Certain characters are described in this article, so if you still haven’t seen “Star Wars: Episode VII,” you should stop reading now!

    “Star Wars” finally hit Chinese cinemas on January 9, 2016, well after the rest of the world. I was lucky enough to see it only a few days after its U.S. release in Thailand, and I was so pleased that it had lived up to all the expectations and the hype. Almost everyone I know who has seen it has loved it. After the relative disappointment of “Episodes I, II and III” (particularly a certain character who we shall not name; you know who I’m talking about), “Episode VII” brought “Star Wars” back to its former glory.

    Not everyone will agree, of course, but “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was a standalone film in its own right, with all the charm and humor of the original trilogy plus the added appeal of modern technology and an outstanding director, J.J. Abrams. It had everything you would want in an epic sci-fi movie — great fight scenes, thrilling adventures, light sabers, a cute new droid, familiar and well-loved characters, a bad guy you want to slap, running jokes, awesome special effects and much more. “Star Wars” has been an institution for decades and many people that weren’t alive when it was first in cinemas are avid fans. So what is the attraction? What keeps drawing people to watch it over and over? What makes “Star Wars” the phenomenon that it is? Perhaps it’s the spaceships, the aliens, the droids. Maybe the unearthly planets and moons that set the scene. Possibly the light sabers, the lasers, the explosions in space.

    Or could it be that there’s something more to it? Perhaps it’s that despite the obvious differences, we can relate to these characters. The girl stuck waiting for someone, trying to get by the best she can emotionally and physically. The boy who realizes that this isn’t what he wants to do after all, but isn’t sure which is the right path for him. The father trying to tell his son that he only wants what’s best for him. The mother who just wants her son to come home. The son rebelling against his parents and society’s view of him. The girl discovering what she really wants to do. The old-hand refusing to believe he’s too old to do the same things he did when he was younger. The droid just trying to help everyone out. Which character do you relate to?