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Hi guys. I’m really late. Before you stone me, let me just state that I admit I’m really late. I finally watched the new star wars.
I wasn’t quite expecting this, but it actually super impressed me. It’s definitely my favorite star wars episode no question about it. There are a lot of reason’s I liked it, but the number one reason by far was Kylo Ren.
Seriously, he might just be my all time favorite villain ever.
I was wondering if anyone else had the same fascination with him I did. It would be neat to analyze him too. The most amazing thing I noticed was that every outward struggle he faced was deeply connected with his own inward battles — almost like he was fighting himself. Not only that, his manner is incredibly gentle and he has a deep caring for other people which is only the more powerful because of his fits of rage and his deeper commitment to the dark side. He also looks more like hero than like a villain. And the Hans Solo scene… WOW. I can’t even hardly wrap my mind around how absolutely rich that scene was. So much subtext. Layers upon layers. And then after that, you could see that his struggle was only getting worse. I admit, in the last battle scene, I was utterly desperate for him not to get killed. It hurt me when he got wounded and even a little when he lost the lightsaber to Rey. It was torture. Sure I didn’t want the heroes to die either, but I could have handled them dying. I couldn’t have handled Ren dying. Couldn’t.
Anyways, that’s my rant. I could do more. Seriously, I’m crazy about that guy. If you want to take this opportunity to talk about villains, go ahead.
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@daeus Haha don’t worry, I won’t stone you. Besides the fact that the actor who plays Kylo Ren looks nothing like Hans or Leia he is such a good villain. Now honestly I don’t really care for Star Wars (Gasp! I know) (Also don’t even get me started on how I feel with Star Wars Land opening in Disneyland) But I really enjoyed The Force Awakens more than I expected to. Part of it was due to the incredible characters. Let’s not only look at Kylo Ren, but look at Rey. At first, she appears as the typical orphan character but she is actually so much more than that. I loved her dynamics with Hans. Also Fin, a stormtrooper who doesn’t want to be a stormtrooper, I loved his character.
Well, that’s about all I have to say on that subject. I’m now rather excited for Rogue One.Theater kid. Currently depressed because I can't stop listening to sad musicals.
Yes, the characters were over the top. That’s why I liked it so much. Not only were they well rounded, but they played off each other so well.
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OH MY GOODNESS SOMEBODY ELSE FEELS LIKE I DO!!!!!!!! Seriously, I’d given up hope.
Seriously, he might just be my all time favorite villain ever.
I concur. Most vehemently. With everything you said. Don’t let me start ranting; I’ll never finish.
One other clever thing they did with him (though it doesn’t have much to do with his character) is they delayed revealing his face until we were incredibly curious. Also, the timing for revealing his face was crucial— just when we were supposed to hate him most, (cuz Rey was supposed to hate him most) he takes off his helmet, and I was like… ‘Wait a sec. This isn’t a monster. It’s a man. A boy, really.’ It was perfect. Because you know you should hate him. But you can’t bring yourself to do it.
They also used Hux (the red-headed guy who’s more than slightly insane) to draw him out and develop him very nicely— and in pitting him (however subtly) against Hux, who we all rightfully loathe, they gave us something in which we could honestly root for him.
And also too, it was great how he’s weaker than Vader. Not only is that part of his struggle, it also lends him a delicious air of unpredictability. With Vader, you knew what you were going to get. With Ren… not so much. You can never tell if he’s going to half choke you or start smashing up his space-ship in a red-hot rage.
So… yes. I concur. 😀
@kate-flournoy OOOOH, the mask thing was perfect.
Ok. New statement. He is my all time favorite villain ever.
I — I…
…I need to watch that again.
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Ok. New statement. He is my all time favorite villain ever.
@Daeus I think it’s safe to say I concur. And even if it isn’t… I concur.@Daeus @Kate-Flournoy Thank you for putting all of my thoughts on Kylo Ren into words. I don’t know if Ren is my favorite bad guy, but he’s definitely up there. Gollum is close. If anybody understands me on that one I’d love to hear that I’m not the only person in the universe who was actually rooting for Gollum and his redemption. And then there’s Javert…. But yes, Kylo Ren fascinated me. Does anyone have any predictions for what will happen to him in the next movie? Will he be redeemed? My sister pointed out that if he is redeemed, it could be perceived as a little cliché, since that’s what happened to Vader. But I don’t care. He has so much power that I want to see him use it for the right thing. I really want to write out the next part of his story for Disney but I don’t think they’ll let me… I have ideas…
And you can’t even hate him for the scene with Han Solo. You want to hate him because you love Han, but you can’t because you totally understand why he did it. You hate the action, not the deliverer of the action. At least, that’s how I feel. You saw the struggle, and you knew that, while he seemed even more hardened after the struggle, he was also weaker than ever. Maybe he was starting to realize the monster that he had become. I think all of this will weigh on him in the future. I CAN’T WAIT FOR EPISODE EIGHT! And that even rhymes, which I didn’t mean to do.YA Fantasy Writer
Obsessive Character Namer
Find me at hisinstrumentblog.wordpress.comOkay, I’m also going to post about Fin. He just completely threw off the way I viewed Storm Troopers. It’s easy to hate a sea of bad guys whose faces you can’t see. You think they’re just clones– maybe not even fully human– and so it doesn’t bother you to see people shooting them and blasting them. But then, suddenly, here’s a Storm Trooper with a face. A human face. And human emotions. Was anyone else a little more compassionate toward Storm Troopers after this?
