Watched on Disney+ Hotstar (in India)
The Acolyte is a fresh take on the Star Wars universe, set during the High Republic era, which is 100 years before The Phantom Menace. I appreciated how this series stepped away from the familiar Skywalker saga and took a chance to explore new characters and stories. The blend of a murder mystery and conspiracy thriller was intriguing for me, and I liked that it carried a mature tone, similar to Andor.
The diverse cast brought a lot of energy, with standout performances from Lee Jung-Jae as Jedi Master Sol and Amandla Stenberg playing twins Osha and Mae. Manny Jacinto as The Stranger, a Sith villain, added an interesting twist to the usual Jedi-Sith dynamic.
Visually, the series is a treat. The practical effects and well-choreographed action sequences really make the era feel unique. The lightsaber battles were particularly impressive, and I found myself looking forward to those scenes. The show’s focus on hand-to-hand combat was a nice change from the usual Star Wars action, giving it a different flavour.
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However, despite the eye-catching visuals and strong performances, there were some things that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Some episodes felt too short, which left certain characters underdeveloped and made the pacing feel uneven. At times it felt like the episodes were dragged on and were tiring, but I pushed myself to watch all of them in the hope that the story would get better. (No, it didn’t)
Even after the show ended, I had a lot of questions than answers, which kind of annoyed me. And well, after releasing something like Andor, it gets really tough to wrap around the fact that no other Star Wars (live-action) shows have great writing.
TSHC Score: 5/10
The Acolyte has its flaws and I think you should watch it only if you’re a Star Wars fan looking for something different. It’s not perfect, but it has some fresh ideas and interesting themes. It’s ambitious and creative, but some of its execution could have been better.
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