Star Wars: The Force Awakens

"Every generation has a story."

2015 2h 16m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 20,991🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes●80Metacritic★7.7IMDB · 1,018,738

AdventureActionScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.

“Every generation has a story.”

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Cast

Daisy Ridley
Rey
John Boyega
Finn
Oscar Isaac
Poe Dameron
Adam Driver
Kylo Ren
Carrie Fisher
Princess Leia
Harrison Ford
Han Solo
Mark Hamill
Luke Skywalker
Lupita Nyong'o
Maz Kanata

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Michael Arndt, Simon Duric, Stephen Forrest-Smith
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Budget of $245M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Part of the "Star Wars Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

369+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J.J. Abrams, shot by Dan Mindel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maryann Brandon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J.J. Abrams directs. Dan Mindel behind the camera. John Williams scores. Maryann Brandon cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Budget of $245M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.
2Made its money back 8.4× over at the box office.
3Released 11 years ago.
4Part of the "Star Wars Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5369+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by J.J. Abrams, shot by Dan Mindel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Maryann Brandon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Daisy Ridley and John Boyega and Oscar Isaac carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Every generation has a story.".
11IMDB entry: tt2488496 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1220,991 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
13Released under 45 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dan Mindel
Original score: John Williams
Editing: Maryann Brandon
Production design: Darren Gilford
Costume design: Michael Kaplan
Makeup / hair: Helga Bosman
VFX supervisor: Nick Hsieh
Sound: Will Files
Stunt coordinator: Rob Inch
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $245,000,000
Box office: $2,068,223,624
Return: 844% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 80/100
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 1,018,738 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 5 Oscars. 64 wins & 140 nominations total

Saturn Award for Best Writing
BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects
MTV Movie Award for Best Movie
Saturn Award for Best Special Effects
Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film
MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie
Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Empire Award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Star Wars Collection

An epic space-opera theatrical film series, which depicts the adventures of various characters "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…."

