Audience Laughed When Kylo Ren...

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removed his helmet.

I've read a few blogs, posts, whatever, where people talk about how some members of the audience laughed when Kylo Ren removed his helmet for the first time in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I laughed.

We are supposed to laugh or react if we go into this story blind.

I made sure to steer away from all spoilers, I didn't even pay attention to which actors played what parts. I didn't know Adam Driver played Kylo Ren.

So, up until the moment Kylo Ren removes his helmet, we don't know what we're dealing with.

I was expecting an ugly, scarred, mutilated bitter skinhead dude.

When he removed his helmet, his face caught me completely off guard and I laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Not because it was dumb.

On the contrary, it was a laugh of delight and wonder, the hallmark of a good story. This psychopath behind the mask is just an angry teenager or perhaps in his twenties. Someone possibly younger than my own sons. And a cute one at that. With not a mark on his pretty face as he pouts and cries and threatens, his soft dark curls bouncing in the light.

Of course, he gains our sympathy because we can see his face, feel his pain, actually see that he really is struggling between the dark and the light. He wants to be important like his idol, but he's fearful he will fail.

His vulnerability oozes from the screen.

At any rate, I know there are people who laughed for other reasons and that's fine too. There seem to be many people who find it difficult taking Kylo Ren seriously because he's played by Adam Driver. I myself hadn't seen his other work before seeing Star Wars so I can't judge about that.

But I can and will judge what I've seen so far and I say, "Good job!"

Most people who know me, know that I laugh out loud a lot in real life because I find humour in almost anything; my own quirky view of the world. So you can be sure I laughed and oohed and gasped audibly upon my first, and yes, even second viewing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I laughed the second time I saw him take off his helmet because I knew what to expect and was happy to see it again.

So laughing doesn't mean mocking or even that it's funny ha-ha. It's just a sound of delighted pleasure no matter what the reason!

I'm also the girl who laughs at parts in the Human Centipede movies and thinks Tropic Thunder is one of the best comedy movies of all time, with the exception of Young Frankenstein and High Anxiety.