(NEW YORK) — As the most anticipated movie of 2015, and perhaps the most-anticipated movie of the last 10 years, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has a lot to live up to.  But any adult whose imagination was set on fire by the original Star Wars trilogy, and any young adult who grew up with the three prequels, will find the child within them awakened anew by the time this film is over.

The movie is almost like a time machine, as director J.J. Abrams and his team manage to recapture the excitement so many of us felt when seeing the original movie.  As he did in his Star Trek reboot, Abrams has created a new mythology, while carefully, respectfully and cleverly juxtaposing it with the original.  There are plenty of in-jokes, catchphrases and call-backs for the longtime fans to enjoy, as well as an exciting narrative and sympathetic new characters.

Audiences will love The Force Awakens, some for sentimental reasons, and others because it so clearly recognizes, and corrects, the failings of those three controversial prequels.  Many fans will agree that the first five minutes of The Force Awakens are probably better than the entirety of those movies.

Even the most skeptical Star Wars fan will have trouble finding fault with a film that is so rich in characters, performance, humor, story and artistic value. We have beloved original characters, some outstanding new heroes and villains, terrific special effects and action sequences, a hilarious new droid, and a female protagonist, Daisy Ridley’s Rey, who provides us with one particular moment that’s absolutely iconic — not just for Star Wars fans, but for fans of strong and empowered women in general.

Bottom line: this is the Star Wars movie you’ve been looking for.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is being released by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.