#FridayReads

I'm not a Star Wars fan at all, but even I cringed at what I heard they did in Force Awakens.  The problem wasn't that they "took risks", the problem was they ignored the rules the original films established.  Just like how the fans got angry at the prequels and their mitichlorians garbage; it went against the established rules of the Star Wars universe.
I love the epic poem Beowulf because of its amazing plot twist; no weapon can harm Grendel.  None.  Not a single one.  If you had an AR-15 it wouldn't do anything to him, he'd shrug it off.
Beowulf rips off Grendels arm and beats him with it, and Grendel runs off into the woods to bleed to death.
Now THAT is good storytelling!
In the movie, no weapon can kill Grendel.  Except the convenient magical weapon  that can.
Now THAT is bad storytelling.  It's a plot device, like kryptonite but for bad writing.
I have seen fan made films that use the source material faithfully and have enjoyed them MORE than the original films.  How can swaths of writers create entire book series faithful to the rules of the Star Wars universe and keep fans entertained, but the new "risk taking" movies can't?
That was the issue.  Not the risk taking.
Kylo Ren as an actually compelling Bad Guy, and why the Mask Makes Sense.
Kylo wants to emulate his grandfather.  My own kids used to walk around with canes to act like their great grandfather.  Many people wear things they don't need in order to emulate power.  And that's the one interesting part of Kylo's character; he is an empty shell trying to BE someone.  Under the mask he is nothing...and he knows this.  He has no tragic backstory (even the tacked on Luke murder attempt), only envy.  He has Han Solo, a famous criminal as a father, and a Princess as a mother.  He has their identity to contend with and none of his own.  His character is Envy and Wrath, both hollow pursuits towards fulfillment but dogmatically obeyed.
That is why he is an actually compelling villain.  Villains don't need character arcs.