The haunting red spark of Anakin’s betrayal. The alluring mystique of the bounty hunter, Boba Fett. The epic carnage of the infamous Clones Wars. The legendary Kessel Run of Han Solo. These are but a few of the tantalizing tidbits of the once rumored lore of the Star Wars Universe. People, places, and events of such legendary status that when hinted at or referenced to, set many bleeding-heart fans ablaze with wild and wide-eyed imagination. In fact, the fabled fragments cause such a visceral surge of inspiration that the masses can’t help, but conjure up their own fantastical tales regarding them. And with such potential forever floating amidst the void of speculation and so many chomping at the bit to have their dreams made manifest, it was only a matter of time before the powers that be finally put pen to paper, paper to film, and inevitably film to screen. However, once they had, the stories that played out were met by fans with varying degrees of cheers, jeers, and sometimes even the most damning response, the cursed “meh.” All of this to say that maybe, just maybe, some stories are better in concept or told in cliff notes rather than made into full-blown movies or lengthy series. But that is for each individual to decide. And so with that being the case, what are we Star Wars fans then supposed to make of the polarizing tale of The Acolyte? Let’s get into it.
(WARNING: This contains MAJOR spoilers. To avoid, read the NEXT paragraph and then skip to the LAST paragraph.)
When former Padawan, Osha (Amanda Stenburg) becomes implicated in the mysterious murder of a Jedi, she and her former Master, Sol (Lee Jung-Jae), are brought together to investigate the curious circumstance. However, as they venture into the depths of this dark mystery, they soon come face to face with a Sith assassin, a mountain of blood stained truths, and terrible regrets lingering deep within sinister shadows. This is the thrilling, innovative, mystery-thriller known as The Acolyte. The problem, however, is that either when Leslye Headland conjured the idea or when the All-Mighty Disney produced it, they forgot to make it thrilling, truly innovative, or give it any sense of actual mystery whatsoever. That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth. BUT! Not the only truth. Because the fact of the matter is that there are indeed elements of this series that should be celebrated and rightfully loved. Simultaneously, one cannot deny how much of the show is also a mess, arguably bad. But even then, there can be no doubt that a lot of work and love went into the project, love that sometimes shows up on screen. Such a shame the rest of it has to be dug for.
To start with the good, the conceptual set up of this show is nothing short of brilliant. Lesley Headland crafted a juicy, tangled web of ideas that had every right to get greenlit. It’s an original Star Wars mystery-thriller, separate from the Skywalker Saga, set in the High Republic era that explores the dark side of The Force and its followers through the lens of a pair of gifted twins of a mysterious birth and a Jedi Master with a dark secret. How could anyone not be intrigued? But if that wasn’t enough, throughout the series, you have sprinkled in some great moments in the form of new Force lore, new Force powers, and conceptually gripping story beats delivered via a slew of new, original characters. And did I mention the lightsaber fights?! Easily some of the best and most stylized throwdowns ever put to film.
I cannot lie, given everything previously mentioned that flashed across the screen over the course of the series 8 episode run, I can fully understand why the show garnered such a diehard fanbase. Not to mention that it also bolstered a highly diverse cast, which included a black female and an Asian male at the forefront of the entire story. I can only imagine how wonderful that experience must have felt for so many minority members of the Star Wars fan base. All that being said, just because a piece of media is diverse or “woke,” doesn’t mean it’s automatically of quality. Likewise, just because it bolsters some good moments or elements, doesn’t make it a great show. And when it comes to the case of The Acolyte, it’s hard for me to even pretend that it’s in any way a “good” Star Wars show.
So before moving on, I want to be perfectly clear, since this is an issue that cannot be avoided. The Acolyte came out HARD prior to it’s release, boasting it’s “wokeness,” progressiveness, diversity, or whatever term you wish to insert. Regardless of whether that was or wasn’t a wise marketing tactic, as a result, an obvious wave of unjust hate came the shows way. Moreover, as the show progressed, the hate only ramped up, reaching its peak when news finally broke that The Acolyte was not being renewed for a second season. This appeared to embolden the haters as they professed that the show failed because it went “too woke.” That cannot be further from the truth. “Wokeness” or lack thereof does not determine how well a show will perform; it’s actual quality does. So amongst the myriad of problems The Acolyte has, “wokeness,” I promise you, is not one of them. The show would have performed just the same even if all the characters had been male or white or straight or whatever other criteria that would have satisfied the droves of anti-woke whiners. Now moving on …
So is The Acolyte bad? Well, if one were to view it as a throw away space opera/ thriller with a generic name, like Space Knights, that was in the vein of or inspired by Star Wars, then I’d say it’s fine. Not great, but certainly entertaining enough to justify its existence, possibly even a second season, especially with all the cliffhangers (We’ll return to those later) it dangles out in its finale. But this isn’t Space Knights. This is Star Wars. That name means something to art, to cinema, to culture, to the world. So when delivering a Star Wars anything, there is an expected level of polish and quality, which this show very much DOES NOT OFFER; a fact that is only made worse when one considers that it was produced by Disney and its endless stream of wealth. So no matter what good elements the show may possess, they can not justify the $22.5 million that was spent PER EPISODE. So then that begs the question, what exactly did Disney burn $180 million on?
With all the money, hype, and resources in their corner, Disney somehow botched what very much could have been a good show, maybe even great. But instead, we get mostly wooden acting, weak and perplexing character motivations, and a dull tone that only holds any attention by way of the lightsaber scraps that are thrown in from time to time. Moreover, it wastes great actors and characters alike, killing off many fan favorites just as they begin to blossom, but sometimes even before they have a chance to do anything interesting at all. And for those who make it to the season finale, very few go in any interesting direction, nor do anything overly captivating to get there. But even if they did, the impact of their journeys would have been severely undercut by the fact that many (AND I MEAN MANY) plot points go frustratingly unresolved. And what are we given as a consolation prize? Nothing more than cheap, sequel-bate cameos to hopefully shepherd you along to the non-existent second season. And you would think that in itself would be the worst of it. But no. Because most egregious of all, BY FAR, is the fact that this “mystery/ thriller,” HAS-NO-MYSTERY.
You can definitely tell that this show wants to be alluring, mysterious, and dangerous, but it very seldom does anything to warrant any sense of that tone. All revelations are either predictable or unsatisfying in their delivery. There is nothing special to be learned in any flashback. There is nothing tantalizing when garnering a new piece of the puzzle (a term I use VERY loosely). And there’s seldom any shock for any twist or turn along the way. And not because these twists are always inherently bad or aren’t delivered with enough punch, but because the story and tone around them lack the care to make YOU care. It’s bad, lazy, and/or rushed writing through and through, a cinema sin that, to me, is unforgivable.
There are a million reasons why The Acolyte fell short on delivering its brilliant concept, some of which may only ever be speculation. Too much studio interference, poor/underdeveloped writing, hollow acting, cheap looking sets, rushed production, an over reliance on fan service and/or “wokeness” to prop up a poor story. The list could go on forever. But here’s the reality. As a run-of-the-mill, space-fantasy spectacle, it’s serviceable. A little perplexing and times and plot hole ridden for certain, but still serviceable. As a Star Wars project produced by Disney, it feels like a half-assed, half-baked cash-grab stinking of desperation, especially as it tries to win you back at the absolute very end with a flurry of cliffhangers, easter eggs, and cameos that promise an exhilarating second season. But really, if Disney truly wanted anyone to care about a second season of The Acolyte, they should have just made a good first season.
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