Awakens. A film that I love rewatching and get more out of each time I see it.
