Well, that’s probably why we see this film in different lights. For most of two hours I watched Kylo appear physically strong, mentally strong, and force-strong. Then at the end of the film he was suddenly having a mental breakdown and appeared physically weak, mentally weak, and force-weak.
Physically weak? I thought it is pretty clear that he was severely wounded from when Chewy shot him with the bowcaster, so sure he is definitely weakened from a physical standpoint. Mental breakdown? He just killed his own father who apparently still loved him enough to caress his face after he rammed a lightsaber straight through his heart, so I am sure he actually did have a lot going on in his head. Force weak? Didn’t he use the force to slam Rey into a tree? Could someone who was weak in the force do that? He couldn’t pull the saber away, but maybe the saber had a bit of a mind of it’s own as well since it was calling to Rey earlier in the film. Also, perhaps the fact that he was physically weakened and mentally shaken was hindering his ability to properly focus and channel the force at that time as well.
Then in that battle he proceeds to critically injure Finn who has been trained to be a warrior since he was an infant with his lightsaber with relative ease. He also made it clear he wanted to take Rey under his wing and teach her so you could argue he wasn’t trying to murder her and he was caught off guard by her skills when she really started using the force.
Isn’t it also written into his character that he isn’t fully trained and fears that he will never be as powerful as Vader?
If the next two films are about showing us this poor misunderstood boy’s tender heart, and how he’s really a good boy on the inside, and he was just tricked by some mysterious monster in the shadows, are there any people who will be happy to have watched the ST?
I’d rather they didn’t go in this direction, but if they do it will all depend on if it is executed well or not. If it is done well I am sure I will have little problem with it.