“You’re no Vader”

The Last Jedi

It’s a credit to Rian Johnson as a filmaker that in a movie with so much action, some of the best moments in The Last Jedi come in the form of dialogue heavy scenes. It’s also a credit, in this case, to actors Adam Driver and Andy Serkis who bring incredible emotion to the parts of Kylo Ren and Snoke.

Fresh from being humiliated and scarred by Rey on the collapsing Starkiller Base, a defeated Kylo is being scolded by his master. He had killed his father Han Solo prior to the duel with the scavenger from Jakku – a point that Kylo looks to reaffirm in his defence – but Snoke swiftly points out that “the deed split your spirit to the bone. You were unbalanced, bested by a girl who had never held a lightsaber, you failed!”

Kylo jumps to his feet to presumably strike out against Snoke, but the Supreme Leader swiftly floors him with a shot of force lightning.

“Skywalker lives. The seed of the Jedi Order lives. As long as it does, hope lives in the galaxy. And I thought you would be the one to snuff it out. Unless you’re no Vader – you’re just a child, in a mask.”

Emotional hammer blow from Snoke. He floors Kylo again with this one, except this time it’s on an emotional level. If he was unbalanced before, you can bet all your credits that he is now.

Even before Kylo’s slamming his helmet against the wall of the lift post-chat with the boss, the physicality that Adam Driver brings to the role is obvious here. The way he spits out the line, “I killed Han Solo.” The way he jumps to his feet and slammed back to the floor again. You feel every moment when you watch Driver perform.

It’s the same story with Serkis as Snoke. Clearly dousing his apprentice with force lightning takes the bounce from his bungee as he slumps back into his throne. Serkis’ facial queues add so much power to the “child in a mask” line – it’s as though he’s pretending it’s a revelation.

Bravo to the VFX team for converting Serkis’ technically detailed motion capture performance into reality. In fact, bravo to everyone involved in this scene – this movie as a whole. From the chief artists to the guy who made the tea. You’re all great.

Expect to see a lot more of The Last Jedi on this list in the weeks to come…