The Star Wars fandom is about as volatile as a fan base gets, and The Acolyte is the latest series to kick the angry hornets nest. Does it really deserve all of this extreme hate? I think the backlash is way overblown, even if this is the worst live action Star Wars project yet.
The season follows twin sisters Mae and Osha, as they walk different paths on opposite sides of the force. It unfolds as a sort of mystery, as we discover what drove them apart, and why Mae is on a path of vengeance against a group of Jedi. There are some interesting ideas at play throughout the season, but they’re never capitalized on to their full potential. The high republic era setting plays little importance in the story, the duality of the dark side vs the light in twin sisters is fumbled, and most of the characters - with the exception of one - are honestly kind of boring.
Despite a pretty good dual performance by Amanda Stenberg, Mae and Osha aren’t as compelling or complex as the series needs them to be. There was a real opportunity to show how a lifetime on the dark side and the light side could mould two minds that were once kin. Sadly, they serve more as plot devices than well rounded characters. Manny Jacinto brings great screen presence, but he isn’t given the screen time or depth his character deserves. The same can be said about almost everyone, except for Lee Jung Jae’s Sol. His inner turmoil over doing what he believes is best, even if it means straying into a moral grey area, is easily the most thematically rich arc of the season.
I have no real qualms with the series on a technical level. The production value is arguably its strongest component. The use of practical sets and environments for much of the series was a breath of fresh air. Disney’s “Volume” is a great piece of technology, but it’s always going to look better if characters are actually on location or against a physical set as opposed to standing in front of a screen. The fight choreography was also really solid. The clear martial arts inspiration and emphasis on hand to hand mixed with lightsaber combat led to some great battles. In fact, I’d even say this is some of the better combat we’ve seen in the Disney era.
There’s no sugar coating it - The first four episodes are dull… like, really dull. I wouldn’t blame you if you threw in the towel during the initial few weeks. It’s not that they’re inherently awful episodes, but they do very little to draw viewers in. There’s no real hook. Nothing that made me eager for the next episode. The back half of the season is a notable improvement in pacing and story, but is still plagued by poorly concocted plot devices and a lack of character depth. So much of this show’s major events hinge on a simple misunderstanding or lack of communication. It feels lazy, and if the characters had been written better, easily avoidable.
The Acolyte is an aggressively mediocre addition to the Star Wars universe, and one of the most disappointing shows of the year. Despite solid production design and exciting fight choreography, this series lacks in almost every other area. The force is not strong with this one.
2.5/5
Review by: Benjamin Garrett