On July 16, the Disney+ service ended the screening of another miniseries based on the cult «Star Wars» called «The Acolyte». At the time of this writing, the project’s audience rating on IMDb was a miserable 3.6 out of 10 (showrunner Leslie Headland confessed, which was ready for such a turn of events), while Rotten Tomatoes showed a solid 81% positive review from critics based on 214 reviews. In the review below, we analyze who is right and who is — not so right
Genre adventure fiction
Showrunner Leslie Headland
Starring Amandla Stenberg, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lee Jong-Che, Daphne Keane, Carrie-Anne Moss
Premiere Disney+
Year of release 2024
Website IMDb
A hundred years before the events of the movie «Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace» The Republic was still in its heyday. At the same time, the Jedi Order was particularly powerful in those days. But someone in the Galaxy is clearly angry with the adherents of the Light Side of the Force, at least with certain individuals because this unknown, or rather — unknown, has organized a real hunt for knights with lightsabers.
In this regard, the Order initiates an investigation to find the killer. The investigation involves the powerful Jedi Saul, his younger colleague Jord Fender, Padawan Jackie Lon, and several other extras. Everything points to the fact that the crimes were committed by Sol’s former padawan, now a ship repairer named Osha Anisea. But later it turns out that everything is not as simple as it seems at first glance, and the answers should be sought by looking to the distant past, where some tragic events took place.
Yes, there was the excellent «Rogue One», and next to it was the mediocre and financially failed «Solo». There was «Andor»which literally fell in love with the audience, but before that almost everyone spat on «Obi-Wan Kenobi».
In the case of «The Acolyte», the situation was very controversial. The ratings of viewers and critics scream of the opposite perception: some completely hated the project, while others never tired of pouring praise. So who is right? And where is the truth in this battle of worldviews?
First of all, it’s worth remembering that what may seem like a breath of fresh air to progressive Western critics may be considered a violation of the canon by diehard fans of the series, and it’s better not to joke about such things. And what is commonly referred to as «universe expansion» is seen by many as a mockery of their favorite movie saga.
Showrunner Leslie Headland understood she was creating the project not for the sake of the franchise’s multimillion-dollar army of fans, but rather in spite of it. Moreover, in English-language reviews there was an opinion that «The Acolyte» would be a good option for newcomers to the franchise or those who are somewhat familiar with the Galaxy, and this was presented as a definite plus. But no one voiced the thesis that for the target audience, this show turned into something like the last nail in the coffin. And so we have what we have.
The main problem with «The Acolyte» is not a possible failure to follow some canon or an unfortunate «summons», but that it is an infinitely boring, catastrophically secondary and artificially extended story, based purely on cheap dramatic techniques. Strangely enough, it brings nothing interesting to the usual lore.
Although, it would seem, the story is focused on an era that is extremely far from Skywalker’s passions; that is, there was more than enough room for maneuver. But no, let’s play the plot again «not everything is so clear» or «I̶’̶m̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r I’m sure your sister is still alive».
A noticeable qualitative revival occurs in the fifth episode, where there is a place for exciting action, lightsaber battles, and even several unexpected character deaths. But this segment is essentially the only bright spot against the background of uninteresting dialogues and characters. Due to the creators’ attempts to promote the narrative «not everything is so clear» there is no really bright antagonist here, which is formally a mysterious Sith in a regular helmet.
«The Acolyte» doesn’t seem like a project that’s completely optional for the cult franchise, but a real rudiment of it, openly testing the strength and endurance of the saga’s fans. So the only thing left to wish the latter is — may the Force be with you, gentlemen.