10 Years Later, The Force Awakens Remains The Peak Of Disney’s Star Wars

by

Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the return of Star Wars to cinemas! On December 18, 2015, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens premiered, kicking off a new chapter in the Skywalker Saga. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the film reunited Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and Mark Hamill with a new generation of stars.

Disney purchased Lucasfilm for over $4 billion in 2012, and The Force Awakens marked the beginning of a new Star Wars era. It’s amazing to think it’s been 10 years since the film’s release. Looking back, I consider The Force Awakens to be a high point for the franchise under Disney’s ownership, and a time I’ll always cherish.

The Force Awakens Era Was A Great Time To Love Star Wars

There was huge pressure on The Force Awakens. Disney had a lot riding on it – they couldn’t afford to mess up such a popular and iconic film series. However, the possibility of disappointment didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for Star Wars finally returning to the big screen.

I still get a warm feeling remembering how excited everyone was before The Force Awakens came out! It wasn’t just online, but with all my friends and family too. We were completely obsessed with every trailer, pausing and rewatching each frame, trying to figure out what was going to happen. And honestly, what the trailers didn’t show – especially anything about Luke Skywalker – just made the anticipation even more intense. It felt like everyone was trying to solve a puzzle!

As a huge movie fan, I definitely remember when it was totally normal to camp out for hours at the theater to get good seats for the premiere. I can still feel the excitement in the air when the previews started for The Force Awakens. When that classic John Williams theme music hit and the opening crawl began, the whole theater just erupted – people were cheering, laughing, and even crying as the movie finally started. It was an amazing experience.

Abrams’ film successfully blended nostalgia with fresh excitement. While clearly inspired by the original A New Hope, it introduced a compelling new cast of characters – including heroes, a charming droid, and a formidable villain – alongside a new central conflict to replace the Galactic Empire.

Over time, people often criticize The Force Awakens for being too similar to both familiar Star Wars tropes and the original A New Hope – even George Lucas himself pointed this out. But I believe those similarities are actually a strength, making the film feel like a welcome return to the series’ roots. Ultimately, The Force Awakens aimed to revive the franchise and deliver a crowd-pleasing movie, and it succeeded brilliantly.

The intriguing elements introduced in the mystery boxes also seemed to have a clear intention at the time. J.J. Abrams laid groundwork for many potential storylines, and while resolving some of those mysteries (like who Rey’s parents were) wasn’t handled perfectly, that wasn’t entirely the fault of The Force Awakens.

When The Force Awakens came out, both critics and fans loved it. Even after ten years, it’s still a fantastic movie – I recently watched it for the twelfth time and was reminded why!

Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren are all incredibly compelling characters that audiences quickly connect with. Each actor brought something unique to their role, making these new figures feel distinct even while acknowledging the classic Star Wars characters that inspired them. You immediately want to see more of them.

The film is full of exciting scenes. Highlights include Rey and Finn’s flight through Jakku in the Millennium Falcon, Poe’s skillful piloting of his X-wing, and the climactic battle between Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren.

Seeing Han Solo and Leia Organa together again is a real highlight. Their relationship and worries about their son, Ben, are central to The Force Awakens, and that’s a big reason why Han’s death has such an impact. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher brilliantly reprise their iconic roles. It’s just a shame they didn’t have at least one scene with Mark Hamill as well.

The success of The Force Awakens far exceeded Disney’s expectations. The film was a huge hit with audiences, earning over $2 billion worldwide. People loved sharing the experience of Star Wars returning to the big screen, and many, like myself, saw it multiple times – I went four times, including three times during the opening weekend.

For many fans, including myself, seeing The Force Awakens in theaters was an incredible experience. The film’s ending, with the mystery surrounding Luke Skywalker, sparked endless speculation about what Episode VIII would bring. It genuinely felt like Star Wars had a bright future again. Now, ten years later, I’d love to recapture that same hopeful feeling.

Star Wars Became Way More Divisive In The Years After The Force Awakens

Following the big success of The Force Awakens, Disney and Lucasfilm quickly planned a full trilogy of films and two separate, standalone movies – all within five years. They also grew the Star Wars universe with live-action shows on Disney+, such as The Mandalorian and Andor, making sure fans always had new content to enjoy.

The path hasn’t been easy. While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story showed promise for standalone films, those plans were scrapped following problems during the making of Solo. The sequel trilogy also faced challenges, becoming quite controversial after Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker then either resolved those issues or undid interesting plot points, depending on your perspective.

Disney struck gold again when The Mandalorian premiered in 2019, earning widespread praise throughout its first season. However, as they created more shows set in the same universe, the quality began to slip. The Boba Fett spin-off didn’t live up to expectations, and while shows focusing on Ahsoka Tano and Obi-Wan Kenobi had varying degrees of success, The Acolyte was quickly canceled and Skeleton Crew largely went unnoticed.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Star Wars fans are deeply divided about the direction of the franchise. This disagreement is happening alongside a rise in negativity and even hateful behavior online, including racist attacks against some of the actors – a sadly common problem affecting many popular franchises today, not just Star Wars.

It’s hard to feel genuinely enthusiastic about the future of Star Wars, even with Disney planning new movies after a seven-year gap in 2026. The excitement surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens ten years ago feels like a long time ago, and things just aren’t as hopeful now.

Read More

2025-12-18 16:05