Also by

J.J. Abrams

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Frank Ochieng2015-12-20
So where were you when the Science Fiction cinema sensation ‘Star Wars’ took shape and captured the imagination of the massive global moviegoers’ escapist expectations back in 1977? Regardless of whether you existed thirty-eight years ago or not, the legend of George Lucas’ highly-heralded SF blockbuster that shattered box office records worldwide was automatically engrained in your cinematic psyche. Now nearly four decades later, the motion picture phenomenon that took place in ‘a galaxy a long time ago…far, far away’ has come to expand its entertaining promise and prominence even after numerous servings of movie sequels, television specials and other fanfare attributes that promoted the ‘Star Wars’ agenda throughout the countless years. The modern-day arrival of yet another ‘Star Wars’ edition in the millennium movie-making age of technical and tactical brilliance is quite fitting and filmmaker J.J. Abrams is the right choice to helm this sacred film franchise and present a whole new litany of continuing adventurous narratives for a new generation of ‘Star Wars’ personalities dipping their tenacious toes into ‘the force of goodness’ battling ‘the dark side’ of authoritative evil. In Abrams’s reboot ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, the anticipation of enhancing and enlightening the reputation and respect of the Lucas landscape of stormtroopers, light sabres and of course the iconic ‘Star Wars’ returnees from the treasured trio of Harrison Ford (Han Solo)/Carrie Fisher (Leia) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) registers with a nostalgic blast of appreciation and exhilaration. ‘The Force Awakens’ is a sheer big screen celebration of majestic impishness and intrigue that will fortify the hunger of both casual and rabid ‘Star Wars’ fanatics. Indeed, the hype is warranted and Abrams, the mastermind of the big-budget movie sequelitis, is in top form as he triumphantly presents ‘The Force Awakens’ on a prized silver platter designed for its surging golden moments of charged ebullience. In looking at the numbers game that is connected to the overall ‘Star Wars’ universe, it is hard to believe that the last prequel was released just a decade ago. Furthermore, it is mind-boggling that the aforementioned ‘Star Wars’ ‘royalty’ in Ford, Fisher and Hamill have shared the same space on film for the first time in over three decades since they last were featured in a ‘Star Wars’ movie together. Nevertheless, no one can deny that ‘The Force Awakens’ does not take the challenge in combining the remembrance of the ‘Star Wars’ installments of yesteryear with the fresh brand of current upstarts willing to engage in another boisterous saga that begins a whole chapter of compelling wonderment. The mix of veterans and novices in ‘The Force Awakens’ is quite interesting but the familiarity of the storytelling heft of good vs. evil is always a solid sell in the realm of the ‘Star Wars’ utopia. The good news is that ‘The Force Awakens’ not only serves as a bridge that crosses both boundaries past and present in ‘Star Wars’ folklore but it taps into the masterful mystique that Lucas and company worked so diligently to showcase so historically some thirty-eight years ago. Still, some may have lobbied for a stronger storyline in ‘The Force Awakens’ as they may gently dismiss it as being merely thin in its premise while viewing it primarily as a launching pad to develop yet another series of movies to create the ‘Star Wars’ juggernaut for this current-day climax of warped speed wizardry. For those that want a basic outline of ‘The Force Awakens’ pulse it is as such where the beloved yet aging tandem of standouts Han Solo and Chewbacca (yes, good old hulking and walking hairball Chewie is back) is helping out heroic new bloods’ Rey and Finn (played by Daisy Ridley and John Boyega)’ in an effort to groom them for combating the emergence of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a villainous representative from the Dark Side of the Force. Basically, ‘The Force Awakens’ is a grand and stirring homage to the prolific Science Fiction/space fantasy that dared to soar its ambitious wings while taking the old-fashioned concept of the good guys sparring with the bad guys and spinning a whimsical web of dark imperialism while searching for the intrinsic value of brotherhood. One cannot imagine the vitality of ‘Star Wars’ without the inclusion of notable and favorite characterizations that were instrumental in inviting a ravenous response to this filming phenom that has existed in your pop cultural lives for too many years to recount. In addition to joining top dogs in Ford’s Han Solo, Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, Fisher’s General Leia Organa (the former Princess Leia to all you old school ‘Star Wars’ enthusiasts out there) and Peter Mayhew’s Chewbacca, there is the welcomed presence of C3-PO (Anthony Daniels) as well. As for C3-PO’s newest sidekick BB-8, a mechanical rolling ball robot, he is the R2-D2 replacement that should easily win the heart of the kiddies looking for a cute contraption of a companion to treasure on the spot. It should be pointed out that ‘The Force Awakens’ is set 30 years from the last installment and thankfully this update has not lost a magical step since that time. Anyhow, the First Order’s solar system mechanism needs to be destroyed and must be eradicated by the young talents in spunky and pretty Rey (think the athletic female version of Luke Skywalker) as she teams up with former stormtrooper Finn, a warrior with an uncharacteristic compassion for not killing any designated weak soul as instructed. Naturally, this duo (while under the tutelage of the mature and ragged-looking Han Solo) has their hands full as they clash with the nefarious General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson from ‘Brooklyn’) and his Special Forces protégé Kylo Ren that strikes an immediate comparison to ‘Star Wars’ most notorious bad boy in the deliciously ruthless Darth Vader. Daisy Ridley's Rey and John Boyega's Finn are having a blast as the touted twosome out to save the day in J.J. Abram's celebrated STAR WARS reboot THE FORCE AWAKENS Daisy Ridley’s Rey and John Boyega’s Finn are having a blast as the touted twosome out to save the day in J.J. Abram’s celebrated STAR WARS reboot THE FORCE AWAKENS Thankfully, the majority of the audience may recall similar elements in ‘The Force Awakens’ that was touched upon in ‘Star Wars’ editions such as ‘A New Hope’ and ‘Return Of The Jedi’ where the same structure and theme of the plot points are somewhat revisited. As charming and stimulating as ‘The Force Awakens’ appears in its glorious presentation of being a beautifully shot and visually vibrant popcorn piece, the real find in Abrams’ spectacular space-aged spectacle is Ridley’s heroine Rey, whose emotional and physical commitment to this futuristic fable feels grounded in genuine suspense and praise. Ridley has legitimate game and carries this hot and heavy galactic actioner on her sturdy shoulders with the overwhelming pressure of headlining a cinema giant looking the re-enter the consciousness of rabid ‘Star Wars’ aficionados everywhere. Clearly, we are invested in Ridley’s Rey whose feistiness never undercuts her feminine convictions or courageousness. She runs circles around her male co-stars in fellow ‘Star Wars’ newbies Boyega/Finn and Driver/Kylo Ren and her sense of empowerment is what drives the authentic Force behind Abrams’ inherited ‘Star Wars’ workload. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ gleefully ignites the flashy flames of giddiness that we all associate with George Lucas’ indomitable big screen creation. The signature flourishes from composure John Williams’ commanding musical score to the stunning and innovative technical tweaking to the mixture of the old and new guard in front of the camera all make for an eventful and exciting return to the universal staging for a movie-making moment that will stand the test of time, the immense pop cultural movement at the movies known as ‘Star Wars’. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Lucasfilms 2 hrs. 15 mins. Starring: Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Peter Mayhew, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Gwendoline Christie, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels and Max von Sydow Directed and Co-Written by: J.J. Abrams MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre: Science Fiction/Action and Adventure/Space Fantasy Critic’s rating: * stars (out of 4 stars) (c) Frank Ochieng 2015
bodokh2016-01-17
A very entertaining film filled with immensely fun nostalgic moments and lots of laughs, but this is movie is not perfect, no it is not. Spoiler alert!! This movie is an exact copy of the 4th one and this frustrates me more than it should. Although new characters and mysteries were introduced, the plot was too similar to the 4th film, but hey, at least they blew up the republic so no more boring bureaucracy! One more thing that bothered me a lot is Kylo ren, not the character, the actor. I mean they couldn't pick an uglier wimp? I mean no offense Adam Driver, but bad guys need to look badass, and once you took of your helmet, you lost all hope of becoming a badass. Summary: Definitely a movie worth watching despite minor setbacks.
John Chard2016-04-25
★ 9/10
Slumber Earthquake. There really is no point trying to do an in depth review of this, it falls in line with a number of series blockbusters that are guaranteed to garner rabid responses, pro and con. The Force Awakens is a film of many flaws, it has a pungent whiff of safeness about it, the charges of it being a glitzy remake are fair enough, while certain plot strands are frustrating and set to be big talking points for years - and years - to come. Yet what about its worth to someone who is not obsessed with every finer detail? Someone who just loves the Star Wars universe as a spectacle prism of entertainment, and has just wanted a Star Wars film worthy of being fit to sit alongside that original trilogy? This made me feel 11 again, took me back to a time in 1977 when I queued for three hours to see such wonders on the big screen. The Force Awakens is, in spite of the recognised flaws, a loving homage to a past love. It's sly with humour and nods to foundations, a blitzkrieg of effects and sound work (my Blu-ray viewing had my sub-woofer doing a jitterbug in the lounge), and it doesn't shy from surprise or the dangling of the carrot. The makers have big heart and technical invention, the cast vibrant, spunky and strongly committed to the cause - the old hands a very reassuring presence - Yeah, so it's not sci-fi perfection, or any Star Wars geeks' idea of the perfect Star Wars movie (oh J.J. Abrams you devil you!), but it made this middle aged guy shed a tear of happiness. A moment to reaffirm why - as a young lad - I fell in love with film in the first place. 9/10