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Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Review: It’s been almost 17 years since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith hit cinemas. In those 17 years, Star Wars as a franchise has evolved so much. From the thundering highs of The Mandalorian and Rogue One to the lows of the Sequel Trilogy and The Book of Boba Fett, the franchise has been quite inconsistent in the quality of its goods. One of the big worries I had going into Obi-Wan Kenobi was that will the show actually bring something of substance or is it just there to appease some fans? At least from the first two episodes it looks like there is quite a worthy story to be told here. Top Gun Maverick Movie Review: Tom Cruise's Legacy Sequel is a Gripping, Emotional Spectacle That Honours the Original! (LatestLY Exclusive).
Obi-Wan Kenobi picks up 10 years after Revenge of the Sith. The Jedi are all but gone with the exception of a few. Things seem extremely bleak as the Inquisitors hunt the remaining Jedi, and in the midst of it you have Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) trying to maintain a low profile while at the same time keeping an eye on Luke.
After starting off with a flashback of Order 66, we a transported to Tatooine. The series picks off with the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend), The Third Sister Reva (Ingram Moses) and the Fifth Brother (Sung Kang) on Tatooine hunting a Jedi (Benny Safdie). After a scene that I found to be quite oddly edited, we are then transported to catch up with what Obi-Wan is doing.
Living his exile out as a worker in a meat factory, Obi-Wan does his best to keep out of the public eye. Ewan McGregor plays a more cynical version of Obi-Wan here. While at times his original charm from the prequels still comes out, him here is very much a broken man. Echoing Mark Hamill’s performance as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Obi-Wan has given up on hope as well.
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That is until a situation pulls him back into the game that I can’t really reveal here. I found the setup for why Obi-Wan is back into his Jedi robes to be quite satisfying to be honest. Again, as I previously mentioned, I was worried about the series feeling like it just existing to satisfy fans, but no, the story is there indeed. McGregor shines as Obi-Wan as we travel through his bleak life, and in many ways, it sets up a redemption arc for him, and one that we know will be paid off considering where he is at the start of A New Hope.
On the other hand, we have Ingram Moses as Reva, who is quite formidable in her own way. Reva is fuelled with rage and will do anything to catch Kenobi as it seems like there is unknown unfinished business between them. There is one particular scene where she outsmarts Kenobi quite well, and that ultimately made her a villain that I am really looking forward to see more of.
Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor was quite entertaining to watch too, which is ironic, considering he doesn’t seem to keen on being a “Friend” of yours (ah the puns). While the performance was good, ultimately the writing let him down here. Knowing the future of where he is in Rebels, I know this doesn’t really mean much, and I hope he has a much bigger part in the show. Joel Edgerton also returns as Owen Lars, and it was quite the treat seeing him here too.
However, Obi-Wan Kenobi does run into a few problems when it comes to the pacing of it. With this being a six-episode event, the episodes themselves move at quite the slow pace. It took a long while for the first episode to actually kick in to the meat of its story, and the second episode ended right as it was starting to get interesting. I hope it doesn’t run into the same issue the last few Marvel Disney+ series have run into.
There are also a few stunts in here, where the wire work was quite visible. One scene involving Reva, just looked a bit goofy, and I was hoping for the movements to be seem less floaty, and more refined. With Deborah Chow directing all the episodes, I hope the much bigger set pieces of the series are handled more carefully.
Loki’s composer Natalie Holt also makes a great impression. While Ludwig Goransson was able to bring his own flair to The Mandalorian, Holt plays it by the cards and delivers a score that is closer to what you would expect from Star Wars. That’s not a bad thing necessarily, as the work done here is fantastic and really fits within the context of the series. Stranger Things Season 4 Part 1 Review: This Is the ‘Avengers Infinity War’-Level Adventure for the Netflix Saga! (LatestLY Exclusive).
Also, just a quick shoutout, the ending of episode two literally left me with chills. Consider me hyped for what’s about to come.
Yay!
Ewan McGregor
A Story to Be Told
Nay!
Pacing Issues
Final Thoughts
Ewan McGregor’s Jedi makes a satisfying return to a galaxy, far, far away. While pacing issues can slow down the vibe of it, it is still carried by some interesting world building and a second episode ending that send chills down your spine. The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming on Disney+ Hotstar right now, with a new episode dropping every Wednesday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2022 02:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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