The Mosley Review: Star Wars: Obi - Wan Kenobi
There was an idea, a concept and a possibility for something magical to happen. The hope that one day that arguably the most beloved Star Wars character would once more grace our screens during a period of his life that hasn't been explored yet. First it was conceived as a theatrical release and then it was reconstructed into a mini series. Either way, the dream of seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi's story being revisited in the time of his personal exile and mission to protect a 10 year old Luke Skywalker was on its way. We all had our theories of how it would play out or a vision of what his life would look like. We all wanted to see the psychological strain, emotional turmoil and guilt he felt after the events of Revenge of the Sith. This was the most anticipated show to ever to be announced and shaping up to possibly be the greatest dramatic Star Wars story ever to be told. For the most part we got the vary beats I described, but it came at a serious price that ultimate ripped away the emotional depth that was ripe for the plucking. Instead we received an unfocused, plot hole centric and weak story that keeps the titular character almost completely secondary to the main focus of his own series. Don't get me wrong, this series had some amazing moments of character depth, fan pleasing sequences of action and story beats, but it clearly lies to you in making you think that we were gonna get a singular story. This show was 2 different series slammed together and you feel them ripping and tearing at each other as both the titular character and the new one battle for story dominance. What a disappointing mess this was.
Ewan McGregor returns as the fan favorite Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi and he brought his A game. Ben at this point of his life is filled with pain, guilt and torment from the events of Revenge of the Sith and I loved it. Ewan nails all of those aspects of the character and brings to life that emotional turmoil and broken spirit of Ben. The Jedi Master we knew is gone and that was painful to see and throughout the series you see him struggle with that trauma, but his motivation to comeback is thrust forward and it was an epic return to form. Vivien Lyra Blair was wonderful as young Princess Leia Organa. She truly captured the adventurous, feisty, pure of heart and strong willed nature of the character and she was truly a surprise. Her chemistry with Ewan was a true highlight of the series and you feel the warmth she brings out of him. Jimmy Smits returns as her adoptive father Bail Organa and this was his best performance yet. He was so warm, caring and just down right perfection. One of my favorite scenes of the series is his interaction with Leia as seen in the image above. Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse both return as Uncle Owen Lars and Aunt Beru Lars and they both get great moments to shine and deliver a new layer to each character. Kumail Nanjiani was great as Haja Estree and delivers the right amount of comedy mixed with his dramatic skills to keep the character interesting. O’Shea Jackson Jr. was great as the refugee leader Roken and I loved his determination help others. He has a character decision that was so quick and I wished it was drawn out more to add tension. Indira Varma was excellent and heartwarming as Tala. She has some fun being a spy for the people trying to escape the Empire and I loved her emotional connection to her loader droid NED-B. She adds to the emotional core of the show in such a quick expertly acted moment in the show.
Hayden Christensen returns as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader and what a performance. He finally gets to take the character he crafted in the Prequel Trilogy and delivers a stirring and heartbreaking performance as the friend that Ben lost and the monster he became. When he is full on Vader, it was terrifying and brutal. You get to see the emotional side of Vader this time around once news of Ben being alive reaches him and that trauma, rage and pain resonates through the suit. James Earl Jones returns as the voice of the Darth Vader and he delivers yet another master class vocal performance. With the aid of Hayden's physical performance, the 2 of them complete this fresh take on the iconic villain and they deliver a version of the Sith Lord we've always wanted to see. Rupert Friend delivers an excellent performance as the live action version of The Grand Inquisitor. He was calm, sinister and creepy at times and I loved every bit of his commanding presence. Sung Kang also delivers a good performance as the live action version of Fifth Brother. He was stubborn and yet somewhat childish as he constantly bickered with another Inquisitor for Vader's prestige. Moses Ingram delivered a great performances as the Inquisitor Reva. She consistently highlights her rage, impatience and determination as she hunts for Kenobi. The actress was not the problem for me, but the way the character was written was the problem. She has a goal and she does eventually reach it, but she ends up taking away from the titular Kenobi's story by having her be the main antagonist when you already have Vader. You get to her motivation behind her story, but by the end she becomes a character whose arc ends an episode early and then she ends having yet another predictable outcome and becomes nothing but dead weight. Her whole story was strong enough to be its own mini series or actual film, but it is completely tact on this show.
The greatest maestro of all cinema, John Williams, once again graces us with another masterful composition and gives Obi-Wan Kenobi a theme. It is filled with sorrow, pain, heroism and it completely captures the soul of the character. Natalie Holt did an amazing job composing the score for the series and it was great in the first 2 episodes as she wonderfully weaves in Kenobi's theme with her own work. The rest of the score was sadly to say, forgettable, but the real magic of her work comes in the last 2 episodes of the series as she nails the raw emotional beats of the story and finally delivers the familiar Star Wars themes we know and love. Visually the show is stunning as it ranges from the rough and dry plains of Tatooine to the lush planet life of Alderaan. The one thing that bothers me the most is that the choice to use shakey cam during a lightsaber fight. Lightsaber duels tell stories themselves and don’t need the help from unstable camera work. It is most effective when it dances along with duelists in the scene. It would've been more poetic if it was only done once in the first duel and not the second. There are some serious plot holes that are either forgotten about, left up to interpretation or never explained for the ones that are uninitiated with the lore. As a whole, this was a messy, unfocused and strained series that really deserved better care and it is unfortunate that such love was put into the performances and they were soured by a broken story. Director Deborah Chow did an excellent job with what she had and I hope to see more from her in something that is not held under so much scrutiny. This show should've stayed as a film because then it would've been focused on the idea that was promised years ago. Let me know what you thought of the series or my review in comments below. Thanks for reading!