YA Fantasy Writer
Obsessive Character Namer
Find me at hisinstrumentblog.wordpress.com@his-instrument I can agree that Gollum and Javert are both great bad guys. Not Kylo Ren, but still really good.
Whatever they do with Kylo Ren, it needs to be complex. Absolutely no way can he turn out to be a full bad guy. Something as simple as Vader’s redemption however would simply fall flat for him. I think his mental commitment and actions will need to grow stronger to the dark side, while his emotions will need to swing stronger to the light side.
I don’t think he should become fully redeemed either, though it might be done with tact. I think we could see him take one small step in the right direction, then have all hell be unleashed on him resisting that one small step. He wouldn’t back down, but he would be utterly thrashed and emotionally wrecked. He could then leave both the first order and the Jedi behind and become an unpreictable, highly emotionally unstable, bitter, afraid, hurt, but also in the depths of him deeply caring, doubtful about what he has become, seeking for things to turn right — solo fighter (pun intended).
And does anyone else think he’ll fall in love with Rey? I think he might, and I would actually totally dig that.
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@His-Instrument @Daeus I totally agree with everything that has been said. (Like you needed my stamp of approval. I’m giving it anyway).
And yes, Hannah, I totally root for Gollum. Don’t worry. We’re weird together. 😉The thing I’m most worried about with Ren is the general incompetence of script-writers. (I know. So cynical). This character needs EXTREMELY careful handling— even one careless step could absolutely ruin him. Hannah, I absolutely know what you mean about wanting to write the next episode yourself. If you have any success with Disney, call me and we’ll work on it together. 😛
As you said, Daeus, Ren can’t have a full redemption, but he needs at least a partial one with the promise of growth. If his arc is completely negative, Han died for nothing, which I do not think would be a smart move on the part of the movie-makers.Another thing I love about Ren as a villain is that he de-legitimizes the hero. The hero for this movie was pretty much Han, and Ren blames Han (probably with some justice) for not being the *glances around nervously* [SPOILERS, PEOPLE] father he should have been. In a way, it’s Han’s fault that Ren is how he is, and call me twisted, but I love that! Not only does it make their relationship incredibly rich, it adds so much depth to the overall thematic premise.
Also, his real name. Ben Solo. How normal and sweet and un-threatening is that??
As for him and Rey… well… it would depend on who Rey is. 😛 If she somehow ends up being his cousin or something, that would be tricky. 😀 Besides, I feel like Rey already belongs with Finn. I guess we’ll see.
In ten years.
Okay, okay… not ten. But seriously, why does it have to take so long?!
Oh and Hannah, yes. Finn did change the way I saw Stormtroopers very much.
I hope Rey remains just a normal person. I like that she’s a nobody.
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Yeah, I kinda like that too. But I don’t think that’s how it’s going to turn out, what with all the mystery and stuff in her backstory. :/
? Yeah. Probably. *sighs* I guess they aren’t doing everything right.
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@Daeus I watched the Force Awakens way after it was released, so your not the only one who was late to the party. 🙂
What I really liked about the movie was that Rey and Ren could have been the same person. (even their names are similar.)
I should probably explain…
So the theme of the film was about letting go of the past, right? Kylo Ren was struggling with measuring up to Vadar’s evil deeds, which was ultimately a result of his father’s partial abandonment.
Rey was struggling with her parent’s abandonment as well. Both were hampered by the past.
Rey chose to let her past go.
Ren didn’t.
If Ren had taken just one step in the right direction, he could have been free to forgive Han Solo and free to step into the light. And if Rey had taken one step in the wrong direction, she could have been like Ren, alone and angry, never to reach her full potential. Sure, she wouldn’t be killing a bunch of people like Ren, but she still would have been the same as him on the inside.
I’m not good at explaining. Hope this makes sense.
To sum it all up, I love how their character arcs were so similar, but with different endings.
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