(Spoiler Alert!!!!)
On December 18, 2015, the world was finally no longer waiting for what was quite possibly the most anticipated film in history- Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It truly did not disappoint fans as proved by the fact that it is the fastest film to gross $1 billion in the box office!
The movie takes place approximately 30 years after the end of episode 6, in a universe where the evil First Order has risen from the fallen Galactic Empire, and wants to eliminate the Republic. The last of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker, has disappeared, and his twin sister, Geneal Leia Organa, is leading the Resistance against the First Order while searching for her lost brother. One of the leaders of the First Order, the evil Kylo Ren, is searching for a droid named BB-8, who has a map that could lead to Luke. While in hiding on the planet Jakku, BB-8 meets Rey, an orphan scavenger who has been waiting for her family to come back to her since early childhood. He also meets Finn, an ex-strom trooper who is also on the run from the leaders of the First Order, especially the leader of the stormtroopers Captain Fasthma. The three flee Jakuu in a rundown ship they find which just so happens to be the Mallenium Falcon, and are captured by a much larger ship piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca. After a brief confrontation with two separate gangs that are hunting down Han, the five escape in the Falcon. It is revealed that Kylo Ren is Han and Leia’s son. Han explains that Luke went into hiding after one of his apprentices, Kylo Ren, went evil and killed the rest of the Jedis in training under Luke. He and Chewbacca travel with BB-8, Finn, and Rey to the planet Takodana, where Rey experiences frightening visions and flees after discovering the lightsaber that belonged to Luke Skywalker. Starkiller base, a planet converted into a superweapon by the First Order, attacks Takodana. Han, Chewy, Finn, and BB-8 are saved by the Resistance, led by Leia, but Rey is captured by Kylo Ren. The Resistance plans to attack Starkiller base, and Leia tells Han to infiltrate the base and bring their son back. Han, Chewy and Finn infiltrate the base and find Rey, but Han is killed by Ren. Starkiller Base is destroyed by the Resistance, but Ren escapes after getting into a lightsaber battle with Rey. When everyone is reunited, Rey uses BB-8’s map to find Luke. The final scene in the movie is her meeting him on a distant planet.

There are many fan theories about the backstory of Rey, and fans of the series have varied opinions of the movie as a whole. We decided to do an interview with a couple of Star Wars fans here at OLSH, religion teacher, Daniel Montgomery and Junior, Andrew McDevitt, to get their opinions.
Question #1: On a scale from 1-10, how good was the film?
Mr. Monty: 7.3
Andrew: 7
Question #2: What were some positive elements of the film?
Mr. Monty: There was no Jar Jar Binks. Jakku was a really cool planet. The action was interesting, and the character development and dialogue was improved from the prequel series. Because JJ Abrams directed it, the cinematography was great.
Andrew: Kylo Ren was perfect; I don’t care what anybody says. The movie brought back the human elements from the original trilogy but didn’t overdo it. Everything came together to make a good film.
Questions #3: What were some negative elements of the film?
Mr. Monty: The music was a letdown because it was very generic. Even in the prequel series, the music was epic. The last 45 minutes had a bad storyline and bad acting. From the moment Leia arrived on it was pretty artificial. The final lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren was unrealistic because Rey was somehow able to fend him off with no training.The entire storyline was unoriginal and copied from Episode 4. There was a desert planet, an orphan who wanted to leave and was thrown into an adventure where they meet Han, go to a Catina, and destroy a huge weapon.
Andrew: The plot was reused and at points both the plot and the characters seemed incomplete.
Question #3: What did you think of the new characters?
Mr. Monty: I liked Rey: she was feisty, motivated, and clever. She was a bit of a coward at times, like when she ran away from the light saber, but she showed bravery in many places. She was a naive, nuanced, and three dimensional character. I didn’t like Finn; he was two dimensional and his first instinct was always to run away. This could be because he was an ex storm trooper, but still. BB-8 was hilarious, and was my favorite character by far. Kylo Ren seemed too angsty for his age; he’s supposed to be in his late 20s.
Andrew: I loved all the new characters.
Question #4: What did you think of the old characters?
Mr. Monty: Chewy was funny. Han was OK. He isn’t someone to be caught unawares, and the fact that he got caught by two different groups in the first scene he’s in was strange. I did not like Leia; her dialogue was very dry and she seemed very unaffected even though she had lost her family, as well as five planets in the galactic government. In the original trilogy, Leia was sassy, witty, clever, and independent, none of which showed up in episode 7. I did not like Luke’s appearance at the end; I think the movie should have ended with Rey going into hyperspace to find him.
Andrew: Mark Hamill had 2nd place in the credits and he didn’t speak at all. However, Luke’s return was perfect. Leia was handled horribly. Chewbacca was awesome. Han, RIP buddy, we all saw it comin.
Finally, Question #5: Who do you think Rey is?
Mr. Monty: Rey is the last surviving apprentice of Luke’s failed Jedi academy. She was on her way at the age of 6 or 7 when it got destroyed, so she was sent to Jakku so she would be safe from Kylo Ren and is about 10 years younger than him. Jedi padawons are taken away from their parents however, so she was not delivered by them.
Andrew: Rey is definitely the daughter of Luke Skywalker and her mom is Captain Fasthma because the actress they cast for her is huge and she had a very small role in this movie. Clearly she has a bigger role to play. Realistically there are no other female characters Luke could have had a kid with. Also, Jar Jar Binks is the real Sith Lord.

So, what do you think? Is Rey Luke’s child? Is she someone else? Is Jar Jar Binks really the Sith Lord? Vote on your opinion in the poll below, and may the force be with you!