Skip to main content

The Acolyte Episode 1-4 Review

 


Three years ago Disney introduced us to a brand new era in Star Wars, The High Republic. This Era has seen a massive explosion in content spanning, books, comics and now the very first live action series, The Acolyte.  The first High Republic book titled, Light of The Jedi takes place two-hundred years before Episode 1 and the goal is to bridge that gap with content up to The Acolyte which takes place 100 years before Episode 1 and marks the end of The High Republic Era. 


The Acolyte begins in a time of peace within the galaxy, The Republic, and the Jedi Order. The Order is large, similar to the size in the prequel trilogy. It is an era of Jedi temples, academies and many Jedi. We  are introduced to many Jedi as they begin investigating the death of one of their own. This investigation takes us across the galaxy and introduces us to many brand new elements in the Star Wars universe yet to be seen in live action. 

One of my favorite elements about the Jedi in this series is their unique attire that helps create a bit of individuality compared to the Jedi attire in the prequel series. Jedi Master Sol is one of my favorite Jedi in the series so far. He is direct but compassionate at times and seems to be the most layered compared to many others. It is so great to see Carrie-Anne Moss as a Jedi Master and back in an action role. The fight choreography for her Jedi, Indara and many others is very well done. All of the fight screens are encounters are unique and display different force abilities as well. 

A few plot devices are a bit obvious in the first few episodes but there are also many twists and turns that make up for it along the way and make for some really unique storylines. After the first four episodes, a few Jedi still need some time to shine but hopefully they get some spotlight in the last half of the season. The use of practical effects is perfect and the fight choreography is absolutely stellar and original with its combinations of hand-to-hand combat and force abilities. The season has set up a lot of pieces and thankfully it is a contained story so far. It will be exciting to see how the season ends and ties all of these prices together.

The first two episodes of The Acolyte air today on Disney +

3.5/5

Review by: Stefano Bove


Popular posts from this blog

Boss Level Film Review

       Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation.  Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

Godzilla vs. Kong Film Review

         Godzilla versus Kong is the action movie we have been longing for since all major blockbuster films pushed back their release dates. After three solo films between Kong and Godzilla, we finally see the two titans clash on film for the first time in what is the culmination of the Universal Monsterverse. The story is split nicely in two as team Kong and team Godzilla each have their own mission. Team Kong is on a secret mission to the center of the earth to uncover the mystery of the titans. This team consists of Dr. Nathan, Dr. Ilene, Maia, and the Youngest character in the film, Jia. Team Godzilla consists of Madison, Josh, and Bernie who are also on a secret mission, to infiltrate Apex Cybernetics with the theory that they are up to no good and are the reason why Godzilla has been acting up recently. The dynamics of the teams are well balanced as the Kong story provides us with serious and more action-heavy bits in contrast to the Apex team story that ...

Better Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

  What at first feels like a CGI gimmick allows Better Man to climb and swing it’s way beyond standard biopic conventions. This larger than life musical is worth a watch even if, like me, you needed to ask “Who the hell is Robbie Williams?”.  A pop icon in the UK who didn’t quite make a household name for himself in North America, Robbie Williams bares his life (the good the bad and the drug fueled ugly) in this dazzling account of his rise to fame. Musician biopics often focus too heavily on the creation of the artist’s work, and not enough on the actual artist. Better Man gives audiences a sobering portrait of the man behind the monkey, with his songs placed in pivotal life and career moments to move the narrative forward. This works especially well if you aren’t entirely familiar with Williams’ work, because you won’t find yourself waiting to hear specific needle drops. Instead they flow organically into the story, with gorgeously choreographed musical numbers.  And bo...