Genre: Adventure/
Action/ Drama/ Science Fiction
Number of
episodes: 6
Year:
2022
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Smits, Joel Edgerton, Moses
Ingram, Vivien Lyra Blair, Rupert Friend, James Earl Jones, Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea
Jackson,
Description: Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) has to
save young Leia after she is kidnapped, all the while being pursued by Imperial
Inquisitors and his former Padawan, now known as Darth Vader.
Review: Ewan McGregor
has never made a secret of his desire to don Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi cloak and
take up his lightsaber again. At first, there was talk about a standalone film,
but eventually the producers of the Star Wars series opted for a six-part
miniseries. McGregor is visibly enjoying himself, but is actually reduced to a supporting actor. The
story, in fact, revolves mainly around the ten-year-old Princess Leia and the
rise of Darth Vader. Nevertheless, for fans it is still a feast of recognition.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set between episode III and IV, thus
forming a solif bridge between the original and the prequel trilogy. You might
even tentatively conclude that this series makes that hated second trilogy more
palatable, as “Revenge of the Sith” is tied to this first trilogy opener, A New
Hope.
It is a few years after the battle on the volcanic
planet Mustafar, where Anakin Skywalker, who had turned to the dark side, came
away from the battle battered. With all kinds of artifice we see how he
recovers and has the iconic Darth Vader suit hoisted, which provides him with
an artificial face provided by James Earl James (in his nineties now). It will
lead to cheers for fans, and this puts even more puzzle pieces in place. In particular,
a fight scene in the final episode will be able to please many because it
brings together nostalgia and new angles.
Whereas “The Mandalorian” had its main charm offensive
in the form of Grogy (aka Baby Yoda aka The Child), the creators of this series
got to work with a ten-year-old Princess Leia. Unlike the viewer, she has no
idea who her real parents are or that she has a twin brother, who grows up in
anonymity on Tatooine. Leia is played by Vivien Lyra Blair, who steals the show
in every episode. She is smart, witty, but not pedantic or irritating, like a
lot of children in movies are.
It's a nice touch that continuity with the movies has
been provided by having all the actors still available reprise their characters,
even though some have visibly aged and other appear in only one scene.
Unlike previous Star Wars series, all sex episodes of “Obi-Wan
Kenobi: were directed by the same
person: Deborah Chow. She also directed tow episodes of “The Mandalorian”, and
this time around her work shows consistent direction in a series is still most remiscent
of the prequel trilogy in terms of looks.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is a better series then “The Book of
Boba Fett”, but doesn’t manage to climb over “The Mandalorian”, but it forms a
finely rounded story. It lacks a real soul like in “The Mandalorian”, but for a
Star Wars fan it is still a must-see.
