I saw the new Star Wars movie on Sunday and I need to express my thoughts about it, but seeing as last weekend was opening weekend, I’m splitting the review in twain. This one will be spoiler free.

More to the point, this review will focus on how the new Star Wars movie felt.

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect going into the theater. Being a gigantic Star Wars fan, there were certain expectations I had when sitting in the reclining chair at my local theater, but whether those expectations would be met on any level was a question that wouldn’t be answered until the movie started. First, I had to suffer through the stuff that plays before the previews, which is never very good, then the previews. A few of the previews were worth while (Captain America, Star Trek, Zootopia), while the others were just there to plug movies that had no real chance at the box office (not worth mentioning).

I could feel my chest tighten as the lights finally went down and the words I had been waiting forever to see popped up on the screen: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

During the following 140 minutes, it turned out that The Force Awakens was the Star Wars movie I have been waiting to see.

So I loved it, but how was the movie?

Fantastic. From the very beginning, the movie has everything we (fans) expect of a Star Wars film. Stylistically, the film drips of old school Star Wars. Physical props and costumes are used more than CG in the film, but when CG is used (with one specific exception), it is very well done. Alien language is used appropriately and reminds me of the way languages are used in A New Hope. Music is, obviously, top notch since John Williams composed the score for the movie. Other than that, I can’t say too much about the film without spoiling very much.

What I can talk about, however, is how it felt to watch The Force Awakens in theaters. Personally, I’ve never had the opportunity to see a Star Wars film on a big screen. Even when the prequel movies came out, I wasn’t able to see any of them. Honestly, I’m glad that I didn’t, because that made watching this one that much more special. The Force Awakens in the movie that Star Wars fans have been waiting for and from the initial fanfare all the way to the credits, I enjoyed the movie. Throughout, it was able to invoke emotions in me that most other forms of media just can’t. I think that speaks to the care that was taken to craft every single frame of this movie. I could feel the love that everyone poured into making it and the experience was breathtaking.

I can’t wait to see it again…