Posted by Fallen Jedi allows a Sith Lord to continue murdering innocent people, by refusing to deliver the killing blow… Again.
Hello there! Having not renewed my Unlimited Cineworld membership, you probably thought you wouldn’t hear from me for a long, long time.
But oh, I have a whole bunch of content for you! Not going to the cinema regularly means I have more time to watch tv series I can review… such as Obi-Wan, Stranger Things season 4, The Boys season 3, Ms Marvel. Then there’s Thor: Love and Thunder that I still intend to see at the cinema. And that’s not to even mention the random rambling posts I intend to do more of.
So, this cat isn’t quite dead yet. I have lots to share! Aren’t you lucky?
Anyway, you came for Obi-Wan, so here goes… I’m a fan of Star Wars, not to the point where I read the books or watch the animated tv series. However, I’m specifically a fan of the first two trilogies. I’m not going to talk about the latest trilogy because that probably deserves its own post. Sure, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones has some shoddy moments, but I can watch Revenge of the Sith pretty much any time. Therefore, I was quite excited to see what Obi-Wan Kenobi brought, though being mindful that a series set between two trilogies would be quite limited. Given there’s so many hours of content to review, I’ll split this review into sections.
Spoiler alert.
Reva
The thought of a surviving youngling that has been scarred after being stabbed and left for dead by Anakin/Vader could have made for a compelling story. Could have. The reason I don’t think it works is because here is her motive: She wants revenge on Vader for killing her Jedi friends, so her plan is to get closer to Vader to kill him, but to do so she kills a bunch of innocent Jedis. It just doesn’t work. Then she finds some vague message from Bail Organa and works out Luke is Vader’s son (does she find out?) so heads to Tatooine to kill Luke. Attempting to get her revenge by killing the son of Vader that he doesn’t know about. Then has a change of heart when it comes to delivering the killing blow… having already killed a whole bunch of innocent Jedis to get to this point. Like, make your mind up Reva!
And the whole reveal about her being a Jedi youngling was too predictable. Why not just tell us who she is from the start?
And can I just say that message Bail Organa sent to Obi-Wan was also incredibly stupid. Speak in code, dammit! If you fear Obi-Wan is dead, then surely you know the message could fall into the wrong hands. Don’t give everything away.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Young Leia
I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about Leia’s portrayal. I get she was probably too clever for a 10-year-old, but maybe it doesn’t get to me as much because I want The OddDaughter to be smart when she grows up. And a princess. Living in outer space. With Force abilities. No pressure.
I enjoyed the focus on Obi-Wan and Leia’s relationship. It’s something that felt new and hasn’t already been explored. Also, it makes sense why Leia and Han would then call their son Ben in a trilogy I won’t speak of again. Though, for me it did make the message Leia sent to Obi-Wan at the beginning of A New Hope a little too formal. And it makes Luke seem like a bit of a dick for being all mopey when Obi-Wan dies, after hanging out with him for a day, whilst Leia comforted him having had what appears more of a history with Obi-Wan.
The emotional beats of the final chat between Obi-Wan and Leia was strong. How he lays out her parent’s qualities and links them back to Leia… amazing. I’m not saying I cried, but I was a little like this as Mrs OddFather comforted me…
I’d like to take this opportunity to point out my wife is not an old woman. Yet. Way to go make the save OddFather!
Ages and De-aging
This is a small gripe really, but it’s one I’m going to mention anyway. Why has Obi-Wan not aged as much as he should have in this series. Surely, he should have had more white hair at the very least? The next 9 years must be very tough on dear old Ben.
Then there’s the scene of Obi-Wan and Anakin sparring – set before Attack of the Clones. I was probably too distracted at seeing Anakin looking like a 40-year-old bloke instead of as a teenager. But I’m probably being too picky. Everyone has to get old right? And effects haven’t quite got to a stage where de-aging completely works.
Obi-Wan vs Vader
Let’s face it – this is what everyone was here to see. When it was announced Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Anakin/Vader, I wasn’t sure where this show was headed. I thought it would be based mostly on Tatooine and follow Obi-Wan’s mental anguish after the fall of the Jedi, whilst being haunted by the ghost of Anakin. It was a surprise then, that he travelled to different worlds – though I would quite liked to have seen adventures of Owen and Obi-Wan.
I was amazed at how often Obi-Wan and Vader faced off. Was it too much? Possibly for me. It would have been better to build up to a big fight at the end. However, I guess it did show just how broken and weak Obi-Wan was at the beginning of the series. It didn’t sit quite right with me then, that Obi-Wan powered up so quickly by the end. Enough to win against Vader. I personally feel it should have been close but a Vader win with Obi-Wan finding a way to escape. Having Obi-Wan win kind of undermined Vader’s power. And what power! Seeing Vader in action was cool, from easily pushing aside Reva, to using the force to stop a shit* from escaping.
*Hahaha that was a typo where I meant “ship” but I’m leaving it in because the thought of Vader using the force to keep himself from pooing is the sort of toilet humour I can appreciate.
The music in the fight sequence didn’t feel as epic to me as some of the iconic lightsaber battle music they used in the prequels. I just didn’t feel the emotion like I did in those movies. Maybe that made me feel the battle was also a bit disappointing? I may need to watch again.
One of the biggest issues for the show for me is that we know what will happen to all the main characters. We know Obi-Wan, Vader, Leia and Luke all survive to see another day. It lost a bit of the tension. That’s the problem I have with prequels in general, the main reason I enjoyed the Star Wars prequel trilogy is due to seeing the story of the fall of Anakin. That’s what happened with the climax of the fight between Obi-Wan and Vader – they had to finish it in a way where both characters live. I think the execution was poor here. Why does Obi-Wan walk away from this murderer when he is able to kill him once and for all? I understand why he may have thought Anakin would die to his injuries in Revenge of the Sith – but surely that should have meant he finishes the job this time? It’s for that reason I feel Vader should have won this fight with Obi-Wan just about escaping. Or for it to be a draw. Like Goku and Vegeta’s first fight in Dragonball Z, where both escape battered and bruised.
That being said, I loved – LOVED – the scene where Anakin’s face is exposed under Vader’s mask after the battle. The scene was super emotional, and I felt the tears Obi-Wan had from seeing the face of his fallen friend – truly feeling the regret of what has become of Anakin. On top of this, Vader’s voice at this point being a mix of James Earl Jones’s voice and Hayden Christensen’s voice was both chilling and gripping. The emotion in this show is what really did it for me. Another moment was at the beginning with Obi-Wan’s reaction to hearing Anakin/Vader lives. Gosh I love Ewan McGregor.
Last few points – I promise!
- I mostly enjoyed this show but I kind of hope there isn’t a season 2. At least with Vader vs Obi-Wan. I just feel it would be too much and takes away from their fight in A New Hope.
- Qui-Gon is back! It was great to see him – even though it makes you question who can and can’t become a force ghost and when do they appear? It would be even better if it’s a mirage in Obi-Wan’s head.
- I do like the comic relief of Kumail Nanjiani playing Haja.
- Obi-Wan said the thing! Obi-Wan said the thing…
If you made it to the end of this review, I commend you! It’s been a long one!
Verdict
I can see how people not overly invested in Star Wars enjoyed Obi-Wan. I can also see how ultimate fanboys (and girls) are frustrated at the plot-holes this series creates in Star Wars lore. I guess for me, I’m somewhere in the middle. I just really enjoy seeing Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen playing roles I loved from the prequel trilogy.
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