Great Visual Storytelling

- Rey's introduction on Jakku with her against the SD and you can barely pick her out.

- Every time Kylo Ren ignites his saver.

- the sheer depth s of Rhe SKB .

 

I like the crashes of the tiefighters on Jakku. It is the first movie I have seen where the ships/planes (or whatever expensive thing they are blowing up) is compressed and torn apart. Not just disappears in a big explosion.

 

The depth of the star killer base .

 

Also the X-Wings coming in through the water on Takodana ...

 

it was something different which was very cool.

 

It was like an evolution of the match-for-match aerial battles from The OT .

 

I fully subscribe to all of these momenst. I loved them! Especially Rey and Chewie at the Falcon at the end. I like all of these and many more! Here are some other moments:

- The whole introduction of Rey until she meets BB8, no dialogue, you can read everything you need to know about her from the expressions on her face. That scene was just sublime.

- Rey, Finn and the Rathers. Rey asks "what do they look like", they go around the corner and see one of the Rathars devouring Kanjiklubbers. The camera focuses back on Rey and Finn. You don't know what happens. You hear bones cracking. Finn and Rey's epression tells us everything. Classic Jurassic Park moment.

- "I never thought there was so much green in the entire galaxy" - Rey has a tear. But the expression on Han's face says enough. He pities her. Gives the moment when he is offering her a job the required depth.

- There are also a number of typical Rian Johnson moments, especially people's facial expression when firing a cool gun: Han firing Chewies blaster on the freighter, Rey firing her pistol for the first time. Even though we can never actually feel how powerful the weapons are, their users' facial expressions tells us everything we need to know. They are awed by the weapon's effect. You see those same expressions of fear and awe on the faces of the officers and crew when they fire the starkiller. Even in Hux's face. When Rey fires her weapon on Kylo Ren in the forest, you see the confidence on her face when she starts firing, but that confidences slowly recedes when she knows her shots have limited effect. She expresses in her face that she is powerless.

- This is followed up by the scene where she is being mind probed for the first time. The tears run from her eyes. She knows she does not stand an actual chance. It also conveys the physical and emotional trauma of losing control over the integrity of your own thoughts and deepest feelings. Even though we can never feel that pain as an audience, we see it's effects in her non-verbal expression.

- The scene below is still for me one of the quintessential scenes of the movie. At it's core, this is what the movie is about.

 

Great thread! Now I want to watch the movie again

 

Fantastic thread. Thought that this was what the movie really excelled at, telling the story without a lot of needless expository dialog.

For me, a highlight would have to be the entire sequence in Rey's downed AT-AT home, particularly the moment when she puts on the helmet. Kind of amusing and whimsical, but sad at the same time, and says a lot about the character.

That one continuous shot of Poe taking out something like 9 Tie fighters in a row.

The way Han's entire demeanor changes when he hears that BB-8 may have the location of Luke Skywalker. Rey and Finn's reactions here also really sell the moment, with a combination of disbelief and wonder.

 

And of course the most brilliant great visual storytelling scene of all - the final fight at the end in the snow forest of SKB - Kylo Ren vs Finn and Rey.

That scene has so many layers and so much nuance that repeated viewings are a must. It is so dense with meaning and subtle storytelling. There are so many elements there.

We start it off "offscreen" with the image in the trailer of Kylo Ren advancing and igniting his sword. Something that is not in the final cut in the movie, but I'm sure in our minds it is there:


The way the fight unfolds is so masterfully done. We have a complete juxtaposition between how Kylo reacts to Finn lighting Anakin's lightsaber and how he reacts to Rey force beckoning it and igniting it. The way he fights with Finn and Rey is also visually contrasted - with Finn, he is enraged and toys with him for a bit, demonstrating elegant and impressive sword fighting style, which I absolutely love. It is suited to the sabre, it is suited to Kylo. Magnificent.

Kylo pounding on his wound was one of the most powerful and charged things as well.
And when Finn manages to get an accidental stab at Kylo's shoulder he dispatches him with just two movements.
Then the contrast with fighting Rey. Well, he is hardly fighting her. He is merely sparing with her. It is so obvious that he makes an effort not to hit or harm her, and he just strikes at her sword, not at her, giving her ground to retreat, waiting her out to retreat and not taking the many opportunities to strike at her...


Kylo makes great efforts and despite his wounds continues to drag this out because he doesn't want that outcome to happen (her getting injured or dead), he then offered an alternative (to be her teacher) and her sudden tapping into the force caught him by surprise and he couldn't really readjust to defend himself.
As to Rey, the moment when Kylo manages to speak with her and make his sincere offer to teach her and basically gives her time just calmly staring with his intense eyes, the snarl she makes after opening her eyes and attacking him, the complete difference of her attitude and what she is channeling when attacking him. There is definitely rage, aggression in her movements and facial expression, her thrusts remind one of Palpatine's style and another interesting characteristic dark side clue is at the moment when Kylo Ren is forced to his back on the ground (when she kicks him), she circles him with the Dark Side stalk - an absolute "physical quote" of Darth Maul in my opinion.



