The Rise of Skywalker is finally out in theatres across the globe, delivering an epic, action-packed conclusion to a saga that has spanned well over 40 years. Going into the movie, fans were buzzing to see more of the villainous Kylo Ren, who had become Supreme Leader of the First Order with the murder of Snoke in The Last Jedi.

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And it's fair to say that Adam Driver, once again, majestically brought the character to life. We're now going to look at his highlights from the blockbuster - starting with something he does right at the very beginning...

Killing Locals

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker Trailer - Kylo Ren and Stormtrooper

Kylo Ren was pretty much unstable during The Force Awakens, allowing his emotions to get the better of him and often allowing his anger to spill out. He appears maturer in The Last Jedi but, with no Snoke to reel him in, he begins the Rise of Skywalker in the mood for blood.

And in the very opening scene, we see just how formidable he is on the battlefield. Kylo marches through a forest on the planet of Mustafar, slicing up the locals and leaving nobody alive. Dare we say it, but his confident manner is similar to Darth Vader's at this point - which is ironic considering he lived there.

Threatening Palpatine

Star Wars 9 Emperor Palpatine Kylo Ren

Having gone through so much to obtain the title of Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren isn't about to give his power up in a hurry. And, when he meets Palpatine for the first time at the beginning of the blockbuster on Exogal, he refuses to cower in front of the Sith Lord.

Instead, he threatens him - which is brilliant to see. Kylo often seemed scared of Snoke but he shows no such fear when face to face with the same man who turned his grandfather to the dark side and it shows, right away, that the duo won't be on the same page.

Connecting With Rey

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker Reviews Rey Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren and Rey have many interactions throughout The Rise of Skywalker, using their strange force bond to contact each other. And the pick of the bunch is when the First Order ruler is on the planet of Kijimi - while Rey is sneaking around his private quarters.

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What makes it so cool, especially from a Kylo perspective, is that he ends up destroying Darth Vader's charred helmet as a result. It's a nice foreshadowing of how the villain will abandon his plan to emulate the Sith Lord later in the blockbuster - although we can't help but feel a bit of sellotape might have helped fix it...

Revealing Rey's Truth

Star Wars Rise Skywalker Kylo Ren Rey Palpatine

A little while after their skirmish on board Kylo Ren's personal Star Destroyer, Rey is attempting to flee. Kylo doesn't want this happening, though, and chooses the moment to drop the bombshell that the former Jakku scavenger is actually the granddaughter of Palpatine.

While we're still iffy about the decision to have Rey be a relative of the former Emperor, it's a shocking moment for the audience. It then sparks an important flashback that elaborates on her parents and it hurts Daisy Ridley's character even more to know that Kylo was aware of the truth long before she found out. It's savage on his part, though.

Sensing His Mom's Death

Blended image of Kylo Ren and Leia Organa from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Fuelled with rage at the revelation that Palpatine is her grandfather, Rey goes to really hurt Kylo Ren when they face off on the ruins of the second Death Star. Using the dark side, she ends up defeating the villain by stabbing him - before something even more surprising happens.

With her dying breath, Leia reaches out to her son. It's a poignant, emotional moment and one Adam Driver absolutely nails, making you really see the little lost boy inside Kylo as he battles between his heart and his head. It also sets up what happens next rather nicely too...

Interacting With Han Solo

Kylo Ren speaks with Han Solo before killing him on Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens

We thought we'd seen the last time of Han Solo when he was murdered by Kylo Ren back in 2015's The Force Awakens. However, in one of the biggest surprises of The Rise of Skywalker, Harrison Ford reprises the role for one last time.

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It's beautiful to witness the exchange between Han and his son, which plays out in a similar way to how their conversation went in the first installment of the sequel trilogy. Han is at his cheeky best, even repeating his 'I know' line from the Empire Strikes Back just as his child is about to express remorse for his actions.

Throwing The Lightsaber

star wars kylo ren lightsaber

Han Solo vanishes shortly after forgiving his son but, as he does, Kylo Ren chooses to throw his crossguard lightsaber - the one so distinctive and reflective of his unstable mood,

And this is badass. Not just because it means Kylo FINALLY gets to wield the same blue lightsaber as Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker - but because it's the moment where Kylo Ren the villain dies and Ben Solo, the son of two Rebel Alliance heroes, comes back to the light side of the force.

Beating The Knights

Star Wars Rise of Skywalker Kylo Ren and Knights of Ren

The Knights of Ren looked cool when we first saw them in The Force Awakens but, having been mostly overlooked throughout the sequel trilogy, that meant we had no issues with seeing them defeated and killed by Ben Solo just before the epic finale of The Rise of Skywalker.

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They initially beat up Kylo pretty bad - before Rey comes to his rescue by handing him Anakin and Luke's old lightsaber via one of their force bonds. The timing is great and the sight of him fighting manically, with his family heirloom in his possession, is a joy for all Star Wars fans to behold.

Saving Rey

Rey Rise of Skywalker

Audiences were stunned into silence at the moment where Ben Solo holds Rey's lifeless body. It seemed cruel that, after he'd finally come back to the light, their chances of teaming up and being together had faded.

However, in a sensational twist, Ben sacrifices himself so that the girl he'd fallen in love with could live on following her victory over Palpatine. It's shocking to see a character who murdered his father just two movies ago perform such a selfless act and the sight of Kylo Ren smiling - while a tad surprising - makes a welcome change due to how he spent most of the sequel trilogy sulking and lashing out in danger.

Dying

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren Daisy Ridley as Rey Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

It's not exactly a badass moment but, because of what he did seconds previously, it's a significant one. Ben Solo, after finally being redeemed, dies as a result of his efforts to save Rey.

That means that the final Skywalker (by blood) perishes, thus ending the story of the Skywalkers. However, we're still not happy that, after such a huge gesture, Ben doesn't even get his own force ghost. If Anakin, who killed countless younglings, is able to become one then doesn't his grandson deserve to as well? Sigh.

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