Review - The Acolyte (2024)

          Hey guys, Chuck here. The Acolyte is the newest series in the Star Wars franchise, and was created for Disney+ by Leslye Headland, who is noted for being the creator of the acclaimed Netflix series Russian Doll. 

         The series is set in the final years of the High Republic era, which puts it roughly a hundred years or so before The Phantom Menace. The series opens with a hooded figure entering a tavern and confronting a Jedi Master named Indara, leading to a fight that ends with Indara's death. Alerted to the murder, the Jedi investigate, with signs pointing to a former Padawan named Osha Aniseya. But, Osha was nowhere near the planet Indara was killed on. And, it's her former teacher, Master Sol, that believes her innocence. So, who's the culprit? Osha's twin sister Mae, who has been secretly training with a mysterious figure in a mask. 

         Mae, it turns out, is targeting Jedi who were on her and Osha's home planet when their coven, a group of space witches, was killed and their home burned to the ground. Why? Well, a group of Jedi, including Sol and Indara, went to the planet Mae and Osha came from, and attempted to take the girls, who were conceived immaculately by two of the witches using the Force, from their home, but only because one of the Jedi, Torbin, was in a hurry to return to Coruscant. And, the Jedi were only there to investigate a "vergence" in the Force, believing it to be tied to Mae and Osha. Mae and Osha's mother, Aniseya, is killed, the coven essentially wiped out, and the Jedi blame the incident on Mae starting a fire. 

        But, Mae survived, and now is after the likes of Indara, Sol, Torbin, and the fourth Jedi from that night: a Wookiee named Kelnacca. And, she is working with a smuggler named Qimir. Osha, meanwhile, is asked to help the Jedi in finding Mae, and bringing her to face justice. However, things go pretty sideways when we learn that Qimir is, actually, Mae's secret master, and a Sith. His helmet, which is resistant to lightsabers, is made of a powerful metal called cortosis. And, in a final confrontation on their home planet, Osha is the one to end Sol's life, causing a bleeding effect on the crystal in Sol's lightsaber, which Osha was holding. And, just before he dies, Sol reveals that Mae and Osha are one person, and admits to killing Aniseya. 

         Mae and Osha reconcile, and Osha agrees to leave with Qimir as long as Mae goes free. Qimir erases Mae's memories, and she's taken by a group of Jedi being led by Master Vernestra Rwoh, who had been in charge of overseeing the investigation, and we learn that Qimir was once her Padawan. Ultimately, Vernestra opts to set up that Sol went rogue, caused the purge against Mae and Osha's coven, and killed Indara, Torbin, Kelnacca, and eventually himself to cover up his crimes, and thus concealing the potential return of the Sith. 

        Well before this series released its first trailer, there was a lot heat being lobbied towards the series. And, upon the release of the first two episodes, it was bogged down with negative responses from viewers, and the lowest audience rating of any Star Wars title on Rotten Tomatoes. But, is the series worth all of the negativity it got? Is it just "woke trash" that marks the final nail in the coffin for "Disney Star Wars?" Well, to be honest, yes and no. 

        Yes, because this is not a good series. I mean, the writing, storytelling, and acting is something on par with a teen drama on The CW. Heck, even the set designs feel like they were made for a production for The CW. Now, while I have certainly enjoyed a few CW shows like Arrow and Riverdale, I really thought that most television producers decided that the look that CW shows had wasn't the quality that should be strived for. That something more akin to Game of Thrones or Stranger Things in terms of visual storytelling quality is the way to go. But, apparently not, as this series has the look and feel of a CW show. 

       However, I don't think it's deserving of the absolute bile it's been getting online. As much as I don't like the series, there are a few elements I enjoyed. For instance, there were a few decent lightsaber fights in a few of the episodes. And, getting to see a lightsaber bleeding effect, where the crystal and blade go from its original color to red was something I was pretty excited to see happen on screen. Also, the introduction of cortosis in a live-action project, as well as seeing a Selkath in live-action was pretty neat for me, as well, as I remember those things from the video game Knights of the Old Republic, so to finally get a live-action Selkath, and to see the bad guy use a cortosis helmet, was kinda cool. And, who didn't get excited seeing that brief appearance by Darth Plagueis, cause I certainly did. 

       But, the acting was a mixed bag. Amandla Stenberg was okay as Mae and Osha, Lee Jung-Jae was decent as Sol, and Manny Jacinto was pretty intriguing as Qimir. I initially wasn't a fan of Rebecca Henderson's portrayal of Vernestra Rwoh, but she did grow on me as the series wrapped up. And seeing her lightsaber whip was cool, as someone who read books she appeared in like A Test of Courage. But, I do feel that Carrie-Ann Moss and Dean-Charles Chapman as Indara and Torbin were just underutilized and it was almost a waste of talent getting them. But, seeing them in a Star Wars project was cool. And, I will admit that I enjoyed Dafne Keen as Sol's Padawan Jecki, and I think she had some good moments. 

        All in all, not the best Star Wars show on Disney+, but not a complete crapfest either. I give The Acolyte a rating of 2.25/5. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.