Coming out of Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the first time I felt deeply conflicted. I enjoyed what I had seen, but I had a number of problems with the movie as well. Thinking back and comparing Force Awakens to previous Star Wars movies only made it worse.

I was sitting there watching with an invisible check list waiting to see what the movie did right, and anticipating things it would do wrong. By the end I’d checked a few good boxes and a lot of bad boxes, but with a different intensity than usual that was effecting how I felt about the movie overall.

I realized I had unknowingly set a higher bar for this film. Here are five reasons why I believe I did so.

1. Enormous Franchise



Star Wars is the second highest grossing franchise of all time (domestically, not adjusted for inflation). This doesn’t make it better than other franchises, but it does mean we expect more.

The mass popularity and profits of the original Star Wars (1977) helped perpetuate blockbusters and franchises in Hollywood.

In these respects, Star Wars movies have an unparalleled historical impact and I think this factors into what we expect from Star Wars movies.

2. It’s Generational



Because the Star Wars franchise has been around since 1977, it touches a lot of generations. Young adults who saw the original films in theatres have now watched many of the films with their children, possibly even grandchildren.

I remember taking my parents to see Episode I when it came out and I will be taking them to see Force Awakens as well. Who you share movies with matters, and being able to share a franchise with family and friends over the years alters a film’s meaning — it changes the experience of what’s possible for a single movie and creates an ongoing experience.

3. It Hurt Us



Not everyone, but a lot of people have problems with the prequels. And not just one film — all of them. Even if we had problems with Episode I, we all went to go see Episodes II and III. And unless you’re the group who experienced Star Wars the first time through the prequels and enjoy them, there is a prequel sting a lot of us remember. We don’t trust new Star Wars movies anymore and will likely watch the next few intently, expecting a mistake, remembering the sting.

4. We Romanticize the Originals



Some of the problems in Force Awakens exist in A New Hope as well, but it’s easier to forget about that because the originals blend into a collective experience.

For example, in Force Awakens, Rey, Finn, and Poe have weak characterization. They lack heart. There isn’t a clear moment where they tell us who they are, what they’ve been through, what they want, what they’re missing, and what they need in a way that strongly resonates with us.

Think of Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy (spoilers ahead?). When we meet him he’s listening to a tape his Mother made him. In the next scene, his Mother dies and he refuses to take her hand — he refuses to acknowledge their connection and reverts back into himself. But he continues to listen to her tape his whole life, even risks his life to get it back when its taken from him. And at the end, he is willing to accept Gamora’s hand, he is willing to let someone in. This is great characterization and heart.

Force Awakens doesn’t really have that, but neither did A New Hope. Luke kind of whines a bit about being stuck on a farm and gazes out into the duel setting suns amongst a John Williams score filled with yearning, but it doesn’t quite have the same pull.

5. It Means More To Us



A new Star Wars movie means more than other movies can. Even movies based on books like Harry Potter, which already have enormous fan bases, don’t quite have the same expectation. If anything, the books have already helped established how you feel about the characters and the movies just have to take them on an adventure that resembles the books.

James Bond, Batman, Star Trek, and Spider-Man movies are constantly re-inventing themselves and there simply aren’t many movie franchises with as much history.

It’s why people are so preoccupied with spoilers for the movie, moreso than usual. They think there is a chance Force Awakens might invigorate their child-like awe they felt with the other films. Take them back to an experience they had far away, where they stared up at the screen with wonder.

Once I realized how much Star Wars movies meant to me I walked into Force Awakens a second time, better understanding the filter from which I was watching the film. I noticed some more bad things, but clarified some good things too. And I left the theatre at peace. If you felt as conflicted as I initially did, hopefully this helps clarify why and you can better enjoy Force Awakens for what it is.