‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Episode 3 Has Some Main Issues, Together with Darth Vader

Obi Wan Kenobi shouldn’t be dwelling as much as my admittedly excessive expectations—main me to query why I had such excessive expectations to start with. I suppose it is simply laborious whenever you grew up loving star Wars a lot, you retain holding out hope.

Rebellions are constructed on hope.

Oh and spoiler’s observe.

It is laborious to shake this sense. I need to be cynical every time a brand new star Wars present or film or sport is introduced, however for each time the franchise let’s me down there’s one other entry that revives my love of this galaxy far, distant. The Mandalorian, Rogue One, Rebels, Jedi: Fallen Order. For each Jar Jar Binks there’s a Child Yoda—give or take. Or, for that matter, to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

sigh

What can I say concerning the Wacky Adventures Of Outdated Ben Kenobi And Princess Leia?

I am simply not feeling it guys. I had a bit hope that the primary two episodes have been only a rocky begin, however this newest one has me feeling fairly gloomy about the entire affair. We’re midway by way of a six-episode limited-run sequence and it is simply deeply mediocre in nearly each manner. Nothing vital has occurred. Past simply the essential drawback with prequels (we already know when and the way Obi-Wan, Darth Vader and Leia die!) it is simply not an excellent TV present on a fundamental, elementary degree. It is not very entertaining!

I imply, positive, Ewan McGregor is an excellent actor and he does a terrific job with Obi-Wan Kenobi. If solely the script and the path might sustain with him.

Alas, they can not.

The script is genuinely unhealthy a lot of the time and Deborah Chow’s path is sloppy and uninspired. The present feels low-cost and poorly edited. And it is simply dimly, dreadfully uninteresting.

Enable me to elaborate:

The Inquisitors Are So Cringe

In my final assessment of this present I famous how I simply did not actually just like the casting selection for Reva, the spunky junior Inquisitor and Third Sister who simply needs to point out everybody that she’s bought what it takes to . . . hunt Jedi and make Papa Vader proud! The casting feels off to me, however possibly it is also the way in which she’s written. She’s only a cliche wrapped in a cliche dipped in a cliche and I believe she’ll be simply as predictable in the long run as all that makes her sound.

Nevertheless it’s not simply Reva! By some means Fifth Brother will get increasingly over-acted and ridiculous each scene he is in. There’s numerous Very Severe Grumbling that goes on between these two and the opposite Inquisitors. A lot of jockeying for place and so forth. It is all simply extraordinarily generic and cringey. I need these Inquisitors to cease being Very Evil round each other and go be badass Jedi hunters . . . who do not lose their quarry when he topples an awning on them.

The Inquisitors have proven up in different Star Wars exhibits—rebels, as an example—and within the video video games—Fall Order—and so they’ve all the time been horrifying badasses. These inquisitors are clowns.

Leia Is Simply Child Yoda Minus Us Giving A Rattling

At first, I assumed it was sort of a cool spin on issues to headfake us with Luke and provides us an Obi-Wan / Leia bonding journey. However Leia is simply manner overcooked as a personality. She’s smart and intelligent and difficult and quick and expensive god Disney you may write robust feminine characters with out Mary Suing so laborious. It is not honest to feminine characters to jot down them this fashion. We like a number of flaws right here and there.

And positive, okay, Leia by no means listens and he or she will get Ben in hassle time to time and he or she’s a rascally one, however realistically she’s nonetheless written above her age and that makes her much less fascinating, no more. The factor about Grogu is that he was fifty years outdated and already fairly highly effective within the Power, however he was nonetheless a child. He was dominated by his id not his ego, Power-choking anybody who dared lay a finger on Papa Mando.

This makes me assume, possibly I would not care a lot about Little Leia if there had been no Child Yoda within the first place. The issue, greater than something, is that she’s simply second fiddle. She’s Child Yoda Lite. She’s New Coke Grogu. We have been right here, accomplished that, blah blah blah. This appears like a recycled plot that simply is not as new or fascinating.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Lame

Look, possibly I am leaping the gun right here however we’re midway by way of the sequence. I get establishing Obi-Wan as this burnt out outdated Jedi who has given up the methods of the Power and deserted all hope and brought up work as a meat-cutter in a meat-cutting manufacturing facility, however come on already. Sufficient is sufficient.

By episode 2, Obi-Wan Kenobi used the Power, let me see, counting . . . counting . . . uh . . . one time. One time he used it to save lots of a very assured Leia from falling to her loss of life (although part of me wonders if he ought to have). He is grappled and blastered his manner by way of most crises, and blundered his manner by way of the remainder—together with screwing up and calling Leia by her actual title after they’ve gone incognito.

