Access media critic reviews for Leslye Headland’s Star Wars: The Acolyte series are not looking good.
Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series currently has an 83% score with 35 fresh reviews and 7 rotten reviews. The average rating for the series is 7.3 out of 10.
Star Wars: The Acolyte All Critics Tomatometer Scores
The Top Critics score sits at a 65% with 11 fresh scores and 6 rotten scores. The average rating is 6.4 out of 10.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Top Critics Tomatometer Scores
Here’s what the critics are saying:
Julian Roman at MovieWeb gives the show a rotten 2 out of 5. He writes, “Star Wars: The Acolyte unfortunately lives up to the hype as a series that will divide fans. Problems lie in the plot’s execution, overall vision of the characters, Star Wars universe, and puzzling inconsistencies in the use of the Force.”
Sam Adams at Slate gave the show a rotten review. He wrote, “The show pulls back from its most audacious possibilities in a way that suggests the heavy hand of brand management, chipping away at anything that might rock the boat.”
Rodrigo Perez at The Playlist gives the film a positive B-. He stated, “The texture of what Headland is toying with in The Acolyte feels like it requires a deeper level of sophistication that might be slightly out of this series’ reach.
(L-R): Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) and Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
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Rob Owen at Seattle Times lampooned the series with a rotten review. He wrote, “This is the first Star Wars series to give off a Star Trek: The Next Generation vibe. It doesn’t help that the show’s momentum can be slow, with too many dull exposition pitstops even as episodes clock in at a light 32 to 42 minutes.”
Sabrina Barr at Metro gave the series a positive 3.5 out of 5. She wrote, “The series manages to carry off its world-building in a way that feels organic rather than forced, and without it feeling as though you’re being overwhelmed with the amount of information you’re expected to remember.”
Belen Edwards at Mashable gives the show a positive score. She stated, “On top of being an enthralling thriller, one of The Acolyte’s greatest strengths is how it deepens our understanding of the Force — its uses, its boundaries, and who gets to wield it.”
(L-R, front row): Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Meghan O’Keefe at Decider gave the series a positive score. She stated, “By looking backwards to the waning days of the Jedi Order, Leslye Headland has pushed the franchise further into the future than ever before.
Eric Goldman at IGN gave the film a positive 6 out of 10. He wrote, “Taken on its own terms, The Acolyte does offer some enjoyable character dynamics and an enticing mystery, but its first four episodes fail to coalesce into something that truly shines. But look, it does have a wookiee Jedi, and that’s always a plus.”
Andrew Webster at The Verge gives the show a fresh score. He stated, “For me — and I say this as someone who really enjoyed the likes of Ahsoka and Obi-Wan — it has made the Star Wars universe feel not only large again but also unpredictable in a way that I haven’t experienced in a long time.”
Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
On Metacritic, it gets even worse. The Metascore sits at 68 based on 13 reviews. There are 8 positive reviews and 5 mixed reviews.
Critic scores for The Acolyte via Metacritic
Terry Terrones at Paste Magazine gave the series an 87, the highest score on the site. He wrote, “The Acolyte provides just that. Seeing the Jedi at the height of their powers is impressive. But seeing them, at their apex, utterly confused and at times powerless is even better. Jedi are being hunted but they have no idea who’s behind it or what the motivation is. Neither does the audience. The mystery of this series is what will keep you riveted to your screen.”
Maggie Lovitt at Collider gave the show an 80. She said, “Leslye Headland brings an entirely fresh approach to the franchise by allowing her characters to be imperfect. It helps that these first four episodes of The Acolyte range from 32 to 42 minutes, giving the characters a chance to breathe and feel settled within the fast-paced plots.”
Matthew Jackson at Looper also gives the show an 80. He says, “The Acolyte is a thrilling new addition to Star Wars, a series that reliably looks and acts the part while also genuinely attempting to explore new corners of this galaxy. It’s a must-see for any Star Wars fan, of course, but it’ll also make for great thriller viewing even if you barely know what Star Wars is.”
(L-R): Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Keith Phipps at TV Guide gives the series a 66. He writes, “What it’s yet to find — unlike the similarly morally ambiguous Andor — is a way to convert the boldness of [its] ambitions into storytelling that’s just as bold.”
Brian Lowry at CNN gives the series a 65. He explained, “The final episodes will ultimately determine whether this amounts to a significant and perhaps fertile new avenue for Star Wars, or merely an interesting detour. Until then, this tale of the Jedi is entertaining and mildly promising. Whether that opens new doors for Disney/Lucasfilm or leads to a dead end, as a wise little green fellow once said, always in motion is the future.”
James Dyer at Empire gives the series a 60. He said, “A Star Wars mystery that interests rather than intrigues, this is spiced up nonetheless by a brand-new setting, some arresting Force-fu and a Wookiee with a lightsaber.”
(L-R): Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Keith Watson at The Telegraph gives the series a 60. He said, “Unlike Andor – easily the best of the Star Wars spin-offs – The Acolyte is a pulled punch, too eager to play the story out in a series of five-minute jeopardy riffs rather than trust that the audience might have an attention span. There are teasing hints of what it could be.”
Nick Schager at The Daily Beast gives the series a 55. He stated, “The umpteenth example of the fact that not all sagas need go on indefinitely—and especially not via formulaic prequels.”
Kelly Lawler at USA Today gave the show its worst rated score of 50. She stated, “Acolyte has a great deal of potential. The Mandalorian made Star Wars a Western. Andor made it a revolution. Acolyte could have made it a great work of fantasy and mystery. But mostly it’s a great big sigh.”
Amandla Stenberg in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
What do you make of these mediocre reviews for Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte?
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