Disney+ released the final episode of the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries directed by Deborah Chow (Mr. Robot, The Mandalorian). Ewan McGregor returned to his role, and Hayden Christensen played not only Anakin Skywalker, but also played the role of Darth Vader for the first time. We watched the full season and now we are ready to share our impressions.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” / Obi-Wan Kenobi
Genre fantasy, adventure, drama, action
Directed by Deborah Chow
Starring Ewan McGregor, Vivienne Lea Blair, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Maya Erskine, Hayden Christensen
Disney+ release
Release year 2022
IMDb site
Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place ten years after the end of Revenge of the Sith. The Republic fell, and the Empire rose in its place. The Jedi Order also no longer exists. To hunt down the remnants of the Good Empire, the Inquisition creates an order of Jedi who have defected to the side of Evil.
An inquisitor named the Third Sister (Moses Ingram) goes to great lengths to find Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). And he lives peacefully on Tatooine, works at a meat processing plant and takes care of the young Luke Skywalker. To lure Kenobi out of hiding, the Third Sister steals the ten-year-old princess of Alderaan, Leia Organa (Vivienne Lyra Blair). Her adoptive father Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) asks the former Jedi to save the girl. Kenobi leaves Tatooine and goes in search of her.
After the successful “The Mandalorian”, the Disney company released the slightly less good “The Book of Boba Fett”. Perhaps both projects were just to prepare the public for the continuation of the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a small form. Or maybe it was the success of these series that gave the impetus to create a solo project about the iconic character of the star saga.
Before the main plot begins, the creators give a cut of the main episodes from three Lucas films (The Hidden Threat, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith) to remind the audience how the story of Anakin and Padme Amidala, their children, and Obi-Wan ended . Most likely, this step was taken in order to spread the plot on the shelves for new viewers. After all, old ladies and, even more so, fans, know perfectly the plot of Lucas’ underrated trilogy.
On the one hand, such a step looks logical, on the other hand, it is absolutely ridiculous, because all six episodes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” are one huge reference to the same films. The series is literally stuffed with characters, references, hints and explanations of the events of the trilogy. This means that only those who watched the new films of the creator of “Star Wars” will get an absolute thrill.
Not only McGregor and Christensen returned to their roles, but also a number of other actors. At the same time, fresh episodes sometimes strongly violate the canon and go against the plot. Heroes forget important facts of their own and other people’s biographies. For example, Kenobi forgot that Anakin became Darth Vader. Such tricks greatly annoy fans, but give a complete picture of events for the younger generation and new viewers who have not seen the films.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” once again shows the course of Disney – to sit in one place on two chairs, trying to attract new viewers to the franchise and at the same time hit on nostalgia for oldfags and fans. Sometimes such a move works, for example, with “The Mandalorian”, although its success is independent. But for the most part, such a position turns out to be a failure, as evidenced by the last trilogy with Kylo Ren, Rey and others.
Instead, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” pleases with excellent acting. Ewan McGregor is at his best as always. Hayden Christensen did not disappoint, and the real revelation was the young actress Vivienne Lira Blair, who played the role of Leia. The girl easily pulls off scenes with McGregor and other characters, and in most of them she plays a head above her older colleagues.
Mixed impressions were left by the Third Sister performed by Moses Ingram. In some places, it seems that the actress overacts, and in other scenes, her talent shines through, which is clearly greater than her poorly written character. The Third Sister acts as an unnecessary second villain here. After all, all the cruel deeds and scary looks cannot compete with the appearance of Darth Vader himself. But later it turns out that in the development of the plot, another, even stranger, and insignificant role has been prepared for her.
The character of Kenobi is also annoying. He is an old man who has lost hope, buried his sword and does not risk helping the Jedi. He has lost the Force and dares to save Leia only after much persuasion from her father. This is not the kind of Obi-Wan fans expected to see.
Of course, all this is done so that the character has room to grow, because in the finale of Revenge of the Sith, Kenobi is a powerful Jedi who defeated Anakin Skywalker himself. But the fall of the former Jedi over the past ten years is too serious, and his revival is written in clumsy jerks.
“Obi Wan Kenobi” stands out for its boring set of self-pity dialogue for the mistakes of the past. There is almost no action and epic scenes in the series, and the emphasis is on flirting with fan nostalgia. The project greatly lacks the movement of the story, the adequacy and logic of what is happening. The plot itself is also secondary. Only a small miracle in the person of the actress Vivien Lira Blair, skillfully selected music, beautiful graphics and spectacular work with location lighting are comforting.
The series can also be perceived as a drama with elements of fiction. This is a dark story about an old man who lost everything, but suddenly found salvation in a little girl. If you look at it from this point of view, then the sparse dialogues, inert characters and the secondary nature of the plot seem appropriate. The main thing is to convey the drama in the fate of the hero.
Pros: a familiar favorite world with famous characters and places, good acting of the main characters, perfectly selected music, little Leia, a couple of three great jokes, cool locations and their atmospheric lighting Cons: ambiguous Third Sister, illogical plot and inconsistency with its events in the trilogy Lucas, sluggish secondary story, boring dialogues, violation of canon Conclusion:
Obi Wan Kenobi is the worst of Disney’s three projects for the small screen. The series tries to attract new viewers and at the same time interest oldfags and fans, which results in violations of the canon and contradictions in the history of the main characters. Instead, there is good acting, iconic brand music, atmospheric locations and skillfully implemented pressure on the sense of nostalgia. It is a must-watch for fans of the franchise, because apart from being disappointed by many things in the series, there is much to enjoy. But beginners are advised to watch Lucas’ new trilogy from the 2000s, a couple of related animated series, as well as “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett”
