As others have pointed out, the world we live in is now very different from the one that existed when Episodes 1–6 were released. Much emphasis has been put on secrecy surrounding Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens, which is an exciting turn of mind for trailer design and generating buzz, and much appreciated. Even the culture on Reddit and other networks seems to be looking out for the fans and helping them avoid spoilers. I tried to avoid as much as I could to keep any potential surprises intact for my viewing experience.

I was lucky enough to fall upon a ticket for the opening show at the last minute, and under the influence of exactly 2 Ranger IPAs from New Belgium (Yeah, the “Big D” “Almost-IMAX” screen in the new theater is cool, but the fact that I can purchase alcohol is awesome!) I really had little idea what to expect, which was a great feeling.

Some Minor Spoilers Ahead!

Okay, Episode 7 time.

In the opening moments: I’m the kind of design geek that notices typefaces pretty quickly, and I was pleased to see “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” about as identical to the original title cards as it could be, followed by the welcome BLAST of John William’s music, and scrolling text setting up our story, and the camera panning to something going on in space.

I was starting to get excited, but not totally there yet. They got the basics right. (Episode 1 did this, too, albeit with three terrifically dull paragraphs about taxes and trade routes.)

I was cautious during the opening scenes. Don’t get too excited, nothing much has happened yet—it’s just a bunch of stormtroopers. Oh, wait! No, it’s not. This one is about to defect! We might have a character here! Pay attention, self.

Defecting Stormtrooper Finn’s energy plays nicely with super pilot Poe’s in the beginning scenes. Finn is mysterious (I wasn’t even sure Stormtroopers were really human underneath their suits) and endearing: we’re not sure of his motivation, but his goals sure seem admirable. Poe’s appearance is fleeting, but he seems to have the charisma of a Harrison Ford circa 1977.

But it wasn’t until Finn encounters Rey (played brilliantly, infectiously, in a can’t-take-my-eyes-off-the-screen way by Daisy Ridley) that a fork in the road was encountered. Oh, boy. We’ve got a strong female lead in trouble here. Is the male going to have to save her already?

Nope. She’s more than capable. More capable than Finn, even, as she continues to prove throughout the duration of the film. Even when she actually does get captured, she doesn’t get rescued. She uses her own abilities to save her ass.

I’ve become increasingly interested in great female characters after watching a lot of Feminist Frequency, so to see Rey played this way — I couldn’t help but crack a giant smile on my face. Her character is absolutely feels like the modern-day, female equivalent of Luke Skywalker for a new generation. I couldn’t help but think, at that moment and going forward: I’m loving this.

I could go on a bit about Finn and Poe and Kylo Ren and the return of Han Solo and Chewbacca. They’re great characters. They get to be characters. There’s urgency to their actions, and they’re endearing.

And not only are they great characters, they’re in a world that feels real again. A world that is made of honest-to-goodness stuff, that real light had to play off the surfaces of, that a real camera had to track through, that muppet-masters inhabited with creatures.