Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) Mini Series Review 

After years of hype, Obi-Wan Kenobi has had its run, with the show finishing on Disney+ today and here is my review for the whole show. The premise of the show sees Obi-Wan Kenobi dragged into a new adventure while trying not to expose himself and be hunted by Darth Vader. 

Main Character

Ewan McGregor is back as the title role and I thought he was fantastic. He slips back into the role really well and he sells the pain and troubles that he has gone through since the events during The Clone Wars. He still has some comedic charm to him, but it is really cool seeing this slightly older and more jaded character being dragged back in really against his will. Just seeing this guy who clearly loves the character get the chance to continue his story is great to see. 

Supporting Characters

Hayden Christensen reprises his role as Darth Vader and it is amazing to watch. The way Vader has been handled the last few years has been incredible and for me this is probably the best he has ever been. He has basically been turned into a horror villain and he is just such an intimidating presence that it really works and obviously there is the emotional connection with him and Kenobi. Vivien Lyra Blair plays the young Leia Organa and I thought she was fantastic, it felt like she was born to play this role and the chemistry between herself and McGregor is excellent. Indira Varma plays Tala and I really liked her performance, she is a strong female character and you can see how her character affects both Leia and Obi-Wan. Moses Ingram plays Reeva and I have to be honest for the first 4 episodes I thought she was the worst part of the show, but they finally give her some character and development that definitely makes her more bearable. O Shea, Jackson Jr, Rupert Friend and Joel Edgerton also do good jobs in their smaller roles. 

Story   

The story is good, I really liked the focus on Obi-Wan's regrets from the prequels and how it basically moulded the villainous Empire and Vader. The focus of the show is at its best when it really delves into the relationship between Obi-Wan & Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, it is some fantastic stuff and progresses both characters well. But the show doesn't do this enough, it focuses on a few too many areas, with some of it not being that interesting. I wish the show had focused on Vader more and trimmed the fat on some of the other elements of the show. 

Script 

The script is good, the dialogue is really well handled and I thought there was a great blend of drama and humour. It never feels like an over the top melodrama or a full on laugh out loud comedy and balances them well. Even though there is too much going on, it is all written pretty well and is entertaining enough. 

Style 

The show looks amazing, the fight scenes are grafted incredibly well and especially with Vader this is some of the best Star Wars action that has ever been put on screen. The CGI and effects are obviously great and it is cool to see some new locations that really stand out. The show is paced well and kept me invested throughout the 6 episode run. 

Overall

Overall, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fantastic show that feels like it was made for fans of this character and Star Wars. If there is future series then I would be highly excited for it. 

Overall - 9/10

Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge Of The Sith (2005) Review

Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge Of The Sith (2005) Review 

 Now we are here to the end of the prequel trilogy with The Revenge Of The Sith, yes this is the film that sees Anakin Skywalker turn into Darth Vader which at the time was probably the most anticipated film ever and the first film I remember vividly seeing in the cinema so this film was a big part of my childhood and this is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees Obi-Wan & Anakin sent to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from The Sepratists and aim to use their powers to try and end The Clone Wars. 

Main Character

I gave Hayden Christensen quite a bit of flack for his performance as Anakin Skywalker in Attack Of The Clones but I think he did a much better job in this film which is really important as he is clearly thr most important part of the film. You can see the progression that he has gone through since the previous film and it is interesting seeing him in his prime as a Jedi, you see from early on that he is really conflicted between the light and dark side and it is really great to watch. Ewan McGregor is back as Obi-Wan and he is fantastic, he is very charming and charismatic in the film and comes across as not just a wise Jedi but a good friend to Anakin. Their friendship is better represented in the film and it makes the ultimate split feel really emotional and you get invested in their final confrontation. 

Supporting Characters

Natalie Portman is back as Padme and she seems to have a smaller role in the film and I thought this was her best performance of the trilogy, don't get me wrong there is still the cringworthy romantic dialogue but it is in the film less. Their relationship feels a bit more natural in this film and I thought Padme managed to add to Anakin's story in the plot and it was a decent performance from Portman with what she was given. Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine hasn't had huge roles in the previous two films but he is a huge presence in this film, his relationship with Anakin is the most captivating part of the film and it just adds more and more layers to the characters and his performance really worked for me. Frank Oz voicing Yoda was really good, you see that Yoda is still at his wisest but he has even been decieved and it shows exactly what the events are that lead to Yoda having to go into exile where he is in the original trilogy. 

Story

The story in this film sees Anakin's turn to the dark side and I thought it was interesting for the most part, seeing his and Palpatine's friendship grow really works for their dynamics, especially when you know where it is leading to. Also I thought the film made the Jedi a bit more mysterious and untrustworthy, there are times that you kind of see Anakin's point of view which does work. However, I feel like Anakin's turn happen's really quickly, he goes from a strong Jedi with a few issues to being a Sith Lord hunting down Jedi in about 15 minutes which felt way too quick and i thought it took away from the actual turn as a whole. 

