By Nicole Macchio – Entertainment Editor

“Star Wars” is the fifth highest grossing film series in the world and has a huge fanbase. The first “Star Wars” movie, “Episode IV: A New Hope,” was released in 1977. The films in order are IV, V, VI, I, II, II, and now VII.

In the latest installment, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” fans will follow new characters alongside old ones in a fight against The First Order. The movie has already broken box office records, making $40 million alone on its opening night and $610 million worldwide in less than a week. It is expected to gross $2 billion worldwide, joining “Avatar” and “Titanic” as the only other movies ever to accomplish such a feat.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” takes place 30 years after viewers saw Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo defeat Darth Vader. The movie opens up with a scene of the Rebel camp where crucial information regarding the location of Luke Skywalker has been found. Here a new villain is introduced, and he appears to have a lot of connections to Darth Vader: the black suit with the cape, a similarly styled helmet, and a voice altering device. With this threat imminent the Rebel group leader hides the information in a droid, BB8.

The droid stumbles upon a scavenger named Rey and immediately takes a liking to her. Rey reluctantly takes BB8 with her, and because of this, she ends up meeting Finn. Finn is running from the First Order, and when he runs into Rey with the droid, he can’t make himself walk away. Together, they embark on a journey with the First Order high on their tails.

The special effects in the movie allow the audience to feel as if they are actually flying across the galaxy. From one planet to the next, from alien to alien, the quality is extremely life-like, making the full immersion into the movie that much easier.

New director JJ Abrams brought forth his own style to the movie. George Lucas, the director of Episodes I-VI, was more focused on big surprises and darkness, as shown by his superb storytelling and what is regarded as the greatest cinematic reveal in history. Abrams has a lighter side, incorporating more humor, one liners, and sarcastic androids.

On the screen, viewers see Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess (or General as she is now known) Leia, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. The newcomers include Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, John Boyega, who plays Finn, and Adam Driver, who plays Ren.

The blend of new and old worked well for the movie, creating just the right amount of nostalgia mixed with excitement for what was to come. Old movies favorites like C3PO, R2D2, and the Millennium Falcon return to the screen alongside new favorites such as BB8.

The plot, while fast-moving, was easy to follow. The movie was packed with action sequences and almost constant battles, but still the characters were able to develop at the same time. The fighting, which escalated as the movie went on, was intense and well-done.

An evil villain dueling with himself, a normal girl with exceptional capabilities, a man on the run – all in the middle of a war. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is an epic space-adventure, filled with action and humor that results in a quality film for old and new fans alike.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars