By Timothy Cho
Editor-in-Chief

Eleven years since the last Star Wars movie was released, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” shattered global box office records and left behind an enormous legacy for the Star Wars universe. But why did it do so well? How did it overtake box office records so quickly? What made Star Wars: The Force Awakens such a success?

In 2005, the final movie of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith was released, and met decent reviews, typically receiving a three out of five star rating from most reviews. The prequel trilogy still has a bitter aftertaste for many fans; whether it’s Jar Jar Binks’ very existence or the lack of a riveting story plot, the prequel trilogy, when compared to the original trilogy, left many fans disappointed.

With a new generation of protagonists and antagonists to progress the Star Wars story plot, combined with the massive advertising and promotional campaign on the Internet, “The Force Awakens” developed an instant liking and sparked excitement from fans of all ages.

The reappearance of Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher as the original trilogy’s trio, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, respectively, brought older fans back to Star Wars, while the new characters, Finn, Kylo Ren and Rey, played by John Boyega, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley, respectively, drew the younger, newer fans into Star Wars. A clash of old and new, The Force Awakens seemingly had the best of both worlds.

In the end, all of these factors contributed greatly to the success of The Force Awakens. Neshaminy senior Emre Fisher believes the movie’s success was due to, “A combination of publicity, marketing and nostalgia.”

Whether it was the cinematography, plot, character development or John William’s score, they all bring viewers back to the heart-warming universe of Star Wars. Justin Chang from Variety, an online news outlet, summed up The Force Awakens’ success as, “that desire to transport the viewer — to return us to a wondrous, childlike state of movie-going innocence.” It was the promise of returning to the beloved Star Wars era that tied it all together; “The Force Awakens” promised fans a reminder of the franchise’s glory, while hinted at newer, potentially darker story plots, tropes, motifs, twists and turns.

The future of the Star Wars franchise shines brightly; with The Force Awakens as the first movie in a new trilogy, predictions about the overall success of this trilogy cannot be made yet. There are too many variables at play, ranging from the immense media attention on the first of three movies in the new trilogy and the anticipation over figuring out what happened to the beloved characters 30 years after the Battle of Endor to crafting new theories over the next two movies’ plots. However, if there’s one thing fans can count on, it’s that there will be more epic star ship battles, more heart-pounding light saber duels, more nostalgic music, more plot twists and more of, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

The Force Awakens gave viewers a taste of what’s to come, and unleashed a fervor of anticipation and optimism. Despite the prequel trilogy that many fans were disappointed in, Resitance General Organa said it best—“Hope is not lost today. It is found.”