The best science fiction saga is back: what is The Acolyte series worth? – News Series

What does it talk about ?

While the Jedi Order is at its peak and prosperity reigns in the High Republic, several mysterious crimes are being committed. A respected Jedi master will lead an investigation that will pit him against a dangerous warrior from his past.

As new clues emerge, the two embark on a dark path where sinister forces will show them that all is not always what it seems…

Who is it with?

The two heroes of Star Wars: The Acolyte are played by Amandla Stenberg, revealed in The Hunger Games and then seen in The Hate U Give and Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Lee Jung-Jae, star of the South Korean series Squid Game.

The rest of the cast includes Carrie-Anne Moss (Matrix, Marvel’s Jessica Jones), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick), Dafne Keen (Logan, His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn) , Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll, You), Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones, 1917), Joonas Suotamo (Wednesday, Star Wars) and Rebecca Henderson (Call Jane).

It’s worth checking out ?

Highly anticipated by Star Wars fans, The Acolyte series had the primary appeal of being a fiction set in a little-known and little-explored period of the Star Wars universe. With the assurance of bringing a breath of fresh air and a new look at the history of the Jedi, The Acolyte could only surprise.

And after watching four episodes – or half of the series (or first season, if the series were to be renewed) – of The Acolyte, we can certainly say that it rises to the top of the basket of the different Star series Wars on Disney+.

And this is thanks to the work of its creator, showrunner and executive producer Leslye Headland (who worked on Russian Doll), described by Charlie Barnett, one of the actors, as a big fan:

“But beyond being a huge fan, I feel like to some extent you could call her a Star Wars historian. She has such a rich and vast knowledge. And we were able to draw on your knowledge during filming.”*

A return to basics

Leslye Headland tells a new story set 100 years before the rise of the Empire, in a time when peace reigns and the Jedi Order and the Republic thrive without any war.

But when dark beings wielding the Force come to disrupt the balance, it is time to question things. The Acolyte series returns to the foundations of the Star Wars saga by reconsidering the difference between good and evil, the balance in the Force and above all the hegemony of the Jedi Order in the galaxy.

The journey of the characters in The Acolyte will obviously remind Star Wars fans of other iconic and complex figures from the saga, notably Anakin Skywalker.

If the story of the series does not fall into the easy mirror effect, it nonetheless remains inspired by old works and fans will be able to spot some references to films, but also to video games like Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

If The Acolyte fits perfectly into the Star Wars universe, it mainly draws its inspiration from samurai films, and the feature film Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino, as the cast of the series explained to us.

“One of our biggest references was Kill Bill. It was one of the first films that Leslye [Headland, la showrunneuse] and I talked. We have a lot of favorite movies in common. And Leslie screened Kill Bill for the whole crew before we started filming.”*, explained Amandla Stenberg.

Dafne Keen continued: “We were also inspired by a lot of samurai films, and we had the most incredible stunt team. All the fights were designed by Christopher Cowan, who comes from an anime background and loves those visual references.

And he designed them in such a beautiful way that when you look at them, it’s not just for the style. It’s violent, but beautiful and incredible”*.

A promising start for a series which has yet to reveal what it has in its belly

The series has managed to create its own universe and aesthetic with visceral and authentic staging, thanks to the talents of Leslye Headland, Kogonada, Alex Garcia Lopez and Hanelle Culpepper, favoring real settings as much as possible, which provides appreciable realism and smoother special effects than excessive use of Volume (as in other Star Wars series).

With strong personalities, intriguing skills and well-delivered flashbacks, the characters in The Acolyte gradually become endearing, regardless of their community or the side they have chosen, even if some have limited screen time.

For now, the strength of The Acolyte lies in its organic essence and spiritual intention in immersing us in the questions and doubts of the Jedi and challenging their certainties.

But the series can still gain in power by pushing the emotion slider further and especially by embracing a more political dimension as in Andor. We feel that she has not yet revealed all her secrets and that she has not played all her cards, and we will have to watch the rest of the series to be able to judge fully.

With fairly short episodes – between 32 and 45 minutes – and a fairly fast pace, The Acolyte sometimes neglects the deeper development of the characters. But we feel that the series is destined to evolve over several seasons (we wish it!) and that the real stakes are much greater than what the first episodes let on.

*Comments collected by Mégane Choquet on May 28.

The first two episodes of the “Star Wars: The Acolyte” series are available on Disney+. The rest of the series will be posted online at the rate of one episode per week.