MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE YET.
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I wrote previously that, as a Kylo Ren fanboy, two things really bothered me about The Force Awakens: 1) The trailers used material that spoiled and emotionally undercut the best character building scene of the entire film. (see pt.1) 2) The sloppy reveal by Supreme Leader Snoke who almost casually tells us the true identity of Kylo Ren ruined the intrigue and shock value. I think the reveal should have (ironically) mirrored the most iconic moment of the franchise when Vader tells Luke, "I am you father." Finding out that Han Solo is the father of the film's central villain should be a bigger deal.
2. The fact that we already knew our force-wielding villain must be the son of Leia and therefore the grandson of the infamous Lord Vader before Ren or anyone even referred to him as his grandfather is a major blunder in storytelling. I think that with a few minor changes in dialogue to leave us guessing we could have had another iconic reveal when Han confronts Ben on the catwalk deep within Starkiller Base. Yes, this copies the "I am your Father" scene from Episode V, but the movie already mimics the other films. In my opinion, revealing Ren's identity in this way when he is already intentionally trying to copy Vader verbatim justifies the similarities between the films more than at present from a storytelling perspective.
Other than some changes to the dialogue, I agree with other reviewers who have said Ren takes off his mask too early. I suppose it would have been a tougher scene to have Rey face off against him with the mask on, but if Poe can do it, why not do it again, especially when the dialogue on the catwalk with Han specifically references it? How great would it be if the moment of reveal that Kylo Ren is Han and Leia's son was the same as when he takes off his mask for the first time?
Ben!
Han Solo. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.Take off that mask. You don’t need it.
What do you think you’ll see if I do?The face of my son.
Takes off mask to reveal his face
BOOM!!! HELMET. DROP. More audience members' minds will be collectively blown and it would definitely be more memorable than a throwaway line by a dimly lit, oversized, holographic, computer generated character. The line from Snoke, along with nearly all of the conversations between Han and Leia, don't make sense as a reveal because the character all know the relationships between each other. The one exception that does make sense is when Leia tells Han that, "Luke is a Jedi. You're his father." However, I would take out all of these references and leave in only two. I would also reveal Ben's name earlier.
First, I would keep Hans line, "the face of my son," and let that be the climactic moment we know that Kylo Ren is, in fact, Ben Solo. Second, I would still keep the line where Ren is speaking with Vader's skull and refers to him as "grandfather." The shot of Vader's skull with The Imperial March refrain playing immediately after the family connection is made for the first time would strengthen what is an already great scene. This also leaves the question of who's son Kylo Ren is: Luke's? Or Leia's? Did Leia and Han split because she had a child with someone else? Is Ren trying to find Luke because Luke is his father? Perhaps we are so preoccupied with the twins that we forget about the real father who has been central for most of the film. And then he dies as soon as we find out.
Lastly, I would have Han tell Leia he saw 'Ben' instead of 'our son' when they first see each other after Rey is kidnapped. It's a more natural exchange between the characters and sets up a more neutral dialogue for their last goodbye. They know who they're talking about. We keep guessing. It would also totally mess with the Star Wars geeks because in the books Luke's son's name is Ben Skywalker.
Put it all together, and I think we get a more compelling story filled with a mystery.
Part 3 coming soon...
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