I tended to favor the frozen bolt at the beginning, after a mere moment of incredulity…allowing Ren this different power seemed consistent with each previous villain having a unique ability.

I likened it to perhaps a feat similar to capturing a fly with chopsticks: a skill requiring a great deal of practice that might be performed on rare occasions when the situation might best allow for it. Simply put, not an everyday stunt, but one reserved to impress.

As for the remainder of Ren’s backward journey from powerful villain to simpering whelp…? I am willing to admit that the transition caught me unprepared, but that perhaps it was meant to do so. I am grudgingly allowing at this point that it was purposeful and might best provide a set-up for a stronger power incline in later films. That it is a unique approach in this instance should probably not be overly judged in a negative sense until the entire picture is made clear…I suppose…