Kylo Ren: Modern STAR WARS' Saving Grace

Adam Driver's portrayal of the conflicted son of Han and Leia is great enough to warrant the new trilogy's existence.

By: Josh McCormack

Well Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has come and gone. This past weekend was one of the last where the film could be seen in major multiplexes and as the film slowly makes its way out of theaters and the dust settles on Disney's four year "sequel trilogy" my overall feelings are...mixed.

I've put off posting anything substantial about the film on this blog, because my opinions have constantly been in flux ever since my first viewing, but I think now I have a better grasp on my major issues with the film and the three movies as a whole.

This trilogy, with its lack of involvement from series creator George Lucas, was always going to be unnecessary and feel more like a fun piece of fluff that wasn't integral to the overall saga's conflict. This is something I had anticipated from these new films' inception, but what shocked me upon my subsequent rewatches of TROS was how utterly pointless this new trilogy seems.

Don't get me wrong, they're well made, beautifully acted, and by almost all measures a better display of filmmaking than the sometimes laughable prequel trilogy. But after 2017's The Last Jedi closed out with a unique, if slightly infuriating, blank slate for this final film, I thought we would be getting a film that would end the saga in ways that completely subvert how we think these stories should conclude. But with JJ Abrams and screenwriter Chris Terrio (the hack behind Batman v. Superman and Justice League) at the helm, the movie spends a good course of its running time either backtracking from some of the more daring decisions of the previous film or taking somewhat ludicrous routes in order to find the most "satisfying" conclusions for fans rather than the smartest ones.

It's not all bad of course. Like all the new movies there are certain elements that work wonderfully. The character dynamics, especially amongst the new cast, are quite strong. The direction and visual effects are still wonderful as ever. And I think most importantly, it's not a complete embarrassment; it succeeds in being a very entertaining Star Wars film. As a Star Wars fan I was entertained...but never really emotionally engaged.

And that's really part of the problem with this whole trilogy, it's a handful of good moments with one genuinely good movie (I'm talking about The Last Jedi, kiss my ass) strung together to make a trilogy that sadly doesn't amount to much more than a very fun diversion for Star Wars fans.

But of the best elements of all three films, there is one character that potentially makes the sequel trilogy more than just a diversion...Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.

Driver's performance as Kylo is the level of performance we have never seen in a Star Wars film. In a franchise that, frankly, has never been kind to actors showing off their chops, Driver does the rare thing of actually being able to look past all the green screens or insane practical effects being littered around him and still deliver a character as wonderfully realized as any of the other films he's been in. He's genuinely one of the best actors of his generation.

But aside from the performance, it's clear that Kylo Ren (a.k.a Ben Solo) is the best written character of this new trilogy and maybe even this entire saga. While I give JJ Abrams a lot of flack (which he deserves btw), I do think him and Lawrence Kasdan did a wonderful job setting this character up in The Force Awakens. Starting the film as some sort of Darth Vader-lite, this new antagonist dresses all in black, wears a menacing helmet, and even force chokes his subordinates. But this aesthetic callback to the iconic Sith lord is a trick. 

Unlike Vader, Kylo's emotional scars are not hidden for long, but rather exposed upfront when Supreme Leader Snoke reveals to the audience that Kylo's parents are Han Solo and Leia Organa not even halfway through the film. And unlike Vader, Kylo takes off his mask not to reveal a deformed shell of a man, but rather a young man who seems to be at his prime. The look of Vader is a ruse and is meant to be how we access this character and a display of his fanboy mentality when it comes to the idea of his grandfather. His mask was always an entry point to where the character begins his arc and should never have been donned again...*ahem*.

In all honesty, a good chunk of the reason I like The Last Jedi so much is because, at its core, it's a Kylo Ren movie. 

For all the things people like to complain about in Rian Johnson's Episode VIII, valid or not, I cannot for the life of me understand any issues people have with the treatment of Ben Solo in this film. If most of your complaints stem from the fact that you wish he hadn't smashed his cool mask, then you are--um--let me see if I'm getting this correctly--*checks notes* you're an idiot. 

Kylo being completely ridiculed by his master after tormenting himself to kill his own father and smashing his helmet in a fit of rage is where his character decides to take initiative and form his own path. It's the moment where this character comes into his own and becomes the most emotionally unique villain in the entire Star Wars saga.

Rian Johnson's so good at visualizing Kylo's internal struggle as well. Without his mask, he looks genuinely beaten, disturbed and always like he's on the edge of snapping. Unlike JJ , Johnson is sure to make Kylo look sweaty and tired every time he takes off his helmet in the opening scenes.

Rey's force connection to Kylo also leads to some fantastic moments that deepen his character. Unlike Vader, who lived in a shroud of mystery, the force connection is practically shoving you into his life and making you witness him at his most vulnerable whether you like it or not.

This is when Kylo became my favorite character of the new series. By killing his master and taking full control of The First Order with an agenda of "killing the past", Kylo Ren is no longer a lackey or a Vader wannabe, but a fully formed character in his own right.

The Rise of Skywalker surprisingly doesn't trample over Kylo's arc in The Last Jedi as it does most other characters. He's one of the only main players in this story who seems like he had somewhat of an arc planned out from the beginning. 

That said, the movie does try throwing in a couple road blocks that seem like they could be problematic when first introduced. For one, as I mentioned before, there is no reason for Kylo to have his mask reforged (at the hands of a Planet of the Apes extra, no less). It represents a past self and an admiration for an idol he seemed to have put behind him by the start of The Last Jedi and its only there so the action figure collectors and cosplayers would stop clogging up Lucasfilm's emails with complaints. 

The second issue, the bigger one, is how Kylo plays into the story with the former Emperor Palpatine suddenly being such a prominent player. It takes a while for the character to give him a distinctive quality from Vader at the hands of the same master. He spends a good chunk of the first act barking orders through his mask, force choking people against the ceiling, and relaying information back to the dreaded Emperor. I was very worried when watching this the first time that Kylo was just going to turn into a generic bad guy.

But luckily, JJ actually holds onto the unique force connection from The Last Jedi throughout practically the entire film and when it becomes clear that Kylo has bigger plans for himself and Rey rather than just serving Palpatine (as derivative as it may be), it makes a lot of the inconsistencies of the early sequences more forgivable.

Kylo's redemption, that turns him into Ben Solo, is certainly rushed (as is everything in this movie), but I actually do feel it's one of the better handled elements of the story. Seeing Han speak to his son one last time (while he's not a force ghost and there has been no precedent for anything like this in the past...BESIDES ALL THAT!) is genuinely emotional and having the last push over the edge to the light come from the man who's caused him such emotional torment is a wonderful touch.

And while Ben and Rey's kiss still feels somewhat unearned, I will admit that the biggest sense of excitement I get from watching the movie on repeat viewings is when Rey uses the force to pass Ben his grandfather's saber. For a movie I'm overall very mixed on, that is a truly rousing moment.

This sequel trilogy did not quite stick the landing and that's a shame. But despite its plot inconsistencies, poor attempts at humor, and the divide it spread across the fanbase, I think in years to come we will learn to appreciate it if only because Kylo Ren's storyline is one of the best and most unique in the entire Star Wars saga.

And for that, I am grateful.