The Acolyte Season 1 (2024) Review

The Acolyte is probably the most talked about TV show in the world recently and mostly for not good reasons but I have watched the show and will only give me own opinions and give the show a fair shot unlike most review bombers, so here is my review for the first season of The Acolyte. The premise of the show is set in The High Republic Era, when a Jedi is murdered it leads to the start of a new mysterious force. 

Main Character

The show focuses on the twin sisters of Mae and Osha played by Amandla Stenberg and I have mixed feelings about these characters. I actually liked some of the performances and the direction that the show takes with both of their characters, the issue is that some of the acting is pretty wooden and they are easily not the most interesting part of the show which is a big let down. 

Supporting Characters

Lee Jung-Jae plays Master Sol and for me he is the best character in the show and the person who seems to care the most about his character. The fact he learned English for this role and then knocked it out of the park says everything about his passion. Sol is a mysterious but likeable Jedi and I kind of wish he had been the main focus of the show instead of the twins. 

The villain is a mystery for a large part of the show so I won't go into detail about who it is but I thought this was a really interesting villain. The way they are portrayed is fantastic and feels like a dark threat to the rest of The Jedi. 

Vernestra Rwoh is a character from the books and is played by Rebecca Henderson and I thought this was an interesting supporting character. She has a different view to the Jedi then Sol and I think it showed some of the more shady elements of the Order and she did a good job with it. 

Charlie Bennett as Yord and Dafne Keene as Jecki are decent characters too that were fun to watch on screen but they did have limited development over the shows run. 

Story

There are elements of the story that I do enjoy. There are mysteries about The Jedi Order which makes you question how good they are and elements that aren't fitting with what we have been told. But the show misses the mark on certain things, mainly the story regarding the twins and their origins, the show spends ages on this but it falls flat and really flatters to deceive. 

Script

Unfortunately, the writing for the show is where it really falls flat. There is some really cringey dialogue and the actors are clearly working really hard to make it work. The dramatic writing doesn't work and there is no humour which does make it a tough watch at times. 

Style

The action scenes in The Acolyte are genuinely some of the best Star Wars action I have ever seen, it rivals iconic lightsabre duels such as Phantom Menace and Revenge of The Sith. I did actually like the feeling of The High Republic and how it felt different to the other eras of Star Wars that we have watched. But the show has real pacing issues, it spends a few episodes on flashbacks which weren't really needed and made other elements of the show feel a bit rushed. 

Overall

Overall, The Acolyte is an Average Show. I liked it more then others but I cannot deny that this show does struggle to find its way to improve its quality. I think there is potential here if they do future seasons but this show isn't one you have to watch whether a Star Wars fan or not. 

Rating - 5/10