"The Acolyte" Cometh

Whether you like it or dislike it, "The Acolyte" is one of the more interesting shows to come out of Lucasfilm.  This is the "Star Wars" series that takes place hundreds of years before "The Phantom Menace," when the Jedi are thriving as the peacekeepers of the galaxy.  A mysterious assassin is going around killing Jedi, initially identified as a former Padawan, Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who trained under Master Sol (Lee Jung-Jae).  The actual assassin turns out to be Osha's twin sister Mae, who holds a terrible grudge against the Jedi.  She's working for a mystery villain who has trained her for her mission of revenge.  Other members of the cast include Carrie Ann Moss, Charlie Barnett, Daphne Keen, Manny Jacinto, Rebecca Henderson, and Jodie Turner-Smith.

There's a lot of fantastic stuff in "The Acolyte."  The fight scenes are spectacular, especially the lightsaber duels, which have a lot of martial arts influence.  There are several memorable characters, including the best new "Star Wars" villain since Kylo Ren.  The way the story challenges the existing "Star Wars" lore is great, operating in shades of gray and keeping the audience guessing about who the real villains are.  It's not afraid of tragedy or romance or complicated characters.  Also, be warned that the body count is a lot higher than I expected at the outset.  The show is firmly YA, but gets into some dark and thorny material.  I admire all the things that "The Acolyte" is trying to do, which is why it's so frustrating that it's not as well executed as it could be.    

"Star Wars" has always been pretty straightforward in its storytelling, maybe too straightforward at times.  "The Acolyte," however, is endlessly circuitous, often just plain messy, and full of needlessly drawn out revelations.  Some of the initial marketing billed this show as a murder mystery, and it absolutely does not work as a murder mystery.  The pacing is haphazard, and this must have been especially trying to watch as it aired over multiple weeks, because some of the installments are so short.  I like that there's a lot of ambiguity about certain characters' motivations - I think Sol has the most satisfying arc.  However, this can also make it difficult to parse what's going on.  It's much harder than it should be to follow the rationale of some of Osha and Mae's actions.  Amandla Sternberg does her best, but the stilted dialogue doesn't do her any favors.  And of course the final episode ends on a cliffhanger with far too much unexplained. 

However, "The Acolyte" definitely feels like a big step in the right direction.  Though it delves into some of the more obscure "Star Wars" lore, you don't need to have any familiarity with the franchise to jump right in.  Aside from a few odd cameos, there's little nostalgia in play here.  Prior "Star Wars" shows revisited some of the same locations and familiar imagery so many times, the universe was starting to feel very small.  With "The Acolyte," we have a few more planets, a few more ways to use the Force, and some uncomfortable questions being earnestly asked.  I also enjoy the use of the international cast, especially how several of them seem to be purposefully subverting their other famous roles.  I'm tempted to write a spoiler post just to gush over one of the big reveals.    

The show's production values are in line with all the other Disney+ "Star Wars" media of recent years, with more emphasis on the fight sequences.  I especially like some of the character design and costuming work here, which help to set "The Acolyte" apart as taking place in a different era.  There's so much to like about this show, and it's too bad that it doesn't seem like it's going to get the chance to improve.   

  

---