“Star Wars” fans have been counting down the days all year for the groundbreaking release of the first movie in the third installment of the “Star Wars” trilogy, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

I thought the film was phenomenal and any reservations I had about the new trilogy not reaching the “Star Wars standards” were shattered after seeing it. Trust me, there’s a reason that it is currently the third highest-grossing film worldwide of all time, after only “Avatar” and “Titanic.”

The movie opened with a characteristic spacecraft, as all the movies in the franchise do, which was the first promising sign. As the film launched into the storyline, I was happy to see that the director had not tried to change the “galaxy,” and his new planets and people had the distinguishing “Star Wars” quality. The “Star Wars” movies are not known for being comedies, yet J.J. Abrams, director, was able to build some humor in while ensuring he didn’t overdo it.

Because the storyline is set around 30 years after “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi,” many notable characters reappeared, played by their original actors. This includes Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn are the two new stars of the show, portraying very likeable characters.

Although I, like many viewers, noticed some similarities between “The Force Awakens” and the original film, “Star Wars: A New Hope,” I do not agree with the allegations that a lot of the features seemed to have been copied. Abrams has responded to these claims by saying that, “It was obviously a wildly intentional thing that we go backwards, in some ways, to go forwards in the important ways.”

This first movie was only a tantalizing taste of the plot to come, and I guarantee you will leave the theater debating your theories to answer the question: who is Rey?