(Review Contains Spoilers)
The Jedi Code is like an itch, and Obi-Wan Kenobi is here to scratch it.
Obi-Wan Kenobi stars Ewan McGregor, returning as the titular hero. Also returning
are Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader as well as Joel Edgerton and Bonnie
Piesse as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. New to Star Wars are Moses Ingram as
Inquisitor Reva, Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor, and Sung Kang as the
Fifth Brother. Also part of the new episodes are Kumail Nanjiani as Haja
Estree, Ben Safdie as Nari, Flea as Vect Nokru, Simone Kessell and Jimmy Smits
and Breha and Bail Organa, and Vivien Lyra Blair as Leia Organa.
Before I get into the fun Obi-Wan
action/prequel redemption stuff, I have to talk about Inquisitor Reva.
Inquisitor Reva is the essence of the dark side. She is a Sith through and
through. She is conniving, impulsive, and aggressive. She is a danger to
herself and others, and will stop at nothing until she can deliver Obi-Wan to
Darth Vader. She wants power and glory just like every Sith before her. If
Count Dooku was alive I bet he’d be proud.
This show is intense, heavier than the
previous Star Wars live action shows.
Obi-Wan is dealing with a mountain of trauma while the galaxy falls apart
around him. It would take an actor of Ewan McGregor’s caliber to make this
performance work. He’s a man isolated, despised by Uncle Owen and hunted by the
Empire. Even after ten years of hiding, a Jedi never ever stops being a Jedi.
Seeing McGregor play Obi-Wan again
makes me so happy. He shows no rust at all, seamlessly returning to a role that
set itself apart from others in the Star
Wars prequels. He does such a good job being both a badass and a man
wracked with impossible depression. He’s reluctant to use his lightsaber,
opting to use a blaster instead. It doesn’t seem like he feels too bad about
obliterating General Grievous, but then again who would?
I’m excited to see what will happen
when Obi-Wan faces off with Darth Vader. It’s been 10 years since his climactic
battle with Anakin, and Obi-Wan will once again see the apprentice he failed
and left to die on the beach on Mustafar. I know Hayden Christensen has a Darth
Vader performance in store for us that will knock our socks off.
Now, a show this dark needs to have
one character that brings levity. That character is Leia Organa, an adventurous
10 year old who is wise beyond her years. Her
kidnapping is what draws Obi-Wan out of his exile. Bail needs his old Jedi
friend to save the day. She and Obi-Wan bounce off of each other very well.
He’s Mr. Serious and she thinks she knows everything. She doesn’t feel like a
burdensome character either.
The other side characters in the show
are good as well. Nanjiani’s character is a silly con artist with a heart of
gold. The other Inquisitors, especially the Grand Inquisitor, all have a calm
but menacing presence. The other Inquisitors all have had enough of Inquisitor
Reve’s antagonistic behavior too. They should know by now that a Sith will
never behave themselves. Episode II featured an important cameo from Temura
Morrison as a homeless Clone Trooper. Seeing Obi-Wan wrestle with his emotions
was another moment of great McGregor acting.
Order
66, Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan and Anakin’s friendship, and
Anakin’s relationship with Padme were recapped and respected. Obi-Wan
remembers everything, and that means all the serious events of the Prequels are
touched upon. It’s really refreshing to see the events of the Prequels taken
seriously. Criticizing the Prequels has kind of gone out of style by now. We
all know what’s wrong with them. They aren’t perfect, but they are George
Lucas’s stories. Plus, it’s way easier to appreciate them now that fans like
myself have been disappointed (enraged) by more recent Star Wars movies. Ya
know, the trilogy that’s just full of bad fan service and complete tonal
shifts? I digress, we all know what’s bad about the sequel trilogy.
One last thing I want to cover is the exploration of
the different worlds within the show. Tatooine is still the crisp, beautifully
detailed, modern Tatooine we’ve gotten to see in The Mandalorian. What we do get to see in great detail are the
planets Alderaan and Daiyu. I want to go take a nice vacation to Aldraan. It’s
cool to see Leia explore the planet’s beautiful forests. The mountain ranges we
see from her home look majestic as well. It makes me even more sad now that a
planet as sunny and lovely as Alderaan gets destroyed. Daiyu is like something
out of Blade Runner: 2049. Like a
more overpopulated and seedy Coruscant. I love it, I think it’s a great new
city planet.
The more I think about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the more excited I get.
It respects the character, it respects the mythos, and gives us an exciting
story I can’t wait to keep watching. Deborah Chow and the screen writers have
done a great job so far, I commend them. I look forward to Obi-Wan’s fights
with Vader and to see how Inquisitor Reva’s story unfolds.
Part I: 9/10
Part II: 9/10
Advent Seven 
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