The Acolyte Review: Take Its Place Among The “Darkest” Series of the Franchise
Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-Jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, Carrie-Anne Moss
Created By: Leslye Headland
Streaming Platform: Disney+
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars)
The Acolyte is the new TV series that enriches the now boundless mythology of the Star Wars universe. Streaming on Disney+ starting from June 5th, the date on which the first two episodes will be made available, the series will subsequently follow the weekly release formula, as we are now accustomed to with most of the original shows designed for the House of Disney’s platform. Baby mouse. Developed by Leslye Headland, co-creator of Netflix’s hilarious Russian Doll along with Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler, this eight-episode season is ready to transport us to the final years of the High Republic, about a century before the events narrated in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the first film of the prequel trilogy. A remote historical period in the timeline of the “galaxy far, far away”, never explored by live-action productions set in the narrative universe created by George Lucas. The Acolyte offers, for the first time, the opportunity to develop a more or less autonomous story.
Without the need to juggle with the intricate continuity that exists between the various episodes for the cinema and the animated series, but even having to do without characters already known and loved by the large group of fans of the saga (don’t expect familiar faces like Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, obviously not yet born at the time of The Acolyte). The first serial product of the franchise, therefore, not to be called upon to fill the gaps between the three film trilogies (Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor are placed between the prequel trilogy and the classic one, while the series produced by Dave Filoni – The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka – between the classic and the new one, with connections to the animated series created by Filoni himself). Since 2019, when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released, Lucasfilm has been talking about the desire to distance itself, narratively and chronologically, from the so-called Skywalker Saga, telling stories set in other eras and other places in the famous galaxy far, far away. A plan that so far has only generated Andor, which takes place in the period we know but essentially neglects the struggle between the two sides of the Force and its best-known exponents, while the other series created for Disney+, both live-action and animated, in a one way or another they gave plenty of space to the characters we have known for decades. But things are about to change with the new serial project of the franchise, the first to leave the chronological confines of the events of Anakin Skywalker and his descendants.
The Acolyte Review: The Story Plot
We are in a period of relative peace for the Republic, whose security is guaranteed by the vigilant guard of the Jedi Order. A harmony shattered by the murder of the teacher Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), attacked on the oriental planet Ueda by a mysterious warrior. Given her surprising resemblance to her killer, suspicions fall on former padawan Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who abandoned the order years earlier due to unresolved problems linked to her dramatic past. Firmly convinced of his innocence, his old master Sol (Lee Jung-Jae, protagonist of the South Korean cult Squid Game) takes on the responsibility of investigating the case, accompanied by his new student Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and the new knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), Osha’s former classmate at the Jedi Temple. But there could be a dangerous and sinister force behind the mystery of this terrible crime.
The first episode – of the four that we were lucky enough to preview – opens with a spectacular action scene, with atypical characteristics for the Star Wars canon. The teacher Indara dealing with an unarmed opponent, does not draw her lightsaber but decides to fight her with her bare hands. The result is a choreography that is different from the melee duels that Jedi Knights have accustomed us to, reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa’s chanbara samurai (one of the main inspirations of the original Star Wars), and close to the acrobatic martial arts sequences of certain Hong Kong cinema. A scene which, however, is not out of place in the context of the world of Star Wars, probably also thanks to the presence of Carrie-Anne Moss, an interpreter with whom the majority of the public will automatically associate this type of action (the actress is famous above all for Trinity’s iconic role in the Matrix saga).
The Acolyte Review and Analysis
Leaving this spectacular prologue behind, The Acolyte immediately reveals its true nature: that of an investigative mystery set in George Lucas’s famous fantasy universe. A hunt for the culprit around the galaxy, including interrogations and clues to follow, without neglecting, obviously, the adventurous element, which contributed so much to the success of the very famous franchise. There is no shortage of references to old films, especially to the Episode above 1, which however remain only on a thematic level, without being fundamental for understanding the plot (indeed, The Acolyte is among those Star Wars productions accessible even to those with only partial knowledge of his narrative universe). In the visit by Yord and his padawan to a Trade Federation ship it is impossible, at least for a fan, not to think of that of Qui-Gon Jonn and Obi-Wan Kenobi which kicks off the events of The Phantom Menace. Just as deliberate parallels are created between Osha’s backstory and that of Anakin (both with an extraordinary sensitivity to the Force, found and welcomed by the Jedi at an older age than is usually allowed. Furthermore, with a heavy family mourning weighing on their destiny).
The Acolyte manages to offer a new type of story for the Star Wars universe while maintaining that strong sense of familiarity with the saga that is so dear to fans. Some more effort would have been appreciated to characterize the remote historical era in which these events are set. The few differences with the classic setting are found only in the more primitive design of some droids and in the wardrobe of the Jedi, who here prefer to wear yellow and golden robes under their cloaks. Even the scenarios of the planets shown, at least in these first four episodes, fall within the classic settings of the saga (city, snowy, and wooded planets). Details which, however, do not detract from the effectiveness of the narrative structure set up by Leslye Headland, as always enhanced by a production of the highest level.
