The chasm (Spoilers)

[JirinPanthosa]

There are a lot of things to praise and criticize about the movie, but there's only one moment in the film I think is absolutely ridiculous.

When Rey beats Kylo Ren, and then a gaping chasm just happens to appear directly between the two, preventing her from delivering a killing blow.

This seems to me the ultimate in laziness. It's like the sort of thing a DM would do in D&D when he expected the party would leave a villain of his alive he planned to bring back later but they decide to try to kill him instead. Did they really need some extremely unlikely excuse for Rey not to be able to kill him? They really couldn't have come up with some better reason than a chasm just happening to open directly between them? They could have even had her spare him plausibly just because she's basically a paragon anyway.

Was anyone else bothered by this lazy excuse not to kill Kylo Ren? It seems if they just worked a little harder they could have found a less lazy way to keep him alive.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Didn't bother me at all.

 

[Dream]

The film should have implied that Snoke used his Force powers to make the chasm to save Ben. Missed opportunity.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Didn't bother me at all.

Ditto.

 

[Mr Light]

The Force works in mysterious ways.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Didn't bother me at all.

The only real issue I had with it is, before the chasm opens, they are side by side. It is then visually established that the chasm forms from a sub-surface collapse (i.e. ground dropping out from beneath).... after which they are about 10m apart.

Plus, Daisy Ridley doesn't do the "struggling to keep your balance" thing very well. There are about three scenes in the film where she is trying way too hard. But otherwise, she's good.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I didn't really have a problem with it - but I think it would have been better if the fight had ended because both of them had realized that the world was coming apart and retreated to their respective escape ships (Hux screaming for Kylo from his ship, and Kylo Ren being able to see Chewbacca in the gantry with his bowcaster might have put an end to any thoughts he had of pursuing Rey right then).

 

[YellowSubmarine]

That's second or third best scene of the film.

 

[Venardhi]

It seemed to me like Rey was already backing away from Ren before the chasm opens up. She knows she has defeated him but isn't ready to kill him and that makes him dangerous to her. Memories are faulty things however, I could very well be wrong.

 

[EnsignRicky]

It bothered me. That was probably the most implausible thing on a long list of implausible things that the planet did.

Deus Ex Starkiller.

 

[RoJoHen]

Didn't bother me at all.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I liked when Rey kept kicking Kylo Ren in the face saying "I. Have Had. Enough Of. YOU!!!"

 

[EnsignRicky]

I liked when Rey kept kicking Kylo Ren in the face saying "I. Have Had. Enough Of. YOU!!!"

Exactly!!

 

[Corran Horn]

So the prevailing thought is Rey would've killed him otherwise?

I didn't think that, personally.

 

[Ithekro]

I might have been to settle with some of the audience that tend to think the idea of someone on the light side of the Force not killing a dark sider is a dumb moralistic concept and that she should just lop his head off anyway.

Though those I find tend to be in favor of order and dislike the idea of the Rebellion as it screams terrorists, criminals, and pirates to them.

 

[FPAlpha]

It bothered me. That was probably the most implausible thing on a long list of implausible things that the planet did.

Deus Ex Starkiller.

The whole movie was chock full of Deus Ex Machinas.. JJ really took the simplistic way of storytelling he inherited from Lucas and ran with. To me it seems he really didn't bother much with coming up with an engaging story but was instead trying more to get the feel of Star Wars right by oversaturating the movie with well known and well loved elements (Sand Planets, the Falcon, Mos Eisley cantina, cute and funny robot you can't understand, masked villains, Hand and Chewie, X-Wings fighting Tie Fighters, the Trench Run and of course a planetkiller superweapon).

I just hope that now that he's crossed these off from his bucket list that we will get a better story for Star Wars 8.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Didn't bother me at all.

Yeah, in fact, I thought it was necessary. Neither side could defeat each other completely or else it would ruin the sequel chances. If that didn't happen, Storm Troopers had to show up or something. Otherwise, one would kill each other.

The Force works in mysterious ways.

That was going to literally be my line.