During winter break I was able to see  “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and it got me thinking about not only what is good or bad about the film, but what is in store for the next films.

I’m going to say this now: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY.

Now that has been said let’s talk about the film.

“The Force Awakens” felt a lot like the original trilogy, which made it more entertaining to me. The film was smoother than the prequels. It didn’t need explaining in order to make it entertaining, and it didn’t feel like a two-hour experience, which is a plus. But the content is what truly made this film great.

I’m very happy that “The Force Awakens” has introduced new characters that play well off the originals. Poe is cool too, but he’s just an additional Han Solo. Finn and Ray are the ones who really take the cake.

The idea that we have Finn defect from the First Order and fight for the Resistance is super cool. He decided that he no longer wants to be part of the problem and joins the solution. But what I truly loved, was that we now have a strong female lead in the story.

Yes Princess/General Leia is a strong and smart female character that who has been in the series, but she never really felt like a lead character. Don’t get me wrong, I think Leia is great and she did a lot for the Rebels in the original films, but Ray has taken it up a notch. To me she is the first true female lead in the “Star Wars” theatrical film universe.

Ray is a bad ass. Plain and simple. She lived alone on Jakku her whole life so she knows how to fend for herself. But what really makes her a great character is how emotional she is. She can go from happy to “I’ll kill you if you hurt my friends” in a matter of seconds. But it’s a smooth and realistic transition. I’m really excited that she is the new Jedi in the franchise.

Though she doesn’t discover her powers until the middle of the film and hasn’t been trained yet, she can already use the force well and she can handle a lightsaber. I’m hoping that they give her a cool background about who her family really is. My guess is she’s related to Obi-Wan Kenobi, but if I talk about one Force-user I need to talk about our new Sith, Kylo Ren.

First off, I hate that people are calling him a little bitch. Kylo may be emotional throughout the film, but this shows he is still at conflict with the dark and light in him, which is great for character development in the future movies. Also he is the strongest force user we have seen on the big screen.

He stopped a blaster bolt mid-air and had conversation while holding it. Not even Yoda could do that. Kylo also has shown he has developed strong mind extraction and torture skills, which are super cool ideas for a Sith to have.

But the big thing that people need to get over, and here comes the spoiler, is Kylo Ren killing his father, Han Solo. That’s right people, Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo kills his father because he believes that if he can do that he will no longer be conflicted by the two sides of the Force. He has decided to be like his grandfather Darth Vader, and finish what Vader started. Though I almost cried seeing that unfold on-screen, I still like Kylo and the movie.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was everything that I wanted it to be. It was the perfect transition from the old to the new. I am extremely excited to see what is in store for the next films. Fingers crossed that Kylo becomes Ben again and becomes a Jedi, but I’ll just have to wait till Dec. 15, 2017 for the next film.