At least in the four episodes, we have seen, no characters already known to the public appear (and for reasons linked to the time in which the story is set, the only possible host that makes sense would be Yoda), and part of the charm of the show lies precisely in getting to know these new figures, who add layers of mystery to the function of the Jedi knights (whose weaknesses after centuries of unchallenged dominion over the Dark Side were one of the central elements of the second film trilogy). Particularly notable are Korean star Lee Jung-Jae, in his first English-language role as Sol, and Carrie-Anne Moss, who as Indara reminds us that she can still do all the moves she learned back then in the Matrix trilogy (the series is also interesting in terms of choreography, with duels based on fists rather than lightsabers, following the oriental model of wuxia).
The protagonist – despite the choral nature of the project – is Amandla Stenberg, who with Osha allows the franchise to explore the more nebulous sides of the Force and its implications for young apprentices (a topic already mentioned previously but the focus here). Also noteworthy is the return to the fold (or rather, to the galaxy) of the Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo, who since 2017 has definitively replaced Peter Mayhew in the role of Chewbacca and here, thanks to the imposing stature that earned him the entrance in the franchise almost ten years ago, he lends his body to another Wookiee, Kelnacca, a Jedi who has chosen to live in solitude and is forced to return to action when his friends begin to die badly. After having already experimented with the reinterpretation of genres on Netflix with the series Russian Doll, the screenwriter and producer Leslye Headland inaugurates on the screen what is a true subcategory of the Lucasian franchise: the era of the High Republic, i.e. the five centuries preceding the destruction of the Jedi order and the rise of Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious.
Fertile ground for exploring new philosophical nuances, an opportunity that Headland fully exploits by investigating an intermediate area of the Force, represented by the doubt about it and the uncertainties about the presumed moral infallibility of the self-styled defenders of peace throughout the galaxy. And with the mystery component at the center of the premise she also gives the franchise back the possibility of surprising, which Lucasfilm seemed to have partially given up after the negative reactions of some of the fandom to some events of the third trilogy. When in doubt about how to move forward, the solution was to go backward, reinterpreting that “A long time ago” which since 1977 has introduced cosmic adventures par excellence. With a series of vast questions that we ask ourselves in the first two episodes, there are just as many answers, and for this reason, it is natural to wonder what could happen in the remaining episodes and the future of the series. But not long after, The Acolyteoffers new paths to follow and the continuation of the plot thread to which the aforementioned subplot is then added; thanks to this union, the series continues to surprise with a non-stop pace.
This is why the storytelling and combat style present in The Acolyteare the strengths of the series for the moment. Which have a vast arsenal of events, plots, and themes as vast as a spider’s web, and martial arts choreography that is visually quite a shock for the viewer. For this reason, when well-directed fights and special effects are added, they create a pleasant show for the audience. The negative note that can be made for now is the fact that taking into consideration that this is the first time that we have a prequel that tells a story set in the High Republic, the series focuses solely “on the story”, in a sense in which it seems that our “peripheral vision” on the surrounding events, therefore not concentrated solely on the series of murders, on the Grand Master Sol or the warrior, seems not to be there. What happens to the characters and within the plot could have happened in any era of the series, from what we have been able to see so far. So, it would have been nice and satisfying to show more of the Ata Repubblica and what was happening outside of the events strictly linked to the main story.
The story of Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who in life works as a Meknes, which means spaceship mechanics, suddenly becomes complicated due to a matter of mistaken identity involving a very close relative of hers, her home planet, a list of hatred and revenge like Arya Stark or Beatrix Kiddo and a series of Jedi masters. Including, in fact, Carrie-Ann Moss’s Indara – who, let’s say straight away, is only seen for a handful of minutes in the first four episodes… “Diludendo”. The most positive aspects are, at least while it remains so, the mystery on which the story is based, for the simple fact that it is something quite new in the Star Wars style. And then some figures like Osha (and Mae), Indara with a dropper (but she’s Trinity Jedi), and the Korean Lee Jung-Jae from Squid Game in the role of Master Sol. Or the coven of Force witches, who despite a moment a breath away from the musical, take up well a fascinating concept already seen in Star Wars (in particular with the Nightsisters of Star Wars: The Clone Wars). In the sense: and who said that only those dressed as monks and the Sith black hoods can and should use the Force?
The Acolyte Review: The Last Words
The Acolyte seems to want to take its place among the “darkest” series of the franchise, a shame for a lack of a “peripheral vision” of the High Republic, but the two strong points: combat style and story-telling encourage us to continue watching, more than worthy of a chance to amaze you. The stellar saga goes back about a century to tell a story steeped in mystery and revenge, which reworks well-known elements with a taste for freshness. The Acolyte is the new series set in the Star Wars universe that transports us to the final years of the High Republic, almost a century before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The narrative structure set up by Leslye Headland, already co-creator of the hilarious Russian Doll, brings the detective story into the fantastic universe born from the mind of George Lucas. A new type of story for the famous science fiction franchise, which however does not forget the elements that made it successful, such as the adventurous spirit. Perhaps the remote historical era, the setting of the story, does not have particularly distinctive elements, but the result is nevertheless successful and enhanced by a production of the highest level.
The Acolyte Review: Take Its Place Among The "Darkest" Series of the Franchise - Filmyhype
Director: Leslye Headland
Date Created: 2024-06-05 14:18
3.5
Pros
- The absence of the Skywalkers and surrounding characters gives the series a certain freshness
- The cast is in tune with the material
- The fights are recognizable and at the same time new
- The mystery element is very intriguing
Cons
- The absence of well-known characters could disappoint the hard core of the fans
