Well, I've just seen The Force Awakens for the first time since TRoS... and it kinda rules. Yes, I'm as ashamed of myself as all of you are ashamed of me but this movie works! Sure, it has its flaws,to which I'll get in a minute, but it's still a well-crafted piece of pop cinema.

The core cast remains as entertaining and charming as ever. Ford, Boyega and Ridley have such a delightful chemistry together and watching them on-screen is such fun. Same goes for the supporting cast - all of them do their job incredibly well, Adam Driver in particular.

BB-8... Oh, my sweet, lovely boy, BB-8 is so wonderful and he'll lways hold a special place in my heart. The plot, while not especially involved, works. The pacing feels good - it is quick, but not in a constant rush. The action in the first half (plus Trench Run 2) are good!

Williams' score is also good and it introduces some of my favourite leitmotifs in the whole series, such as Rey's theme or the March of the Resistance. The one exception which always throws me off is when Rey pulls the lightsaber and we hear the music from the moment when Luke...

sees his uncle and aunt dead in ANH. It makes no sense to fit a moment that is meant to be heroic with a music from a tragic scene, doubly so because it features the musical signifier of death and destruction, the Dies Irae motif. This brings us to the issues I have with TFA.

More examples of Dies Irae (The Day of Wrath) in film are here:

And here's the original Gregorian Chant. You should listen to it because it's a great recording. There are not enough Gregorian Chants in our life: