Obi-Wan Kenobi

What a colossal letdown. I'd rather have an Obi Wan film trilogy in the same vein as Rogue One or Solo than this cheesy poorly written fluff of a tv show.

I understand why people don't like this. After watching the main series in 2024, I wanted to explore the side stories, so I started with "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

I was excited to watch this because I really liked Ewan McGregor as the younger Obi-Wan in the prequel films-he's a talented actor. His performance in this mini-series was outstanding, even surpassing his work in the prequels.

However, my main issue is with the story. Bringing Skywalker and Leia into the plot felt like beating a dead horse. If the story had focused more on Obi-Wan's personal struggles and less on rehashing old characters, I would have enjoyed it more.

The setting is more mature than the films, which I didn't mind-I appreciate a more mature Star Wars story. The cast was good, but the story was a letdown and didn't match the quality of the main film series.

All the "ingredients" were here : Star wars legacy, Kenobi, Darth Vader, a big budget, supposedly creative minds behind this. It's good but it should have been better. It was too uneven for a Star wars series. There should have been a better job from casting director, i mean, some actors were not very good and Princess Leia should have been older (Of course i am not blaming the little girl, she did her best but they should have chosen for her character to be a bit older, she was too young for such an iconic role). McGregor was very good though, some secondary characters as well (Kumail Nanjiani, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Indira Varma etc).

It never got boring, however, for a 6 episodes series, there were too many not so interesting moments. The interaction between Kenobi and Vader was exciting. Some nice fights, some awkward scenes. At times, it seemed it was gonna be great but truth is, it promised more than it delivered. Still, if you are a huge Star wars fan, lower your expectations and you will probably enjoy it.

I love the prequels. I do. And while this whole show did a good job of being separate from that trilogy, it did not satisfy me as Disney thought they were doing. Several times while watching I thought I was taking part in a fan fiction. Why does it look like Marvel in places? Why is the writing cheesy? Disney has enough money to hire good writers right? As for the Vader confrontations... they did not work. They were just lengthy (clumsy even) fights and they did nothing for obi wan and Anakin's relationship. The girl playing Leia did a very good job and so did Ewan by playing very heartfelt roles. Everyone else felt forced. Also, the third sister, fifth brother, 124th second cousin whatever that language was... it didn't make any sense. They weren't using those terms in clone wars, the prequels, or the originals so why use them now? Very inconsistent. Disney writers- when you think you're being cool for writing new terms just for the sake of being cool, you're NOT being cool (please stop forcing things and be consistent). Anyways, I'm glad I watched it but it could've been better. Bravo John Williams for another theme. You keep being you.

Obi-Wan Kenobi gives us a look at what the Jedi Master has been up to, and fills in some of the gaps between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It feels like it has all the ingredients that a Star Wars project requires, but comes up short of fan expectations.

Ewan McGregor returns as the titular character, and gives us an exceptional performance, much like he did in the prequels. It is awesome to see Hayden Christensen back as well.

Some hate has been directed at Reva and young Leia, but I thought both actresses played their respective roles well. Moses Ingram showed us a conflicted individual, who has little control over her impulses, much like a younger Anakin, that causes tension between her and her fellow inquisitors. I thought that Vivian Lyra Blair was a good choice for young Leia.

The CGI is a bit weak, especially when compared to the recent movies or The Mandalorian, but not so bad that it's distracting.

The biggest thing that drags this series down are the plot holes and inconsistencies. I lost count of how many plot holes I spotted, and some of the decisions characters make can be very silly and take you out of the whole experience. The dialogue sometimes isn't very well written and can come off as cheesy.

The last 2 episodes had some standout moments, despite some obvious flaws. There are a few cameos in the finale, that should satisfy Star Wars fans. And while the duel between Obi-Wan and Vader was epic and emotional, it felt like it was too short and not as well choreographed as the duels from the prequels, plus the shaky cam can really get irritating!

Overall Obi-Wan Kenobi is an entertaining Star Wars series, but can feel frustrating at times due to the lack of consistency, and might end up disappointing fans who were hoping for more.

7/10 - Good.