On December 18, 2015, Walt Disney Pictures released the highly anticipated seventh episode of the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams. The film made over one billion dollars in a record-breaking 12 days, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time internationally and is on track to be the highest grossing film of all time in North America.

The film is set 30 years after the end of the 1982 episode Return of the Jedi, and chronicles the epic search for the last Jedi, Luke Skywalker, after he disappeared for unknown reasons. A new droid, BB-8, holds a key piece of the map to find Skywalker that both the First Order (the next generation of the Galactic Empire) and the Resistance (the successors to the Rebellion) want to get their hands on.

Along with BB-8, this first installment of the new trilogy of Star Wars sequels is loaded with new characters. Perhaps the most intriguing is Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, a scavenger who lives on the planet Jakku and appears to be strong with the force. The film doesn’t let on much about Rey’s family, just that they told her long ago that they would one day return to Jakku.

Meanwhile, Stormtrooper FN-2187 (John Boyega) struggles with his life as a First Order stormtrooper. When the leader of the Order Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) captures resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), FN-2187 feels it the right thing to do to aid in his escape. The two fly out on one of the empire’s ships, only to suffer a crash landing on Jakku. FN-2187, now called “Finn,” courtesy of Poe, crosses paths with Rey and BB-8, and the three travel around the galaxy as fugitives, eventually joined by returning favorites Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), hoping to restore the key piece of the map to the Resistance.

Also returning from episodes IV, V, and VI are  beloved characters Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). The return of the old characters gives the film a strong sense of nostalgia.

Senior Levi DeMatteo was one of the first people to see the film at its midnight premiere, and was just as pleased with it as the rest of the world. “It was a really awesome installment in the series,” he remarked. “It established great characters, the effects weren’t too over the top like they were in the prequels, and it definitely borrowed its fair share of plot from A New Hope, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. Not to mention that the memes this movie has spawned are absolute fire.”

As clearly shown by the box-office figures, tickets for The Force Awakens were in high demand. Fans of all ages support this new classic and the reception of it has been mind-blowing. It has overshadowed most other movies of its time, and will continue to draw in large crowds from all around the world.