Unlike other lightsaber battles (such as Luke vs. Vader), there’s no opportunity to reveal character here. I’m not invested in the guards, so there’s not a lot of tension; it’s just more of a release for Rey and Kylo-Ren.
Absolutely. It’s honestly one of the best set-up lightsaber battles in the entire saga, and you genuinely care for the people involved by the time it starts. I admit I wish the choreography were a little tighter (that one CGI’d out knife in particular) but in terms of flow and understated meaning, it’s great. What matters is that they’re fighting side by side, not so much the content of the fight itself.