The most important thing of all, perhaps, is that Star Wars: The Force Awakens holds up. And it does: it totally and utterly works on a second viewing - and then some. You don't sit down to it again and feel like you're done; you feel like you're watching a future classic, destined to be viewed over and over again like the movies in the original Star Wars trilogy. It's insanely rare for a blockbuster to feel as exciting when you relive it for a second time, but here's one that improves - presumably because you don't have to sit there the whole time worrying it's bad, praying that J.J. Abrams didn't screw up. Is it perfect? No, but that matters very little in the grand scheme of things. The criteria that The Force Awakens needed to adhere to was a) that it felt like Star War and b) that it held up when you watched it for that second or third or fourth time. The movie passes on both fronts: when you've seen Episode VII twice, you're not finished. You just begin counting down the days until you get the chance to see it again. Is there any higher praise? Like this article? Do you agree that Star Wars: The Force Awakens plays just as well the second time you sit down to watch it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
