After watching the first four episodes of the latest Star Wars live-action series, The Acolyte, I’m even more excited about the future of the franchise.
Pretty much since it was initially announced, The Acolyte has been my most anticipated Star Wars project. With a focus on martial arts and being centered on the villainous side of things (ostensibly), it seemed like a show designed specifically for me and my tastes.
As the years went on, and new details came out about it being set in The High Republic with an impressive cast, my hype continued to grow. In the past two months, with a marketing blitz reminiscent of the films more than recent projects, I’ve felt ready to burst. Having now watched the first four episodes, I’m excited to report it manages to hit, or exceed, most of my expectations.
More importantly, however, The Acolyte does exactly what it needs to: get viewers engaged with all new characters in an all new setting, while still feeling like Star Wars.
For the purposes of this review, I’m going to keep things vague and spoiler free. I’ll talk generally about the four episodes I watched, but will save all my spoilery talk/theories for the weekly recaps (yes, they’ll be back). With that in mind, let’s get to it!
A New Era
Perhaps the most attractive thing about The Acolyte, is how it takes place during an unexplored timeline of the galaxy far, far away. So many stories within the same stretch of decades is getting to feel a bit too much. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still largely enjoyed those stories (most recently with The Bad Batch), but the idea of something completely fresh and not beholden to a specific timeline was instantly intriguing.
Being set smack dab in the middle between The High Republic and The Phantom Menace, Acolyte manages to bring yet another new side of the galaxy we’ve never seen before. From the outside, this automatically grants it some benefits, while posing some risk as well.
On one hand, it ensures everyone is starting on the same page; whether you’re a hardcore fan or total newcomer. While there are some fun connections for fans (especially those who’ve read The High Republic so far), all audiences are on the same footing. On the other hand, it also means the show has to convince audiences to care about an entirely new set of characters, and overall setting, without relying on the presence of familiar faces and events.
The Acolyte manages to navigate this well. While so much feels “new” in the show, it expertly captures the Star Wars vibes. If you’re looking for a comparison, the show feels much more like the Prequels (specifically The Phantom Menace) in tone and overall pacing. From the ship designs, abundance of aliens, and even the scene transitions/wipes so unique to the franchise. Everything feels like Star Wars even as you’re getting acquainted with the new characters….Of which there are many.
Heroes and Villains
From the first episode, we’re introduced to a host of new characters; pretty much all of whom we’ve seen pop up in the marketing so far. I’m not going to sit here and discuss the finer points of each and every one. Not because it’d be repetitive to do so, but damn near impossible without writing out a novel. They’re just so…multifaceted.
Despite the story focusing on the Jedi and their ancient nemesis, no one feels archetypal. Even Master Sol (Lee Jun-jae), who many Jedi look up to as a pinnacle, is complex in a way we rarely see Jedi being.
Every single character is almost immediately engaging. Within just a few short minutes (sometimes less) of them popping up on screen, I wanted to know more about them. More than that, these characters are messy. There’s all manner of drama going on with everyone at various levels of importance. Some of it ties into the bigger mystery at hand, while others are simply quirks of their characters.
The result are characters who feel distinctly real and easy to relate to. Acolyte does things with these characters we’ve rarely seen in Star Wars before; exploring new paths and perspectives that only adds to what makes them fascinating. All of this makes the drama they’re going through more interesting; adding a layer of investment to the overall story.
Truly, even more so than the central story, the characters are the primary highlight of The Acolyte. Even if the story completely changed going into the back half of the episodes (or further into other seasons), the characters would keep me seated each and every week. Amandla Stalberg and Dafne Keene’s characters are clear highlights for me, with Jung-jae feeling like the core of it all.
Action Spotlight
Visually speaking, The Acolyte rules in just about all regards. Each setting is packed with a plethora of background aliens, tech, and other randomness that make each locale feel unique and lived in. Scenes are, for the most part, impressively framed and blocked. It straddles the line of feeling like a big budget Star Wars adventure, while still using certain TV aesthetics.
Most impressive, however, are the action sequences we’re treated to. From the outset, it was reported the show would put a focus on dynamic, martial arts-infused, fight scenes. The clips and trailers shown so far have done a solid job teasing those elements, but the full sequences are above and beyond what I had hoped to see.
