Star Wars: The Acolyte
The Star Wars universe attempts to expand further by exploring a previously almost untouched period, that of the pre-Skywalker era, in the new live-action series from Lucasfilm, The Acolyte, streaming exclusively on Disney+.
Star Wars is a brand that, while it never truly dies, has been experiencing years of great stagnation and transition. Following the poorly received sequel trilogy, it has tried to revive itself through streaming, with the first live-action TV series dedicated to the shared narrative universe. There was the worldwide success of The Mandalorian, the failures of The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the return to glory with Ahsoka, and now it is up to The Acolyte to try and rejuvenate the saga. To do this, creator Leslye Headland chooses a female and almost ancestral perspective, that of witchcraft opposing the Jedi, which speaks to both the present and the past of our society, marked by trials and burnings of women deemed witches.
Before delving into that past which marked an era, at least in the first four episodes available on the streaming service of the House of Mouse, the series starts with a series of gruesome and mysterious crimes committed by a hooded Jedi Knight against various Masters, blending the Agatha Christie-like mystery of And Then There Were None with the typical action of the Star Wars saga. However, almost everything is filtered through a female lens, starting with the two twin protagonists (Amandla Stenberg) who, a century before the Skywalker Era, revisit the theme of duality through the two Sides of the Force that have always characterized the franchise’s mythology and the siblings Luke and Leia.
…And Then There Were None. This is the risk across the galaxy, and it is on these traces that the respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae of Squid Game, who learned English specifically for this role) embarks, discovering a trauma in the family past of the two protagonists that will also mark their future path. And it could obviously affect the entire galaxy.
The Acolyte is a series about choices, the crossroads that life continually presents us, and the consequences of those choices and the paths we consciously take. Good and Evil, along with the Gray in between fueled by that blazing magic which adds almost a fantasy element to the predominantly sci-fi matrix of the saga, continue to fight and overlap, meet and clash within the narrative in that galaxy far, far away (now also in time as well as space).
The cast is not entirely convincing – Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo – despite the addition of names like Carrie-Anne Moss. They do not fully capture the overall atmosphere, which in terms of writing and direction does not balance the thriller aspect of the story well with the familial and emotional elements. However, the charisma of Lee Jung-jae and the determination of Amandla Stenberg attempt to make a difference. Perhaps too much is revealed from the very first episodes, almost dampening the narrative tension that begins to build from the opening sequences.
We witness the classic flashback episode too soon, which usually arrives just before the end and is meant to connect all the dots scattered along the way. This piques our curiosity about the handling of the second half of the season and at the same time worries us, as original productions of brands designed for Disney+, like Marvel and Star Wars, have often had a negative plot twist along the way. However, given the setting and the plot, we want to hope and give it trust. After all, it is our last hope.
Federico Vascotto
Cinematografo, June 21, 2024
