Star Wars The Acolyte Review: Seriously, how much Star Wars content is Disney going to cram up through our throats before we all realise enough is enough? Every couple of months, we get some SW-related content, either animated or live-action, on Disney+, and now, in June 2024, we have The Acolyte. The thing is, as much as the events of a galaxy far, far away are testing my patience in recent years, there are a couple of nice surprises that drop in now and then. Like Andor, for example. Now, maybe The Acolyte can also join Andor in being a not-so-bad Star Wars show. It is intriguing, it is suspenseful and it doesn't get ambitious for the sake of it, going by the first four episodes I have watched of the show. OTT Releases Of The Week: Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff's Bade Miyan Chote Miyan On Netflix, Dafne Keen's Star Wars - The Acolyte on Disney+ Hotstar & More.

Created by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte is set 100 years before the rise of the Empire going by the perfunctory Star Wars crawl that comes before the episode. In a bar, a Jedi Master named Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) is assassinated by a rogue Jedi, who seems to have a past with the victim. Based on a sole eye-witness' testimony, Osha (Amandla Stenberg), a former Jedi reject and presently a space-ship mechanic, is arrested by Yord (Charlie Barnett), a temple guardian Jedi, as she matches the killer's description. She insists she has nothing to do with the killing.

Watch the Trailer of The Acolyte:

Her former master, Sol (Lee Jung-jae), also doesn't believe that Osha could kill Indara. It turns out that they were right, as the killer turns out to be her long-thought-dead identical twin sister Mae. What's more, she has been trained by a mysterious Jedi master, whose identity remains shrouded even after four episodes, though the person gets a badass sequence near the end of the fourth one.

A Still From The Acolyte

What I enjoyed about The Acolyte is that it has a very single-narrative-driven plot instead of taking a new adventure-a-week approach to The Mandalorian. There are very minimal fan baits. The show is also very contained, allowing us to follow only a handful of characters, most of whom have a shared history with each other, with the focus more on Osha/Mae.

A Still From The Acolyte

The mystery around Mae's murderous intentions for her intended targets and her unknown mentor keeps the suspense alive, while the drama is reserved for the equation between Sol and Osha. Also, Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies) and Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) made their characters resonate with me. I hope Logan scene-stealer Dafne Keene, who plays Sol's present Padawan Jecki Lon, gets a bigger part to play in the final four episodes, and so does The Good Place scene-stealer Manny Jacinto (Qimir), who did crack me up with his goofy humour in the scene where he is confronted by Sol and his team. Andor Season Finale Review: Diego Luna’s Star Wars Spinoff Concludes With a Spectacular Bang!

A Still From The Acolyte

The third episode - some SPOILERS ahead - is a flashback one that does halt the pacing a bit, but then manages to offer some curious surprises towards the end. Also, the episode has the fine Jodie Turner-Smith, and that's always a win. Not all issues are smoothened out, though. Some plot points are confusingly dealt with. Like, Mae gets an opportunity to take on a target much earlier than expected, but she takes a less aggressive approach towards that. Perhaps that might be answered ahead.

Similarly, one character is shown okay to end their life of guilt for what happened to Mae, but I didn't see any profound reaction in that person when the incident actually happened. Again, hoping the rest of the episodes might answer that.

A Still From The Acolyte

Technically, The Acolyte may not be the most polished Star Wars show out there, but I didn't mind the slight influence of Wuxia in the action choreography.

Final Thoughts on Star Wars The Acolyte

Yes, I am tired of Star Wars content being churned out nearly every month, but occasionally, the franchise also comes up with shows that soften my frustration with the series. The Acolyte worked for me because it doesn't aim for some far-reaching story that drops fan bait every now and then but rather serves an interesting mystery through a single-plot-driven narrative, which makes for a refreshing change. The Acolyte is streaming in India on Disney+ Hotstar.

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2024 10:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).