Star Wars: 50 Greatest Moments - Ranked

17. Rey Vs Kylo Ren (The Force Awakens)

Yes, The Force Awakens did borrow heavily from A New Hope, but it also gave us some wonderfully innovative moments, and interesting twists on classic Star Wars iconography.

The culmination of the movie represents all of this perfectly, as we get the showdown between Kylo Ren and Rey (after Finn briefly attempts to go up against him).

There's the familiar: the red on blue, good vs bad, but it marries them together in new ways. Perhaps even better than the duel itself is the moment that sets it up: The snow-covered forest is an indelible, haunting setting; the sense of dread creeping up on us as hope dissipates.

Then the lightsaber, lodged in the snow just like it was in The Empire Strikes Back, begins to twitch; the Force-theme swells up as it goes flying into the hand not of Kylo Ren, but Rey, who stands there emotional, almost in disbelief. It’s truly a moment worthy of crowning the saga’s newest hero.

From there it's a lightsaber duel that puts together the choreography of the prequels with the emotional intensity of the originals, a dazzling spectacle where the light shines through the darkness.