Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the first of the Star Wars films to be released by Disney, and was a blockbuster for 2015. To date, the film has earned $2 billion at the box office. Now you can see Star Wars: The Force Awakens streaming.
The film set numerous box office records and holds the Guinness World Record for most-viewed movie trailer on YouTube in a 24 hour period. The film takes up 30 years after the original trilogy, in which Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo were able to defeat the Dark Side. But a new threat has emerged, one that wants to kill Luke; they believe if he is dead, as the last Jedi, they will be victorious in ruling the galaxy.
The film stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was written by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt with Abrams directing; John Williams scored the film, with both Lin-Manuel Miranda and J.J. Abrams collaborating on a few of the musical numbers. The film is the fourth-highest grossing film of all time and has two sequels: Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Here’s how to stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens right now:
How to Stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Exclusively on Disney+
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the many Star Wars movies that will be streaming exclusively on Disney’s new subscription streaming service, Disney+.
You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Disney+ HERE, which will allow you to stream The Force Awakens and hundreds of other movies and shows on your computer, phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device. If you extend past the free trial, the service costs $6.99/month. You may also opt for this discount bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99/month.
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- 1. Sign up for Disney+ here
- 2. Go to Disneyplus.com or download the Disney+ app on your device
- 3. Log in using your information
- 4. Search for “The Force Awakens”
- 5. Tap on “The Force Awakens”
- 6. Tap the PLAY button
- 7. Enjoy!
Disney+ also boasts a vast library of Disney-owned movies and series — plus several new original series coming soon. The service includes unlimited downloads so you can watch offline whenever and wherever you want. The list of compatible devices and smart TVs includes iPads, Apple TV, Amazon devices, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, Roku, PS4, and Xbox One.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Overview
Release Date: December 14, 2015
Creators: Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Lupita Nyong’o, Adam Driver
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: Thirty years after the defeat of the Empire, the First Order rises in the hopes of taking over. A Stormtrooper defector and scavenger are tasked with helping the Resistance by finding Luke Skywalker.How Long Is Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has a running time of 135 minutes
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Plot
Thirty years after defeating the Empire, Luke Skywalker has vanished and a new threat to peace has come along the First Order. They want to kill Luke, who is believed to be the last Jedi. Princess Leia, now a general for the Republic, is tasked with finding Luke and saving him. Kylo Ren, a member of the First Order, leads an attack on a small village where Poe Dameron, one of Leia’s pilots, is hiding. He is given a map to find Skywalker by Lor San Tekka, but is taken prisoner by Ren’s men and the village is destroyed.
A Stormtrooper, Finn, is sickened by the attack but continues fighting. To save the map, Poe hides it in a BB-8 android. The droid escapes the attack and finds Rey, a scavenger, in the desert. She understands his beeps and whistles and gives him shelter. Finn, who couldn’t fire on the villagers, is taken aside by Captain Phasma, who wants him to be reconditioned into a proper Stormtrooper.
He runs away but needs a pilot and to save himself, helps Poe escape. Their ship crashes on Jakku and it appears that Poe has died. Finn, alone in the desert, discards his armor as he wanders. He runs into Rey, who is identified as Poe by BB-8 because he is wearing Poe’s jacket. Finn tells them about the escape, the crash landing, and the map to Skywalker that Poe told him about, but doesn’t tell them he was a Stormtrooper.
First Order Stormtroopers arrive, looking for Poe and Finn and the BB-8, but TIE fighters arrive to fight them off. The three of them escape Jakka on the Millennium Falcon, believing it to be a garbage scow. They find Han and Chewie on board and help them escape the tractor beam of a larger ship. The crew take shelter at a cantina in Cloud City, but Ren’s forces spot them and they have to fight. Rey is drawn to the basement and finds Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber there; it activates for her and a vision of where to find Luke. The vision frightens her and she refuses to keep the lightsaber. She and the crew make it to the Starkiller Base, where they hope to stop General Hux’s destruction.
Rey has been captured and Kylo is sent to find out what she knows. She withstands his interrogation, which he can’t understand. X-wing fighters arrive, along with Leia. Han and Leia are reunited by things that are tense and it is revealed that Kylo is their son. Finn learns that Poe survived the crash and R2-D2 and BB-8 are reunited as well. Finn says they have to save Rey and so he, Han and Chewie set off to find her.
Rey has managed to escape Kylo’s interrogation and runs into Finn, Han, and Chewie. Han and Chewie go into the base to set explosives but Han spots Kylo and approaches him; Kylo throws him off a catwalk to his death and Chewie fires his weapon, injuring Kyle before setting off the explosives. Kylo goes after Finn and Rey and catches up to them in the forest, where he and Rey fight, but when Kylo tries to take Finn’s lightsaber, it flies to Rey, instead.
Ren tells her that he can teach her the ways of the force but she instead attacks Ren, winning their battle. Poe and the rest of the pilots attack the Star Killer base, destroying it and the planet begins to fall apart, separating Ren and Rey. Rey and Finn make it back to the Falcon with Chewie in time to escape and return to the Resistance base.
Leia and Rey are saddened by their losses but the rest are jubilant at the win. R2-D2 awakens and reveals that last part of the missing map to Luke, and Rey goes after him. She finds him on a mountain and offers him the lightsaber.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Cast
Star Wars favorites returned to their eponymous roles including Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hammill. Here are the main cast members for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Daisy Ridley as Rey
Rey is an orphan and a scavenger who is just trying to survive when she becomes the caretaker for an android and is pulled into the fight between the Resistance and The First Order. Daisy Ridley’s big break came from her role in the Star Wars series. She is an award-winning actress; in addition to starring in Star Wars, she has appeared in the rebooted Murder on the Orient Express film and Chaos Walking.
