‘The Force Awakens’ Turns 10: An Honest Look Back at the Beginning of the ‘Star Wars’ Sequel Trilogy
“The Force Awakens” is ten years old now. The movie launched the divisive “Star Wars” sequel trilogy and brought the franchise into a new era, for better or for worse. Many “Star Wars” fans will say it was for the worse; however, they were singing a different tune back in 2015. When “The Force Awakens” first came out, the fanbase was celebrating the glorious return of “Star Wars.” So, how well has the film stood the test of a decade?
“The Force Awakens” and Nostalgia
“The Force Awakens” grossed over 2 billion dollars worldwide. In Christmas of 2025, merchandise for the movie was everywhere, along with merchandise for the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Prequel merchandise, however, was rarer. Disney seemed to be focusing on older fans who grew up with the original movies and almost seemed afraid of the prequel haters. This would extend to the movie itself, which seems designed as a nostalgia tool first, and a movie second.
Indeed, one of the movie’s biggest flaws is how heavily it nostalgia-baits the audience. The story largely follows the framework of “A New Hope,” just with different names and characters. Yes, seeing X-Wings and TIE-Fighters might stimulate the warm fuzzies, but when the galaxy is still fighting the exact same battle that it fought thirty years ago, you start to realize how Disney seems afraid of being too original.
Still, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill reprise their respective roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker (although the only thing Hamill got to do in this movie was stand on a hill at the end). Ford and Fisher still capture the spirit of their beloved characters, just three decades later. Given that Fisher would pass away a year later, it’s especially poignant to see Leia’s heartbreak when Han is killed.
So, About Those New Characters . . .
Rey is a likeable protagonist, although in this movie, she does have some Mary Sue moments, such as being able to perform a Jedi mind trick with no training. Thankfully, later movies would tone down her Mary Sue traits. Finn is also likeable, though his story of being a stormtrooper who had a change of heart never quite realizes its full potential. Poe Dameron is a humorous, Han Solo-type charmer, but he doesn’t get much screen time in this movie.
The most compelling new character is definitely Kylo Ren. Adam Driver gives a spectacular performance that puts the character’s internal struggle on full display. He feels like he is barely keeping himself under control as he is being pulled towards both the light side and the dark side. Many people with mental illnesses, myself included, have seen themselves in him.
On the other hand, the main villain, Supreme Leader Snoke, is simply a knockoff of Emperor Palpatine. He leads the First Order and corrupted Kylo Ren, and aside from Andy Serkis’s excellent motion capture acting, there is nothing really separating him from Palpatine. The fact that Snoke was killed off in “The Last Jedi” only to be replaced by the actual resurrected Palpatine in “The Rise of Skywalker” could show that even the filmmakers knew that they had created a largely empty character.
So, How is “The Force Awakens” Ten Years Later?
When “The Force Awakens” first came out, fans were gushing about how Disney had saved “Star Wars” after the prequels ruined it. However, as time went by, the fanservice high from “The Force Awakens” wore off, and the fanbase started to appreciate the prequels more. The movie’s flaws stand out a decade later, especially after the completed sequel trilogy ended up with such uneven storytelling.
Does the sequel trilogy deserve all the hate it gets? No, since all three sequels do have their merits. However, every time I watch them, I can’t help but think of what might have been if Disney hadn’t been afraid. Perhaps if “The Force Awakens” had focused more on telling a great story instead of pacifying angry fans, it would have had more staying power.