I am going to speak extra concerning the showdown with Vader on this episode in a minute, however the truth of the matter is Obi-Wan simply sort of sucks proper now. In A New Hope he had no drawback Jedi Thoughts-Tricking a Stormtrooper. Right here he is principally a stuttering idiot, agape at any new impediment. A drone exhibits up and as an alternative of blasting it right away or Thoughts-Tricking the Stormtroopers into not calling it to start with, he let’s it scan him after which shoots it. QUICK THINKING BEN.

Stuff Simply Would not Make Sense

We noticed loads of this within the first two episodes however I am going to conjure only one instance for Episode 3 (although we might undoubtedly provide you with extra). On this episode, Leia and Obi-Wan are “captured” by a really small group of Stormtroopers after defeating a equally sized group solely moments earlier than (larger, really, I am fairly positive).

They lay down their arms, bow to the bottom—and are miraculously saved by their individual on the within of the Empire—Tia (performed by Indira Varma, yet one more Sport of Thrones alumni). She kills the Stormtroopers that apparently have been an excessive amount of for Jedi Grasp Obi-Wan Kenobi the Lame.

However in spite of everything of this, in spite of everything of their operating away and hiding, Darth Vader exhibits up and Obi-Wan goes one path to attract his ire, whereas Tia and Leia go the opposite, down an extended tunnel. Midway down it, Leia implores Tia to go assist Obi-Wan, the full-grown man, towards a Sith Lord that Tia can not probably do something significant about. Tia, the grownup, agrees to what this precocious 8-year-old youngster says and abandons her.

She simply let’s her go on her personal, by herself, so she will go assist the Jedi Grasp, who is just on this predicament to start with as a result of he needed to go rescue Leia. Naturally, by the tip of the episode Leia has been recaptured, this time by Reva herself. Sure, all of this makes complete sense.

Different issues that do not make sense:

• How come the Empire could not monitor down the massive, gradual cargo ship that Obi-Wan and Leia escaped on final episode? It is clearly gradual and so they know what ship it’s. So…possibly go after it?
• After Vader beats the crap out of Obi-Wan and burns him, he tells his Stormtrooper minions: “Deliver him to me.” However then Tia makes some stuff go increase and hearth erupts all around the floor and the loader droid exhibits up and drags Obi-Wan to security. As a result of I suppose Darth Vader, Sith Lord, and his minions are unable to both A) stroll round (or fly above) the fireplace or B) use the Power to snap the droid in half. Nope, they get away once more, scot free.

Which brings us to . . .

The Vader Vs Kenobi Showdown Was Tremendous Weak

We have had a pair showdowns between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi earlier than. Within the unique Star Wars, they wave their laser swords at each other meekly, George Lucas and his entourage completely unaware of what a smash hit this can all turn out to be. Kenobi calls Vader “Darth” and so they thwack gently at each other till Vader will get the killing blow.

Within the prequels, the 2 lastly got here to blows and Anakin was solid into the magma, a lot of his physique melting and burning away to be able to turn out to be “extra machine than man.”

However all I can consider watching their large showdown in Obi Wan Kenobi is . . . why do not you go take the excessive floor, dude? Most of this combat is Kenobi operating away. The overwhelming majority of it’s simply Vader slowly strolling after him, as a result of I suppose we want three episodes at a naked minimal to shake Kenobi out of his reverie and get him again in preventing form. They managed to do this in 5 minutes in Cat Ballou however right here we want three hours. After which some.

Possibly we’ll get—er, most likely we’ll get?—a greater, larger, extra satisfying rematch in a while within the season, however I do not know why we needed to endure such a disappointing encounter within the first place.

I needed extra. Up to now this appears like a present hellbent on doling out simply sufficient fan service to piss everybody off.

verdict

What else is there to say, actually? It is not horrible regardless of my grumblings. Possibly if you happen to flip off your mind you may get pleasure from it as a bit of sunshine journey area opera junk meals.

Nevertheless it’s not nice, both. It is advantageous. Completely watchable. Nevertheless it feels low-cost and sloppy and the script is mediocre and stuffed with plot holes. Even the rating, by the venerable John Williams, appears phoned in in comparison with the contemporary, space-Western vibes of The Mandalorians EAST.

I actually do assume Kenobi—and McGregor—deserved higher materials right here, and I am nonetheless holding out hope that the second half might be higher. However as somebody who watched each mandalorian episode twice (not less than) I am fairly positive that what we have seen thus far is what we must always count on for the following three weeks.

What a disgrace.

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