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren is the son of Princess Leia and Han Solo and the grandson of Darth Vader; he is seduced to the Dark Side and works to defeat the Resistance. Adam Driver is an award-winning actor who is best known for his part in the Star Wars franchise of movies. In addition, he starred in Paterson, The Dead Don’t Die, and the TV series Girls.
Harrison Ford as Han Solo
Han Solo is a space pirate and privateer, who can usually be found fighting alongside the Resistance. He falls in love with and marries Princess Leia and is Kylo Ren’s father. Harrison Ford is an award-winning actor, writer and producer who is best known as Han from the Star Wars series, and as Indiana Jones from the Indiana Jones series of movies.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia
Princess Leia is the daughter of Darth Vader and the twin sister of Luke Skywalker; she is a leader in the Resistance. She married Han Solo and is Kylo Ren’s mother. Carrie Fisher was an award-winning actress, writer, and producer; she is best known as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series of films. She wrote both the book and screenplay for Postcards from the Edge, and won a Grammy in 2018 for her spoken-word album for her book The Princess Diarist. She died in 2016.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is the son of Darth Vader and the twin brother of Princess Leia; he is a master of the force and a Jedi warrior. Mark Hamill is best known as Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise, starring in the first movies as well as the latest releases.
John Boyega as Finn
Finn is a Stormtrooper who deserts the Empire because he realizes he has to think for himself. John Boyega is best known for playing Finn in the Star Wars franchise. In addition, he has appeared in Pacific Rim: Uprising and Attack the Block.
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron is a brave fighter pilot for the Resistance and leads his friends into battle against the forces of evil. Oscar Isaac is an award-winning actor who is best known for his roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ex Machina, and the television series Show Me a Hero. He has reprised the role of Poe in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as the short TV series Star Wars Resistance.
Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke
The Supreme Leader is intent on taking over the galaxy and destroying the Resistance. Andy Serkis is best known as the voice of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He is an award-winning actor, producer, and director. He has appeared in 100 movies and series thus far; in addition to The Force Awakens, he is known for his roles in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and the Little Dorrit TV series.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Songs and Soundtrack
The film was scored by John Williams, who invited noted conductor Gustavo Dudamel conducting the opening and end title scenes. The score is more than two hours long. The soundtrack was recorded by a freelance orchestra, The Hollywood Studio Symphony. Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame, collaborated on the soundtrack, along with J.J. Abrams; their music is heard during the cantina scene. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack was nominated for Best Original Score at the Academy Awards, and won a Grammy, for Best Score Soundtrack.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the Box Office
Worldwide, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has grossed $2 billion, and it is estimated that the film, selling 110 million tickets in North America, has the most ticket sales of a feature film since the 1996 release of Titanic, and is currently the highest-grossing film of the franchise and the fourth highest-grossing film of all time.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Reviews – What the Critics Said
Star Wars: The Force Awakens holds a 93% approval rating from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes site, with critics calling it action-packed and filled with renewed energy. Critics and fans alike were thrilled with the appearance of original characters including Luke, Leia, and Han, but the new characters of Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren stole the show. Nearly all audiences (98%) polled by CinemaScore gave the film either an A or B rating, although some said the film was too derivative of the original Star Wars: A New Hope film.
Where ‘The Force Awakens’ Fits in the Disney Movie Pantheon
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released too late to be considered for the 73rd Golden Globes, but there were many other awards for the film including a listing with AFI’s Top 10 Films of 2015. In all, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was nominated for more than 200 awards, and won 67, including the AFI’s Movie of the Year, a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack, and it holds the Guinness World Record for most-viewed movie trailer on YouTube in 24 hours. Though not expected to do as well in international markets, because those outside of America weren’t through to be as nostalgic for the film franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens did well both in the US and overseas. The film was praised by critics and fans of the series and broke several box office records; the movie has grossed more than $2 billion so far, and both the follow-up and the third film, releasing in 2020, are expected to continue the box office trend.
‘The Force Awakens’ Trailer
‘The Force Awakens’ Trivia: 5 Fast Facts
Disney was able to bring most of the original cast back for roles in the new series of movies, including Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill. Here are five things you might not know about the film.
1. Ford Gets Top Billing
Though he starred in the original three films, and has been known as Han Solo for more than thirty years, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the first time, in a Star Wars film, that Harrison Ford received top billing. In the past, the Jedi characters have always gotten top billing.
2. Star Wars Gives Williams 50th Oscar Nomination
Composer John Williams is well-known around Hollywood for his musical scores. He has won 24 Grammy Awards, 4 Golden Globes, and 5 Academy Awards for his work on films from Jaws to the Indiana Jones series. His work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens helped John reach a new milestone: this film netted him his 50th Academy Award nomination.
3. Millennium Falcon Injures Two Stars
While getting onto the Millennium Falcon during filming, Harrison Ford broke his ankle. Director J.J. Abrams has said that, while trying to help Ford get up, he also injured his back.
4. Luke Could Have Been a Woman?
When coming up with the initial concept and for the films, George Lucas and Ralph McQuarrie considered making Luke a woman. They wound up making Luke a man, but Rey, as the heroine of The Force Awakens, partially fulfills those original intentions to have a woman as the heroine. In fact, Rey’s outfit for the films is inspired by the concept drawings from the 1970s. McQuarrie’s concepts for the original R2-D2 are also in this film, in the creation of the BB-8 that Rey is tasked with saving.
5. Disney Becomes Third Star Wars Studio
There have been three studios to release a Star Wars film: 20th Century Fox released the original six films, The Clone Wars was released by Warner Brothers, and Disney is the new studio home, beginning with The Force Awakens.
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How to Stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Your Family Viewing Guide