Films for Breakfast

NOTE: This is a review of episodes 1-4 of the series.

The Star Wars universe is so incredibly vast, and yet, all of the films and shows have only covered the timeline of the Skywalker saga. The Acolyte breaks this trend by being set roughly a hundred years before the events of The Phantom Menace – this immediately separates it from any of the saga films and grants the series with so much possibility for creative freedom. The show follows a wide-spread crime spree that grabs the attention of the entire Jedi order and specifically Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) as it brings him back together with a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues and crimes emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal not everything is quite as it seems.

The High Republic era of Star Wars has only been explored within books and comics over the last few years, and it has proven to be a pretty fascinating time for the series. The Acolyte begins at the end of the High Republic era, as the Jedi are still the dominant force for peace and order in the Galaxy, with any potential criminals being easily taken care of and their influence remaining unmatched. However, the violence and action set against the Jedi in The Acolyte feels inherently more sinister and impactful knowing how the end of the High Republic era inevitably leads to their downfall in the prequel trilogy; there’s a genuine sense of uneasiness and dread found within the central mystery that goes a long way in establishing genuine stakes and a singular tone.

My favorite thing about The Acolyte is how it feels simultaneously old-fashioned in terms of storytelling and lore, as well as incredibly singular and distinct from anything else in the series. Showrunner Leslie Headland, who also served as the showrunner for the excellent series Russian Doll, makes it abundantly clear from the moment that the show begins that she fundamentally understands the world of Star Wars, but also that she isn’t afraid to try new things. As the show opens, we are treated to a glorious action sequence that is heavily wushu-inspired within its fight choreography and framing. This sets the tone for how unique and exciting the rest of the show feels.

In any good mystery, the characters have to be as equally engaging as the mystery itself for it to be effective. Luckily for The Acolyte, the characters are all fascinating in their own ways and feel appropriately messy and human. Jedi Master Sol, played by Lee Jung-jae, is easily my favorite character of the series thus far as he feels so quintessential to what the Jedi represent yet clearly struggles with the investigation he’s leading. Amandla Stenberg, Charlie Barnett, and Dafne Keen all turn in great performances as well, making for a well-rounded ensemble of characters who feel distinct from one-another and fully realized. It’s easy to immediately invest within this group, and it makes all of the action all the more exciting.

The central mystery of the show feels inherently dark and evil, but this doesn’t stop the show from having a really grand sense of adventure and wonder that all of the best Star Wars shows and films do. Each episode feels incredibly vast and epic in terms of scale and scope, while also delivering top-notch action and storytelling. It’s so nice to see a show of this caliber where you can not only feel the entire budget on-screen as you watch it, but that the showrunners didn’t waste their opportunity within playing in this sandbox. It truly feels like on every level, it was made with love, care, and excitement.

Most Star Wars productions have a pretty impressive sense of production design, although I have found that some of the Disney+ shows rely a bit too heavily on The Volume technology; something that made Andor feel so distinct to everything else we’ve gotten over the last four years. The Acolyte feels more akin to Andor in terms of production, as there are so many glorious practical effects, costumes, sets, and on-location shots that truly go a long way within making the world feel all the more tangible and lived-in. On one hand, this feels so fundamentally and classically Star Wars – but on the other, it feels fresh and unique as it takes place a hundred years prior to anything else we’ve seen from the series before.

It’s hard to talk in-depth about the story and characters as I’ve only seen about half of the show thus far and want to avoid spoilers as the mystery and character dynamics are all part of the fun, but from what I’ve seen so far, The Acolyte is cooking up a quintessential story within the Star Wars galaxy. Within the first four episodes, I was astounded by how much ground it covers and how much efficient character works it lays out; yet paves way for the mystery to unwind even deeper. I’m fully locked in and truly can’t wait to see where the show goes from here. When my only complaint is that I wish I had access to the entire series, you know the show is doing something right.

4/5