Script

The script for this film is the best one of the prequels, the emotion is written much better in this film, there are some truly emotional moments and dialogue that are handled fantastically well and rise this above a bland movie. However, that awful cringeworthy romantic dialogue is there at times, though less it is still there and it does affect some scenes as it is hard to get invested when it sounds so ridiculous and like nothing any human would say. 

Style

This film's style has some really exciting action scenes, the battle scenes all feel huge in scale and keep you on the edge of your seat. Also the use of editing and John Williams score allow some truly memorable and impactful moments so credit has to be given there. There are also some good lightsaber fights, the one between Anakin & Obi-Wan is easily the best and shows two Jedi truly in there prime. However, it might seem like a silly critcism but maybe the film could have done with a few less lightsaber battles, every other star wars film before this pretty much had one lightsaber fight, but this film has 5 different lightsaber fights some are good (Anakin & Obi-Wan) and some are bad (Palpatine & Windu). They could have tried to be a bit more creative and have some force battles instead of just focusing on the lightsabers. 

Overall

Overall this is a good end to the prequel trilogy, it is easily the best film of the three. Though if you are not a Star Wars fan already I am not sure it is worth sitting through Phantom Menace & Attack Of The Clones just to get to this fim, but if you do you will find a good film with some very memorable moments.

Rating - 7/10 

Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack Of The Clones (2002) Review

Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack Of The Clones (2002) Review 

 The next stage of my Star Wars marathon leads me to the second episode of the prequel trilogy Attack Of The Clones and this is my review for it. The premise of the film is set 10 years after The Phantom Menace and Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker are tasked with protecting Senator Amidala from an assasination attempt which leads them both to question what is going on in the galaxy and The Republic as a whole.

Main Character

Hayden Christensen was cast as an older Anakin Skywalker in this film and I am just going to be blunt he isn't particularly good in this film. The character has some interesting moments and it does feel like he isn't as dull as some of the other jedi but it is just Christensen doesn't pull it off. It doesn't help that the story he is involved in drags down the movie and the script is really bad, which he can't rise above. Ewan McGregor plays an older and more wiser Obi-Wan Kenobi and he is great in this film and is the best character in the film, he has way more charisma and personality in this film and you really see his connection to Alec Guinness's version of the character here. 

Supporting Characters

Frank Oz voices Yoda in the film and even though he had a smaller role in The Phantom Menace his role is beefed up here and it is great seeing this wise Yoda at what could be considered in his prime. Natalie Portman is back as Padme Amidala and I thought she would be better in this film but actually after rewatching this film she is just as bad in this film as the previous possibly even worse. She gives such a wooden performance, the dialogue for her is terrible but she does nothing to attempt to rise above it and comes across as a very boring character. The amazing Christopher Lee plays Count Dooku in this film and he tries but he is very similar to Darth Maul in the previous film, he turns up very late in the film and you learn very little about his character to care about why he is going against The Jedi. Samuel L Jackson gets a bit more screen time as Mace Windu in the film and it is such a shame that such a charismatic actor such as Jackson is given nothing to work with and is possibly the most boring Jedi on film that there ever has been. 

Story

The main plot thread of this film is the on and off romance between Anakin & Padme and my goodness it is so bland and cringeworthy. The fact the performers have no chemistry doesn't help and that it actually is really creepy at times. You can tell they were going for a Han & Leia romance here but the difference is that there story was a secondary story not the main one, but this film focuses too much on this romance and it is just a really badly written romance. However, the story of Obi-Wan trying to locate the assassin is really interesting and well handled, you learn along with Kenobi and the revelations really work for the film. It is just a shame that the film didn't focus more on this part of the story as there was even more potential for intrigue in this plot thread. 

Script

Now as mentioned in my Phantom Menace review the scripts for these films are just really not good and this one might be the worst one there is. The romantic and dramatic dialogue is cringeworthy and feels completley unnatural making these characters not even feel like normal people and it makes you not care at all. The attempt at humour also doesn't work McGregor does his best and delivers some decent one liners but that is more down to his performance then the script.

Style

The style of this film has some great action scenes in it, the battle between Obi-Wan & Jango Fett on Kamino is one of my favourite battles in any Star Wars film because of how physical and different it feels to any other battle in franchise history. It is also really cool seeing Jedi in their prime taking down armies of enemies showing just how powerful they are. But, a big thing in the films is the lightsaber fights and this one really fails to deliver, they are less entertaining then Phantom Menace and don't have the personal feeling of the original trilogy plus it is really obvious that it is not Christopher Lee involved in the action scenes. Also the pacing of the film is even worse in this film then the previous one as it focuses way too much on the romance and less on the interesting Obi-Wan story. 

Overall

Overall, this film is better then The Phantom Menace with more entertaining action scenes and a few decent characters but the romance really drags the film down and lets face it this is not worthy of being called a Star Wars film either. 

Rating - 4/10