Will The Force Be With Disney’s New ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Miniseries?
One of the most anticipated shows of the year — for “Star Wars” fans, at least — has debuted on Disney plus.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” was originally slated to debut today, but late last night, Disney plus surprised everyone by dropping the first two episodes on the sly.
I’ve been waiting for this for a while. I’ve always been a big fan of the character since Ewan McGregor really brought him to life in the prequels, and after the horror show of the last trilogy, Disney plus has done a fantastic job of reclaiming and building upon the quality of the franchise. “The Mandalorian” has been spectacular, to the point where I think the creators of that show should re-do episodes seven through nine. Call the previous movies a dream. Maybe have R2-D2 wake up with Patrick Duffy taking a shower in the other room. I don’t care, just wipe the slate clean of three films that underwhelmed majorly and do them the way they should’ve been done.
But I digress.
Sort of. Because that’s the big question about “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and really any and all “Star Wars” series — are they going to be worthy of the franchise, or are they going to disappoint the same way so many episodes have over the past couple decades?
So far?
“Kenobi” is pretty good. It’s got my attention.
(I’ll try to proceed without too many spoilers.)
It’s not as thrilling as “The Mandalorian” was from the get-go, nor did it have a huge reveal as “Mando” did with Grogu. But the plot makes sense and the characters are welcome to see again. There’s a series of villains that exhibit genuine menace, and the tone isn’t betrayed by goofball humor of the Jar Jar Binks ilk.
“Kenobi” picks up 10 years later after the last of the first trilogy, as we know Obi-Wan has gone into hiding on Tatooine, to keep an eye on Luke. However, the Empire hasn’t forgotten about him, or the other Jedi. The Inquisitors are still out hunting Jedi, attempting to completely wipe them clean from the face of the universe. The way the Inquisitors are handled is great, and in line with canon, so it’s fun to see them in a live action series.
The first episode sets them up as the antagonists, trying to hunt down the elusive Kenobi, with him laying low. However, something — and of course I’m not going to reveal what — draws him out of hiding and into an adventure. The first episode is actually the slower of the two I watched, so be patient with it, because things definitely pick up the pace in the second episode, where we get to see a lot more action in a lot cooler environments.
The second episode is where things really start to rev up, and aside from some annoying moments reminiscent of a young Anakin involving a character I won’t reveal, and a couple of kind of strained coincidences, it’s really a fun ride. McGregor is terrific as Obi-Wan again, and the art direction and effects are fantastic.
Future episodes will reveal how good “Obi-Wan” ends up becoming, but so far, it’s definitely not Bantha fodder, and worth sticking around to watch unfold.
Will the force be with it? Will there ever be a moment in it as epic as the Luke Skywalker reveal in “Mando?” We’ll have to see. But it’s worth watching to find out.
