What was the Best ST Duel?

Hmm.

Let's see.

Kylo Ren punching himself to get adrenaline going and to make himself bleed in the cold. Being somewhat experienced but chaotic and desperate. Nice red vs. blue contrast. Slow, stabbing motions with the lightsaber swings. Shows well in ambilight tv. (I'm serious.)

Or-

The notion that TESB Vader was still alive in Kylo Ren (I thought that Star Wars killed TESB Vader with its retcons and making him a victim, I really did.), ironically, despite Kylo trying to break out of the role- submissive Vader- which is really more in line with ANH Vader or (I think, especially) ROTJ Vader, as opposed to TESB Vader, which is what Kylo almost literally becomes.

The only thing lacking is Vader's experience, maturity, and confidence in himself; otherwise, Kylo has Vader's cunning (as well as Han's cunning) and Vader's patience.

(He's deadly as can be.).

So, Kylo enacts his risky end-all plan to accomplish what TESB Vader wanted (kill the emperor, share the galaxy with someone whom he potentially loves), but I guess ROTJ Vader had a more difficult time accomplishing/ or desiring?. Also, he has to fight the TESB Clive Reville emperor (alien? with popping eyes) with ROTJ Emperor (rent forehead, some degree of arrogance), who is far less stupid by keeping his guards around, instead of dismissing them. (Snoke doesn't take risks, even if he is arrogant.).

Also, am I the only one who thinks that the aftermath of the Pretorian Guard battle is chilling? When Kylo's head is framed (like Rey's earlier) but is taken like he's the center of the galaxy in context of the plot, and there's potentially horns?/ a crown? on his head? Like the scene is a long-awaited fulfillment of what Vader would do once the Emperor was chucked out of the window? Amazing, amazing potential. Also, the subsequent scene of a ray of sparks crowning him as king.

So, Pretorian guard fight, it is.

Maybe the fight isn't as exciting, but the context? THROUGH THE ROOF.

 

Finn and Rey vs Kylo Ren



It was a nice mix of OT and PT duel. It was grounded and emotional, but also stylish to watch. Furthermore I really like that JJ didn't use music during the banter between Kylo and Finn.

Honorable mention- Luke vs Kylo on Crait
It was an unique lightsaber duel and seeing Kylo full of rage is always nice.

This is actually the weakest duel in the ST for me.

 

For me, I would have loved the ST if they had invested more effort in the choreography of the duels, rather than the setting or effects... So in other words, I don't like all ST duels

If I have to choose one, I would pick the throne room just because it has more fast-paced action than any of the others (my opinion don't kill me).

 

Magical disappearing knife? Random Kylo stabbing the ground for no reason? Praetorian Guard twirling around and doing nothing? Lol really? How can the Praetorian Guard 'fight' be up there? Am not making up its all there in the film. Daisy is all over the place the scene is laughable

Don't get me started with the Marvel Kylo fight with the KoR. The saber across the back in RoS? Good lord, its not even cool, oh my word it's just so silly. Kylo is not even involved with the Palpatine fight anyway as he's been yeeted down a hole. The showdown between with Rey and Palps was okay. There need to be more distance between her and him. Her pushing towards him on the throne looked more like her stomping rather than her pushing against the force. Also the scene is just too dark and blue.

The death star fight was enjoyable but too much backflipping for me. Would have been better if they used the Duel of Fates music like they did in the trailer

Am trying to be honest here, I enjoyed the saber fight in TFA, however, it was slow and no technique. Adam was at his best in that scene very raw and powerful, I loved the saber pull it was a positive for me. Daisy's anger at the end was also really dominant too. The end where that little look back, almost in guilt and worry (it was only tiny action but it was impactful) followed by the scene with Finn was beautiful when both bathed in bright white light. The saber fight in the snow and the dark was visually stunning.

So its got to be the TFA fight for me

 

Wow. This was very hard. I voted for Rey and Ren on the ruins of the death star, primarily because it's more refined than their duel in TFA and the fact that it shows Rey's growth as a character. I also like it because it fully demonstrates Rey's layers. That while she is kind and compassionate. She can also be ruthless and single minded. She plays to win and she will stop at nothing to do so. It just makes her more fully human, relatable and anything but a plaster saint. And of course there is Ren here as well, as the fight goes on, you can see he is just trying to get her to wear herself out. Yes he needs her power to take down Palpatine. But I also saw him in that fight as a means of protecting Rey and not allowing her to go charging after Palpatine alone (and fall into the trap that Ren must have suspected the wily old man had for her). The funny thing about their relationship in the whole ST is that they have always seemed to be there and protect each other. But it's never been shown in a heavy handed or overt way. It's why I compare them to a young married couple.

And of the course the battle between Luke and Ren on Crait. A full essay can be written on this duel. The history and the bad blood between both characters. It's the culmination of who they both have come from and how they ended up here.

