32 years after Return of the Jedi, and 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, director JJ Abrams does what we thought impossible and, alongside Disney and the new Lucasfilm, restarted Star Wars for a new generation.

This is The Force Awakens.

Appropriately set 30-some-odd years after the events of Jedi, The Force Awakens thrusts us back in to the galaxy far, far away. The war between the Rebels and the Empire ended, but clearly set another conflict into motion. It’s a story that sends us into new planets, new scenery, and appropriately, with new heroes.

Much like 1977’s A New Hope, The Force Awakens is built around a trilogy of heroes. We have Finn (Attack The Block’s John Boyega - affecting an American accent), a young man who wishes to be something better than he is in this world, but scared of the outcomes. We have Poe Dameron (Ex-Machina’s Oscar Issac), a cock-sure, cool as a cucumber pilot. And most intriguingly, we have Rey (newcomer Daisy Ridley), a desert scavenger, looking for adventure and carrying a mysterious past. You’re going to love each one the same way you did Han, Leia and Luke - even though they don’t fit the expected archetypes. Each captivates the screen, and their chemistry is fantastic.

But what’s smart - if not expected - is how these characters fit into the existing universe. To add weight to the proceedings for the new generation of fans, and act as an entry point for fans of the existing saga, we get to catch up with our old favorites: Han, Chewie, Leia, C—3PO and R2D2. Harrison Ford is the most engaged he’s been on-screen in decades as an older and wiser Solo. Clearly, he found something here that he’d been missing. Carrie Fisher looks great and adds appropriate gravitas as Leia, and of course, Chewie and C—3PO add the necessary comic relief (that is, when BB—8 - who is sure to be your new favorite droid - isn’t stealing the show.)

Where the movie takes a different turn is with our villains, or as they’re called now - The First Order. Lead baddie Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is much like his custom lightsaber: fractured and unstable. Anyone who has seen his work on Girls probably knows that Driver can play creepy, gross and evil, and he does it well here. Domhnall Gleeson’s Admiral Hux seems to be a modern day Grand Moff Tarkin, but he gets to chew all kinds of scenery, as a gloriously old-school style baddie.

To say much more would go into spoiler territory, and I promise you - I won’t. But I’m pleased to say that beyond the shadow of a doubt, The Force Awakens is the Star Wars movie you’re looking for. Feeling like an incredible comeback album from one of your favorite bands, JJ Abrams delivers for Star Wars what he did with the 2009 Star Trek reboot - a fresh, energetic rejuvenation of a beloved franchise. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer - and if the sold-out opening night crowd response was any indication, leave the theater absolutely jublient.

Every single frame is filled with love. The “worn-in" reality of the Star Wars universe is back, beautifully juxtaposed with the stark nature of The First Order’s Nazi Germany meets Apple aesthetic. Creatures both practical and CGI fill the screen (and the CGI is beautiful, with two motion-capture based characters delivering bleeding edge tech so great, you forget they’re not real.) John Williams delivers the trademark Star Wars sound. All the classic wipes and transitions are to be found. The “Abrams Lens Flare” is there, but thankfully under control. There are also some great cameos and easter eggs throughout - you’re going to be looking everywhere during the many times you see this movie in the theaters and, eventually, at home.  It’s an absolutely stellar 136 minutes of whiz-bang adventure.

After the prequels ended, fans never really knew if the Star Wars they loved would return, or if it did, what shape it would take. Thankfully, with The Force Awakens, it returns in a form to be beloved by fans both old and new. While the last thing the Internet needs is another article ranking a film series, I’ll be so bold as to suggest that The Force Awakens hangs with the original trilogy in quality. Thank you, JJ.

Now bring on Episode VIII.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in theaters now.