Let me preface this by saying that we will have a full-review of the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Saturday morning. Our Star Wars guru, Lorn Conner, will be doing an in-depth analysis of both entries that launched three hours earlier than schedule.
That said, I would like to give my initial impressions of the series thus far. These will be just my random thoughts, not necessarily highly organized.
One of the first things that strikes me is the computer graphics. I’m not sure if they’re purposefully aiming for the early 2000s CGI aesthetic that defined the prequels, but I do have some background in 3D animation… and this series is not using textures or lighting techniques that provide the most realistic results. If they chose to purposefully make it look like earlier CGI, that’s an odd choice. If they are doing this without having intended to, or somehow because of budget, then that’s really weird. This isn’t present in either The Book of Bobba Fett or The Mandalorian. Even like the lighting on the desert dune is off.
Another thing that feels odd is the choice of child actors. Don’t get me wrong, I think the little girl playing Leia is fantastic. I just don’t understand why, if we’re ten years beyond the adoption of Luke and Leia, why they look younger than eleven or ten. Leia, in particular, comes across as more like seven-ish. That’s odd. There’s also a line in the first episode in which it is explicitly stated that Leia is just as important as Luke. I had to laugh out loud at that one just because you never expect to hear it just bluntly said out loud straight from the script.
Then there was the moment when I suddenly heard a southern American accent for the first time in Star Wars. Have I been missing other examples? Someone share with me in the comments if there has ever been another character in Star Wars with a southern drawl. It just took me off guard because I’ve never heard that accent in Star Wars… and of course the person with the southern voice is a giant bearded bald man who is clearly dumb and mean. I’m telling you, you can easily tell where modern Star Wars is made and who is writing this stuff.
The inquisitors, meanwhile, come across more like Rita Repulsa’s goon squad. I don’t mean to be impolite about that, it’s just they’re not at all threatening. And they bop each other in back alleys growling at one another in sort of cheesy cartoon-like banter. These three don’t inspire intimidation the way Darth Vader did.
There are definitely positives thus far. I like the actress playing Leia. Of course McGregor is great at Obi-Wan Kenobi, even if I’m not impressed with some of the writing he’s having to deal with. The guy playing Uncle Owen is doing a truly remarkable job. The HDR for the series is absolutely phenomenal — I can’t recommend enough watching this one on a big OLED TV if you have the opportunity. It’s a different experience in great HDR versus just normal contrast levels. Moon Knight was similarly incredible in that area, so hopefully this is something that Disney+ will continue to excel with.
I guess overall I’m neither sold nor unsold on the series. If the leaks are true, I think the whole thing goes down in flames at the end. But there’s a chance the leaks aren’t true and we’re in for an epic surprise. As of two episodes in, however, I’m still sitting squarely on the fence. This thing could go either way.
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place! As always, drop a comment down below and let us know what you thought. Don’t forget to read our in-depth reviews for Episodes 1 and 2 on Saturday morning!