It's interesting that many people don't realise that from the moment Rey opens her eyes and attacks Kylo she channels dark side heavily. (Not surprisingly in the novelization this is explicitly pointed out, but in the movie it is shown visually).
And then the moment when they struggle each holding the other's sabre hand, which reminiscents a very similar moment from Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel on Mustafar...*



And then at the moment when Rey pushes Kylo's lightsaber into the ground, you can see it in his face that he simply "gives up". It is very subtle, but it is there. He let's her "win".

So, for me as well, to quote Harrison Ford, who also has said that this is his favourite scene calling it "great visual storytelling", there are so many things one can discover, that are nuanced, subtle, complex...The setting of the fight, the ambience and atmosphere...
The chasm that divides them at the end...
There is so much symbolism, so much nuance and detail to it.
This can go on and on...

It's an amazing scene and so far, for me, the best SW lightsaber fight so far.

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*...which I'm very much curious about if it turns out (as is my prefered Rey parentage theory as her being a Kenobi), that the grandchildren of Anakin (Kylo) and of Obi-Wan (Rey) are fighting again - a callback to their grandfathers fights...I think this is very possible as my speculation about Kylo's arc is that he will be a reverse Anakin...so the way ROTS ended with a fight which Obi-Wan won, then in ANH Obi-Wan allowed Vader to "win", here the new trilogy begins with their grandchildren fighting...Can't wait for what is in store...

 

-Rey's life on Jakku montage, obviously-It tells you everything that you need to know about Rey, what her day to day life is like, and even what she's thinking an feeling, and Daisy doesn't say a word until the very end. The look on her face when she sees the old woman cleaning scrap, and her adorable putting on the old X-Wing pilot's helmet are particular highlights.

-Finn's attack of conscience on Jakku at the beginning.

-BB-8 in general-His "sad beeping" and lowering his head (and then rolling away slowly when he hears that Poe "died"), his beeps of excitement when Rey lets him stay with her, the lighter gag, his "shocked face" when Finn reveals that he's not with The Resistance, His "back and forth" looks when trying to decide whether or not to reveal the Resistance base's location to Finn and Rey, his worried beeps when he sees Kylo's ship leaving Takodana (after he captures Rey), and his absolute glee at seeing Poe alive, etc. So much emotion out of that little thing, impressive.

-The entire sequence from arriving over Takodana, to entering Maz's castle-Rey saying "I didn't know there was this much green in the whole Galaxy," plus Han shooting her that look of sympathy. Then her just getting off of the Falcon and taking a few moments to take in the scenery, close her eyes and smell the air, feel the breeze, etc. Then Han's job offer, and her adorable little nose wrinkle at the end. Daisy and Harrison Ford were both SO GOOD during that sequence.

-The FO parade ground-Yeah it was REALLY obviously Nazi-esque, but it was effective nonetheless.

-The Vision-It was trippy and confusing, and it as meant to be. Plus what they chose to put in, plus the transitions, were well-done to.

-Kylo stalking Rey through the forest-It felt like a horror movie, and I'm pretty sure that it was supposed to. Plus again, Daisy conveys so much with just her facial expressions, body language. In this case, sheer and utter terror/feelings of helplessness. And Adam Driver does a really good job of emotion despite the mask as well.

-Han and Leia's reunion-The way that the look at each, the way that Leia just casually signals Threepio to give them a moment, and the music told you so much about what they must have been feeling at the time.

-The Interrogation scene-It's hard to make a scene that for a large chunk of it consists of two actors making "intense" faces at each other with little to no dialogue, not seem goofy. but Daisy and Adam pull it off REALLY well. It's both creepy/unnerving at first, and then awesome and cathartic later on. And it totally justified Rey getting captured in the first place for me.

-The Han/Kylo confrontation-The Visuals, the use of colors/lighting, and the score, were all fantastic there.

-The duel in the snow-Great cinematography, excellent moody setting, great use of colors/lighting again, great use of music, and three terrific physical performances from the three actors. It's easily the best lightsaber duel since ROTJ for me.

-Rey running over to Finn and crying-Daisy REALLY sells Rey's love (not necessarily romantic love, but love nonetheless) for Finn. She would rather die than leave him there all alone, and her face when Chewie shows up in the MF was great as well.

-The little look that she and Chewie shoot each other before leaving to go find Luke. I hope that these two have many adventures together going forward, if he considers her to be a worthy successor to Han (which he does).

-Rey's face when she sees Luke's island (which sells you on the idea that she recognizes it as the one from her dreams) and Chewie's look of curiosity upon seeing her expression.

-The last shot-So epic, and almost mythic. And again, Daisy and Mark Hamill convey so much emotion simply through facial expressions/body language.

And there are certainly others, but those are just the ones that jump out to me right away.

 

Not as great or epic as what has been posted here already.
Just a little funny glimpses on the faces of Finn and Han that touched my heart for humor:

The expression of Finns face
.. just after Rey guessing him being a guy of the resistance..
..and on Han's face before he comments Chewie's lack of warmth after landing on starkiller base..

I know though, that's not the most spectacular optic storytelling moments.