Adding to its already immense presence in the entertainment world, the Star Wars Universe has added its newest series The Acolyte to Disney Plus.
Starring Amandla Stenberg, the series follows the former Padawan Osha Aniseya 100 years before the Phantom Menace. The empire is in chaos as a series of crimes threatens the balance, bringing Jedi Master Sol together with his former Padawan Osha to fight against the threat. It is revealed that the criminal they seek is in fact Osha’s twin sister Mae, who has become a wanted fugitive for killing Jedi.
So far, The Acolyte has received rave reviews from critics, earning a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. It has been praised for its compelling storyline and new-found approach to the plethora of potential stories in the Star Wars Universe.
Though the series has the same charm as the entirety of the Star Wars franchise, it is honestly an underwhelming watch. While the lightsaber fight sequences are enthralling for any Star Wars fans, they cannot withstand the unconvincing performances from the show’s leading characters.
In terms of Star Wars shows, The Acolyte is forced to stand against critically-acclaimed The Mandalorian and Andor, and unfortunately, it just does not measure up. The story, though it sounds interesting in summary, is ultimately not drastically different from stories of Star Wars past, and its dry acting performances and lack of solid writing certainly don’t help.
As the series unfolds, interesting developments occur between Osha’s apparently alive twin sister Mae, also played by Stenberg, as they both were recently revealed to be created by witches. Fans have quickly begun a deep-dive into this element of the story, and how it could potentially connect to Darth Vader and people created by the force itself.
But audiences aren’t loving the show nearly as much as critics, with a rating of a devastating 21% from over 10,000 viewers. Many of viewers’ complaints lie with the characters, who failed to truly connect with the audience in any big way. The Star Wars fanbase is immense and difficult to impress, and it seems that The Acolyte just isn’t meeting their (often ridiculously high) standards.
Its strengths lie mostly in its CGI, which is at this point relatively expected for any project within the Star Wars universe. Lee Jung-Jae’s portrayal of Jedi Master Sol stood out as one of the series’ best.
Some audience reviews are ultimately biased, with many complaints deriving from the fact that the leading character is a Black woman. Similar complaints arose in the Star Wars sequel, with Star Wars fans unfairly rejecting Daisy Ridley’s performance simply because they did not like the creator’s move to cast her as the film’s leading actress.
Upon first watch, however, audience reviews aren’t far off regarding the series’ plot and characters. The series is mildly entertaining but ultimately fails to truly capture the heart of audiences, as many of the films and series in the universe have successfully done.
Only three episodes have been released so far, and fans who are sticking with the series can look forward to more episodes in the coming weeks on Disney Plus.
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