CINEXPERIENCE

Star Wars finally returns to screens (just the small screens) with their next live-action series ‘The Acolyte’. This is a series of many firsts for Star Wars but the most compelling one is the fact that this is the first time in live-action Star Wars that we have travelled this far back and been so disconnected to the Skywalkers. The Acolyte was announced back in 2020 at Disney’s investor day event, and instantly became a lot of people’s most anticipated upcoming Star Wars project. It was announced to explore the High Republic era, previously only explored in Star Wars books, and tell the tale of the origins of the sith.

I’ve had the opportunity to watch the first 4 episodes of the series, and 4 episodes in it’s pretty damn good. Now it doesn’t exactly live up to the high expectations I had setup for a High Republic era series exploring the origin of the sith, in it that I wanted to watch something that didn’t feel like the world we were accustomed to, that would show us a completely different corner of this universe. Good thing we have Andor for that, but what The Acolyte’s power is that it introduces a new mystery thriller genre into the franchise while making it feel like the classic Star Wars world we were introduced to in the original films. In terms of its vibe, it fills the same side of the universe as The Mandalorian or Ahsoka, but with shades of red, of a darker side. The craft ons display is also a step up, the quality of the direction and writing are all major highlight sof this series. Pair it with some truly breathtaking displays of martial arts, practical effects and sets, great performances across the board, and you have elevated Star Wars. While at the same time introducing the audience to a new side of Star Wars with the witches, who feel different than any other type of being we’ve encountered before, and the story being told from their perspective almost antagonizes the Jedi.

Leslye Headland does very well to make you feel the history that these characters have. Our protagonist in many ways are both Amandla Stenberg’s Osha and Lee Jung-Jae’s Master Sol. At base level we are introduced to a seemingly black and white array of characters, but slowly Headland greys those waters. Who really is the true villain of the series? The answer to that question continues to broaden, and those we considered heroic may not be what they seem. Every actor hits their mark to make you feel that history and the weight of their decisions both present and past. Jodie Turner-Smith is the leader of the witches, and she is as ever a force in the series bringing a certain weight, but also a warmth that makes you feel for her perspective. Dafne Keene and Charlie Barnett play 2 young Jedis who are uncovering this mystery of a darker than foretold past with the audience, and both nail their roles and bring their own unique point of view to the mystery.

The part of the series that most intrigued me in these 4 episodes was one introduced in episode 3. This is when we are introduced to the idea of witches, where we really get an origin for the history hinted at in the first couple of episodes. This side of the series is more of what I originally wanted from the series, a different feel to the universe, new concepts. A different view of previously established ideas like the Jedi. Episode 4 then just builds this further and provides a certain eeriness to it that allows what started as your average Star Wars series to elevate into a more complex, a darker series. If the next 4 episodes can build that tone and feel further, while also continuing with the quality of writing seen earlier, this series is easily up there with the best of Star Wars.

Something missing from Star Wars for a while was craft, it seemed abandoned in favor of cost cutting and the Volume. But then came Andor and gave us a glimpse of what these shows truly could be. That they could be just truly high quality television that feels real, where the writing is top notch, the direction and cinematography are mesmerizing, and the world feels real. This series matches those concepts as well, you can tell all the sets are practical, you can feel a lot more weight and thought behind every character decision, and the action is just better than anything we’ve seen yet from this modern era of Star Wars. The stunt team really put a lot of thought and time behind crafting the style of martial arts and how that would be presented to the screen. The camera moves and the action just flows. The jedi lightsaber fighting is a major step up from some of the poorer work seen in Ahsoka and The Mandalorian. Overall, Andor should always be the standard for craftsmanship for one of these high budget shows, and The Acolyte even just matching that quality is a major win for both the series and the franchise as a whole.

The Acolyte is a truly great time in the world of Star Wars, full of new sides, new characters, and a truly intriguing story. The darker shades of this universe that we are introduced to make this series a must watch if you’ve been wanting to feel excitement for Star Wars again. Had I been introduced to this series with no real expectations, I would have put this right up there with the first season of The Mandalorian with all that it brings to the table, but I still do want to feel a lot more from the series in terms of bringing more to the Star Wars universe. In my mind this series should have had a tone even more seperated from that of regular Star Wars than that of Andor. This is the furthest back we’ve been in Star Wars, yet for some reason it still feels the same. The first 2 episodes are for sure the weekest of the bunch as they echo more of my problems with the series, while episode 3 and 4 bring more of that freshness I wanted from this. If the darker sides of the series are what are expanded on in episodes 5-8 then we are truly in for something special, because that is really when The Acolyte truly sings.

Watch The Acolyte on Disney+ starting June 4 at 9 am PT!