Dynamic and unlike anything we’ve really seen in Star Wars before, each fight offers up tons of “holy shit” moments that left my jaw dangling. They’re well choreographed and excellently shot, all while still being infused with elements you’d only see in the galaxy far, far away.
“Badass” feels like the only appropriate response to many of the fight scenes and adds another layer of rewatchability to the episodes. Seriously, even on my third viewing, where I just on in the background as I wrote up this review and recaps, I stopped what I was doing to watch the action. I was still engrossed and felt the blood pumping at them.
The back half of the season promises even more action, and based on what I’ve seen so far, I couldn’t be more excited.
Wheels Within Wheels
I’ve done quite a bit of talking so far, but you may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned the story so far. Mostly because I’m doing my damnedest to avoid spoiling things. We’ve known from early on that The Acolyte is billed as a mystery thriller. The trailers have painted the “someone is killing Jedi” angle as a driving force behind the series, along with the mystery behind who the Sith pulling the strings is.
There’s also a pretty important revelation shown in the first episode. Regardless, it’s difficult to talk about the story without accidentally revealing something.
That said, the mystery at the heart of the story isn’t what I was expecting, nor what’s been advertised. I was thrilled to see the turns it took, as it twists your initial assumptions about what to expect. Plus, the mystery it’s actually exploring feels more personal and interesting than the one we thought it’d be dealing with. It hits on some heavier overall themes that I’m still thinking about.
A lot can happen in the back half of the season, but so far, it’s doing a great job of showing how things aren’t always what they seem. Not just in terms of the enemy we deal with (i.e. the Sith), but how we view things like good and evil. How the show sticks the landing will determine whether or not this is a good thing, but for the moment, it feels like Star Wars diving into some heavier themes and paths it’s largely skirted.
Perhaps the most fun part about The Acolyte‘s story is how it gets you thinking and theorizing over every little thing. The bits of lore it introduces in each episode, along with the story/character bits revealed, kept me thinking on things long after the credits rolled (especially Episode 3 which is currently my favorite so far). I’ve been constantly chatting about them, and my theories, with peers who’d seen the episodes as well.
Some Problems
Despite what you may have heard, I’m no stranger to pointing out issues I have with Star Wars stuff. The Acolyte is no exception. While I’m definitely digging the show overall and eager for more, there are some minor quibbles worth mentioning.
As I mentioned, the show largely feels like the Prequels in just about all aspects, for both good and bad. This includes the clunky dialog and performances that don’t feel up to snuff. Maybe even a little bit of story leaps in logic that feel a bit too sudden or out of place with what came before.
The thing with the Prequels is events would just happen. Lucas knew what he wanted to do, where the story should go, and said “fuck it” to get there. Sometimes this meant things don’t always line up nicely or fit within established characterizations. I’d certainly argue Acolyte is far more cohesive in its plotting, but there are moments where this approach is noticeable.
There are also times when a specific line reading, or general performance in a scene, was enough to take me out of the moment. I don’t want to get too specific, but I’m real curious to see how High Republic fans react to this portrayal of Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson). She does some interesting things in the show I can’t wait to discuss in the recaps, but the overall performance is…not great.
Much like the Prequels, however, in nailing the heart and tone of what makes Star Wars tick, these questionable aspects are easy to forgive and simply enjoy the ride as it is. Some will struggle with these elements more than others, which is totally valid and exactly why I’m mentioning it here.
The Woke Factor
If you’re coming to this review to see how “woke” a show is, I strongly suggest you spend more time touching grass. You know who you are.
By and large, I greatly enjoyed what I’ve seen of The Acolyte so far. It manages to feel uniquely Star Wars, while still being fresh; accessible to both newcomers and long-time fans. The overall style and pacing kept me invested, while the messiness of the characters had me instantly hooked.
There are some minor gripes, and much will hinge on if the back half of the season can stick the landing of what’s been set up. Even so, it has an undeniable fun factor and opens up the lore in ways fans are going to be talking about/theorizing on each and every week.
The Acolyte premieres Tuesday, June 4th at 6PM PT on Disney+ with the first two episodes, and new episodes following every Tuesday at the same time.
