University of Illinois students and Roger Ebert Fellows Ashish Valentine, Riane Lenzner-White and Shalayne Pulia reviewed the opening-night screening of The Force Awakens and convened in the studios of Chicago Public Radio to discuss what the Star Wars phenomenon meant (or didn’t mean) to them, going into the film.

One of the many ways Star Wars has changed the movie industry since the first movie came out in 1977 is through special effects.  Much of the industry standard in special effects even today has its roots in the original Star Wars trilogy of the late 1970’s and early 80’s.  That’s according to Julie Turnock, a professor of media and cinema studies at the University of Illinois Urbana campus.  She spoke with Illinois Public Media's Brian Moline this week.

Star Wars fans are waiting anxiously to see what Disney does with Star Wars when Episode VII: The Force Awakens opens on December 18th. Adam Bray is excited. He’s one of the authors of a forthcoming Star Wars guide: Ultimate Star Wars that sets the stage for Episode VII.