Rey and Finn vs Kylo Ren (The Force Awakens)
The latest of the lightsaber duels comes from The Force Awakens and deserves a spot towards the top of the ranking due to its beautiful visuals and array of emotions. The duel began following the genuinely saddening death of Han Solo, setting the scene in which Finn and Rey must confront Kylo Ren, all of whom are full of sadness, hatred, and the lust of revenge.
Finn begins the duel by taking on Kylo Ren, a full-fledged user of the Dark Side, with no proper lightsaber training of his own with no intention other than to protect Rey. After Kylo Ren subdues him, Rey exudes more powers no one knew she had through the force, which was followed by a stunning lightsaber fight in the dark, snowy forest.
The lightsabers in The Force Awakens were altered visually in comparison to its predecessors in the fact that they gave off a much more powerful and beautiful glow than ever before. When this synergized with the lovely and fully-interactive setting of the duel and JJ Abrams’ impressive attention to detail, this supplied fans with the best duel yet regarding visuals.
From the melting of the snow off the heat from the lightsabers, the cutting down of trees as the lightsabers are swung through the air, or the visuals and sounds from two lightsabers clashing together, this duel will remain one of the top lightsaber duels for years to come.
With The Force Awakens setting the bar so high for the sequel trilogy’s lightsaber duels, I am eager to see how Rian Johnson follows it up in The Last Jedi.