My first correction is that I underrated Poe is my initial assessment of him (“fine or better than fine,” I said). He was well beyond that, as Oscar Isaac’s immediate charm and chemistry with Finn were a big part of getting the movie off to such a good start. His long disappearance in the middle of the film probably is what led to me underrating him, but that was put into a little more sense by the post-release revelation from Isaac that Poe was supposed to die on Jakku in JJ Abrams’ first version of the script, only for JJ to change his mind shortly before shooting.

I also think I understand the political alignment a little better now. The First Order is trying to take back over everything of the old Empire, and the Resistance has arisen likely because the New Republic won’t do anything itself. At least, that was the best I could tell. I still think a short explanation — really, 15 seconds of exposition could have been enough for me — was warranted.

I do still think Starkiller Base was rather unimpressive as a Final Boss for the film, since its threat level seemed to be tied almost solely to being super big. But it bothered me less on a rewatch, because the drama on the ground was so good.

I also spent more time thinking about various fan theories already popping up in the wake of the release, the vast majority of which I probably haven’t gotten to yet. But I am intrigued by the idea of Snoke being Darth Plagueis, for instance, adding some credibility to him as a mega threat instead of just another new Sith. I also like the alternative theory of Rey’s origin of being neither a Skylwalker nor Solo, but, perhaps, Obi Wan Kenobi’s granddaughter. Ewan McGregor actually record a brief voiceover line for Rey’s vision upon touching Luke’s lightsaber, and we still know nothing in official canon about Obi Wan’s life between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. (As an aside, rewatching the prequels really made me appreciate that McGregor’s Obi Wan was probably the best thing in them, and I’d love a Kenobi film starring him as part of Disney’s Anthology series.) I’m still game for her being Luke’s daughter too, though, if they can do it with minimal tropes. I’m less game for her as a Solo and Ben’s sister, though I don’t think we can fully discount that yet. I can’t help but think her parentage must have some significance, though, for it to be treated with such mystery.

More than anything, I was struck by several items of really strong direction that I noticed but didn’t give enough weight to in my first viewing. For instance, the impressive degree of emotion conveyed by Finn on Jakku during and after the village assault; Abrams and John Boyega were both really on-point, telling a mountain of inner conflict without ever a word (or even a visible face for most of it).

Another was just how visually wonderful the battle on Maz’s world (the name of which I still didn’t catch) was between the Resistance and First Order. In particular, there was one extremely cool tracking shot (I’m a sucker for a good tracking shot) that stuck with me: Finn running across the battlefield, shooting stormtroopers, followed by the camera panning up as an X-Wing flies over his head, and following that ship as it attacks a TIE Fighter. The whole tracking shot probably only lasts 10-15 seconds, but it was an interesting example to me of the kinds of filmmaking creativity that were more present in The Force Awakens than any previous Star Wars movie.

But the best moment for Abrams, in my opinion, was Han’s death scene. I was so preoccupied by Han’s clearly impending death that I don’t think I fully appreciated what an amazingly shot scene that was. Abrams sets it up several minutes earlier when the X-Wing pilots are making their attack run and remarking on the weapons recharging using the sun, but “As long as there’s light, there’s hope.” When Han goes out to meet Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, there’s light streaming into the chamber, falling perfectly on their confrontation as Han tries to talk Ben down, seemingly getting through to him as Ben admits his inner turmoil. And then, the light goes out, and hope is lost. As soon as darkness engulfs them, Ben grips his lightsaber back from Han, and a moment later, turns it out, stabbing and killing his father. It’s not exactly a subtle metaphor — the outer darkness conquers the light, just as the darkness within Kylo Ren conquers his lingering pull to the light — but it’s perfect nonetheless, a gorgeous encapsulation of one of the biggest moments ever in any Star Wars.

In general, the flaws in Force Awakens, while no doubt present, bothered me even less the second time around. I won’t say I enjoyed it more the second time, as going into that first viewing completely blind was a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. But watching the movie again did help reinforce its place in my mind as a damn good, even great, movie.