The Curse of the Editor Strikes Again! As always, as soon as you render and upload there’s something that you have to change… Version 3.1 changes

I think the Rey sith eyes work really well as a shock factor to Kylo in the battle, and the scene plays out a lot smoother when I include the bit of Kylo getting injured by Rey (and I need a better way to explain his scarring in TLJ). In theatrical, I hated how Rey just says “the force…” and then suddenly beats Kylo in an extended 1v1 combat scenario. But in the edit with her channeling the dark side there’s actually a chance she could surprise Kylo in one single hateful strike. In fact, read how the TFA novel describes this moment.

"Rey closed her eyes. Ren hesitated, confused by her actions. A long moment passed, in which Ren sensed a change in the air, a change in her. Then she opened her eyes and attacked, viciously, in a way she didn’t know she was capable of…

Finally her fury penetrated his remaining defenses. Taking a glancing blow to the head and chest, he went down, a prominent burn slashed across his face. One downward cut, she saw. One quick, final strike, and she could kill him. The landing lights of a shuttle appeared in the distance, coming over the trees in her direction. She had to make a decision, now.

‘Kill him’, a voice inside her head said. It was amorphous, unidentifiable, raw. Pure vengeful emotion. ‘So easy,’ she told herself. ‘So quick.’"

That’s dark! in the movie you can see Kylo’s confusion at her sudden change of demeanor (perhaps fascination?), and that dark power is what gives her an opening. I have recut their saber lock where she channels the dark side to catch Kylo off guard and that’s how she separates from him. It makes more sense with the sith eyes and also makes Leia’s following scene of her in mourning feel like she can sense something dark in the force. Take a look:

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/645456126

I will have it uploaded and ready to send tomorrow. Just post here or DM me if you want to watch!