For me, both fights were less action pieces than reflections of who and the state of the characters.

 

Eh, some people (myself included) can look past that and enjoy it.

 

This is tough...I think like the TFA duel far more than I do the throne room duel, but I think the throne room duel wins. It has style, a gorgeous intro into the fight, and the Pretorian Guards were awesome. Overall, no fight really encapsulates how grand the ST is/could be (depending on how you view it), but I think the throne room fight gets the closest.

 

Magical disappearing knife? Random Kylo stabbing the ground for no reason? Praetorian Guard twirling around and doing nothing? Lol really? How can the Praetorian Guard 'fight' be up there? Am not making up its all there in the film. Daisy is all over the place the scene is laughable

Hey, it's up to you. Choreography could be better, yes. Nearly everything about the TESB fight is impeccable, and Luke goes from set-piece to set-piece. There is a lot of brain-using from both Luke and Vader.

I think even ROTJ uses "flashy" moves whenever I think of Luke lining himself up for the fight after his "Never!", he poses in a fight stance and then swings his lightsaber back. If Vader really wanted to fight, he'd go for a swing of submission that time period.

I don't that choreography should be the main focus of a fight. I mean, I need to know why they are fighting in the first place, what's going to be the end result.

Don't get me started with the Marvel Kylo fight with the KoR. The saber across the back in RoS? Good lord, its not even cool, oh my word it's just so silly. Kylo is not even involved with the Palpatine fight anyway as he's been yeeted down a hole. The showdown between with Rey and Palps was okay. There need to be more distance between her and him. Her pushing towards him on the throne looked more like her stomping rather than her pushing against the force. Also the scene is just too dark and blue.

The death star fight was enjoyable but too much backflipping for me. Would have been better if they used the Duel of Fates music like they did in the trailer

So, better music would have improved the scene? Yes, music can certainly add to a scene, but using epic music utilized from a completely different set of films- the prequels, isn't going to improve the scene unless there is some meaning in the music.

 

TFA - Finn and rey vs Kylo

The rest was just forgettable

 

Honestly, I really like a lot of them.

Finn v TR-8R- A fun, if not also memeable scene. Lightsaber vs non-lightsaber was definitely an interesting choice, and the backdrop (a literal battle) was very well done. 7/10


Finn and Rey vs Kylo- Again, a really unique saber fight. The slower, heavier pace was much needed after the prequels, and I love the glowing sabers in the snowy forest. I don't mind the "Use the Force" moment since it is very Star Wars, though I do think it's now a bit of a peek into the sort of simplifying of Star Wars that JJ would go on to do. 9/10

The Throne Room- Great buildup, great action. I get that the choreography is a little silly, but I honestly would've never even noticed if it hadn't been pointed out to me. The slow burning of the arena is an awesome set piece, and the twist before it, as well as the "splitting" action afterward... it's all so good looking, well timed, and sublime. 10/10

Luke vs Kylo- Here's the deal. This is a meaningful lightsaber fight, and shows us perhaps the most True Jedi move ever made in the films. As a lightsaber fight it does have some cool elements, but much like the Twin Suns fight it's generally more about the context than the action. I feel it deserves a solid 8/10, knowing that the scene itself would be scored higher if not strictly through the lens of ranking a lightsaber fight.

Rey vs Kylo (Kijimi)- Really creative use of the dyad, though also a bit alienating to the audience. Not a whole lot else to say, other than... hey heyyyyyyy!
7/10

Rey vs Kylo (Death Star)- Such a strange fight, but so good still. It feels like they're constantly going from trying full bore to kill each other to trying to hold back from going too far. The set piece is incredible (and a great reverse callback to Mustafar, as well as the DSII), and Kylo's determination is fantastic. A couple things don't quite work for me (some of the acrobatics are a bit much, Finn's appearance is subtraction by addition, the Dark Rey vision is underdeveloped) and I could've stood for it to be a couple minutes longer even... but it's still great. And that Han scene afterward... amazing (though I'm not sure it should be factored into the score). I do agree Duel of the Fates would've been great during this fight, because I honestly cannot even say what song plays during this offhand. 9/10

Rey and Kylo vs Palpatine- Kind of a saber fight still, right? If the Throne Room from TLJ counts, so should this. It's just, outside of Ben Solo's attack on the Knights of Ren, so little good happens here. Even Rey's triumphant moment of "I am all the Jedi" just doesn't really work for me. I wish it'd been better, because a strong scene here could've convinced more people that bringing back Palps was worth it. 3/10

 

Kylo vs Luke on Crait is the pinnacle of what a Jedi should try to achieve. Luke commits 0 acts of violence, never actually raises a weapon and never swings his projected weapon. He is strictly on defense the entire time doing what he must to be the hero he needs to be.

 

Eh, some people (myself included) can look past that and enjoy it.

(Only pulling your leg )


*This is not a serious post, please I mean no harm*