Spectacular, the movie was.

From a fan’s perspective, the plot, visual effects, and the return of characters from past movies made “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” an exciting masterpiece.

When the movie opened Thursday, Dec. 18, fans from all walks of the galaxy gathered around the big screen that weekend to see the next chapter of the epic series.

The film took the box office by storm.

It broke the record for the largest opening weekend for a movie in North America, bringing in over $238 million in ticket sales.

Why?

Because “The Force Awakens” has a great story line and is written extremely well.

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has vanished. The new threat, the First Order has risen from the ashes of the Empire and is trying to take control of the galaxy.

General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) is in charge of the new Resistance that is trying to stop the evil First Order from conquering the galaxy. Leia has been searching for her brother, Luke, in hopes that he will help fight against the First Order.

An ally to the Resistance has found a piece of a map that leads to Luke, and there is now a race between the Resistance and the First Order to see who can get to the ally first to secure the piece for themselves.

The piece of map is hidden within a droid called BB-8. The droid is told to take the map to safety during a battle between the Resistance and the First Order.

A young scavenger by the name of Rey (Daisy Ridley) comes across the BB-8 unit and takes it to the nearest outpost.

Meanwhile, a former Stormtrooper has escaped the First Order because he believes what they are doing is wrong. During his escape, he crash lands onto the desert planet below.

There he befriends a young woman (Rey) and they continue throughout movie together, along with many other characters — some new and some coming back from the former saga.

Overall, the movie did a good job at a number of things:

1- The music

Fans will love some of the old music from the original “Star Wars” along with some of the new music added into the franchise.

2- The characters reprising their roles

Everyone waited years to see Harrison Ford reprise his role as Han Solo or Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, and maybe even the old Millennium Falcon soaring back across the galaxy.

3- The lightsaber battles

Nothing took me back to my childhood more than when the lightsabers were stealing the show.

4- The use of practical effects

Most of the special effects in the movie were practical effects, meaning they were produced physically, rather than being computer generated. This was a nice touch.

5- The story

The story being told in this part of the franchise is one of a kind. You are sure to leave the theater feeling for the characters and wanting more.

“The Force Awakens” was a great addition to the franchise, and I am sure many “Star Wars” fans will enjoy the film.