This article contains spoilers for the newest Star Wars movie. Proceed with caution.

The most popular conversation starter of the year is “Have you seen the new Star Wars movie?” After grossing $740.3 (according to the Guardian) and expecting an even higher number once it opens in China (the second largest movie market) it’s no surprise that everybody and their grandparents have seen it.

What exactly made it appealing to so many people? Firstly, there’s no doubt that the nostalgia of a multi-million dollar franchise would have flocks of fans gathering around the newest release, regardless of whether the movie was good or not. Fortunately, J.J. Abrams did justice to the reboot, from the plot to the characters.

The most unique aspect of the movie was certainly our main heroine and hero – Rey and Finn. The chemistry between all the actors of the film was evident and made it all more enjoyable to watch. With a sound script, most of the conversation sounded as natural as it could get in a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars was certainly a franchise that was lacking in female characters – the original trilogy only had Leia, and the prequels had Padme. In The Force Awakens, there are three major roles one can list right off the top of their head. (General Organa, Rey, and Maz, in case you were wonder.) Rey is profound as a Jedi and bound to make a heavily positive mark on young children that have watched the movie.

(Hey, girls can have lightsabers too!)

Seeing the original trilogy actors return was also a delight – Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford reprised their roles perfectly, it almost made it feel like they never left in the first place. The baton was passed on with surprising care; the old characters didn’t overshadow the new ones, or vice versa.

Not all of the movie was perfect, however. There were points where the plot was overly-formulaic, pandering too much to A New Hope. Death Star being blown up? Check. Father figure dying? Check. Cute droid that carries an important final message? Check.

Paying homage to the original trilogy was a fantastic nod to millions of people across the country, but there’s a line between original and predictable. In J.J. Abrams’ case, he seemed too hesitant to venture into new territory, despite the fact that he is very capable of it, as seen by his Star Trek reboot.

I suppose we could always be grateful he didn’t shove canon in the trashcan. (Which, again, he is very capable of doing.)

Kylo Ren also felt to be lacking as a villain. Rather than coming across as dangerous, I found myself fearing for the ship he was on, as he was prone to destroy things through his fits of rage. (Or, as the internet has jokingly dubbed, temper tantrums.) If J.J. Abrams is following the progression of the original series, we can expect more development of this Sith-wannabe in the next movie.

Despite those things, the film was refreshing; the culmination of a female and black lead, excellent chemistry, and a cute sidekick was a recipe for success. We’re lucky to be around for it.