Oscar Isaac does great and fun work as Poe, giving earnestness and snark that’ll have people wondering if Abrams stole a time machine and kidnapped a young Harrison Ford; it’s easy to say that years later, this’ll be listed as his greatest role. Daisy Ridley is a strong and magnificent character, and John Boyega does great work as Finn, with a satisfying progression all his own. Even though I was slightly disappointed with how things seem to have ended for him, his journey is compelling.

The real winner here, as far as the new blood goes, is Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Built up for months largely as a guy who wants to follow in Darth Vader’s footsteps, he turns out to be gratifyingly interesting, and his performance is like Anakin Skywalker in the prequels done the right way.

Unlike the prequels, where basically everything was a foregone conclusion and the characters’ fates were more or less locked in, taking away from the suspense, the fates of these characters are up in the air. This is what makes this new series of Star Wars films fun, but it also means that it’s hard to tell if withheld information is an actual flaw or if more exploration is being held off for the other movies coming down the line. Those who get what’s going on fairly early on may grow frustrated waiting for the narrative payoff. Though additional arcs will be fleshed out in Episode 8, it can get agonizing for some folks that the film just won’t get to the good stuff.

The Force Awakens is a goddamn triumph of a film, one that has the aims to deliver a good Star Wars movie and has decided to go for great. Even though it’s essentially a legitimized fan film and Abrams is working off the cliff notes of the original trilogy, this is a fantastic ride that sets a bar for what to expect from the Disney films going forward. With a great cast, perfect music, and some amazing action, this is definitely one of the greatest films of the year and easily one of the best in the sci-fi genre. How it stacks up to other films in the series may have to wait, given that its primary goal is to set up the pieces for future films. But if you were worried that hype was going to betray you and you’d end up with another awful film, don’t worry about all the anticipation. Just let it in.

Score: 5/5