Ornament Review: Kylo Ren - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great sculpt of a new character

Cons: Thin light saber could easily break

The Bottom Line:

New Sith character

With distinctive light saber

New film ornament

Your Tree Needs a New Sith This Season

In anticipation of the new Star Wars movie hitting theaters in less than a month (in case you missed the news somehow), Hallmark released two ornaments of new characters from the film this year.  The first of those to be released was Kylo Ren.  I caved and bought the ornament before I saw the movie.

While little is known about the new characters so far, Kylo is known to be a new Sith that our heroes will be fighting.  That’s not too surprising since he’s all in black in this ornament.  His left hand is out as if he is using the force to push someone away.  And in his right hand he is holding his light saber – his very unique light saber.  Yes, it’s got a blade like a normal light saber sticking out from the handle.  In this case, the light is red.  However, it has two red offshoots on the sides of the handle as well.  This is a new look, and I’m quite interested to see how they come into play in the film.

As is often the case with light sabers on ornaments, it does provide the only thing I’m worried about.  The blade that sticks out in front is long and thin plastic.  It seems like it would be an easy thing to break off if you aren’t careful with this ornament.  Yes, these are for decoration, not play, but it still could break easily if you dropped it.

That’s my only hesitation with the ornament as far as how it looks.  From the little we’ve seen of the character, it looks great.  The fact that he’s in action is a nice bonus as well.  While I prefer to collect heroes (the reason I hesitated about buying the ornament), I decided I had to get him.  The look of the character already feel iconic with the mask and flowing robe, and it will make for a great addition to my Star Wars ornament set as a result.

With his robe touching the ground in between his outstretched feet, you’ve got a nice base for this ornament, so you can display him year round if you want on a desk, shelf, table, or any flat surface.  He’s not stable against major shakes (and again the worry about his light saber comes into play), but he should be stable enough in most cases.

When you go to hang him, you’ll find that he hangs straight as well.  That’s a nice things for people like me who intend to put him on my Christmas tree this year.  He is a little heavier than your average Hallmark ornament, so you’ll want to be sure to find a sturdy branch for him.

I do hope that next year Hallmark releases some of the new heroes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens since that is what I prefer to collect, but for now, I’ll enjoy this ornament from the release year of the new film.  Kylo Ren will feel right at home in any Star Wars ornament collection.

Original Price: $17.95