It's quite sad when the words 'bland' and 'forgettable' are associated with Star Wars. It's kind of unforgivable that they had McGregor, Christensen and Neeson, and this was what we got.
Disney is more concerned about constantly putting SOMETHING out on their streaming platform instead of putting out something actually good. I was really looking forward to Obi Wan Kenobi and was utterly disappointed. It was so insanely thinly written, badly acted and aimless. Every character ends up exactly where they started off. Pretty much no substantial development for any character happened. It's the exact same issue with the Solo movie. Seriously, fuck Disney Star Wars.
@@DiamondDead Well there are 2 Star Wars in existence these days. Classic Star Wars done by George Lucas and Di$ney Star Wars. Its not hard to tell them apart. One is fine dining, the other a trip to McDonalds.
There are only 3 star wars movies that where unforgettable, the rest was rated from OK at best, but mostely trash. They probably should have left it alone after the 80 s. They could have done a lot of interesting things with the prequel, sequel, the world, but they decided to just make easy commercial stuff.
The main problem with all these spin-offs and sequels is that (1) they create probems with continuity and (2) they lack suspense because we already know who survives and who doesn't.
@@davidgeisler9885 Well, that's true, but in no way as severe as since the prequels and spin-offs. The only major continuity flaw in the OT would be Obi-Wan telling Luke that Vader killed Anakin - and later states that it was true what he said from a certain point of view. Sure, Lucas changed his back story (or to be more precise, Kasdan and several other writers suggested changes via rewrites), but, for example, Leia being Luke's sister is not a continuity error, rather a bold, risky and somewhat unsettling choice in hintsight (because of the whole incest and father torturing daughter thing). Some things are left in the dark, for example, is Owen really Anakin's brother (of course, the prequels cleared that up, but before the prequels it was left blank)? Are there any continuity issues I missed in the OT (that have not been produced by prequels or sequels or spin-offs)?
It is truly baffling that they would rather just destroy continuity for the sake of shoehorning Leia into the story. Why they couldn't create a new character or pull someone like Mara Jade from the extended universe is just beyond me
They could just counter that by 1) giving characters a solid motivation to do certain stuff and in doing that actually expand on the canon and not contradicting in it. For example instead of Obi-Wan saving Leia he goes on a mission to learn how to become a force ghost with the instructions of Qui-Gonn, Vader learns about this travels to fight him and in following Obi-Wans steps also learns how to become a force ghost (bcs how would Vader know how to do this in episode 6?) 2) Just don't try and build suspense by getting these characters in dangerous situations. Just give them something to care about (a certain village) and a task to protect them if you really want that suspense.
Honestly it seemed like they had a movie script, then they chopped it up into episodic bits and added filler to pad out the episodes. It’s telling that the credited writers for each episode are mostly known for their film scripts. There so much to like about the show when it focuses on Obi-Wan and Anakin, that clearly that was the original focus of the story.
Your correct. It began as a movie but once solo flopped the higher ups decided to shelve it for the time being until it was reborn as a limited series.
Always found it odd that writers are so scared of making an out and out evil female character. They always have to be shown to have been manipulated or have a redemption arc (and in this case somehow makes all the terrible things they've done forgiveable.)
She cut a mans hand off. I don't think anyone could forgive her. Also how come everyone survives having a lightsaber shoved into their chest except for Lian Neeson?
I am still in disbelief that the scene of child Leia running away from two grown adults was actually real. I thought it was gonna be awful after the first two episodes, and I'll be forever annoyed they forced Leia into the story, but then they seemed to remember it was a show about Obi-Wan and from episode three on they got better and better. All of the stuff with Vader and Obi-Wan was excellent, it could easily have been a great movie with the material they had
"Star Wars is creatively bankrupt" (RLM). The more they pump out the more I agree to this point even though some shows are better than others. They seem to have so little to add to this universe without all the "remember this?" content. Actually, all I want them to do is tell new, good stories without recycling the old stuff.
Trouble is that all the good stuff comes from classic Star Wars. Look at what a dogs breakfast Disney did with the new trilogy. It was garbage. That's why they keep dragging George's old characters out, they are incapable of creating any decent ones of their own.
For most part agree RLM are spot on, but Mandalorian is fantastic though and doesnt suffer from this lazy writing. Feels like it was rushed and on a budget
As soon as we saw Leia run from those bandits it was obvious where this show was going. Only enjoyable part was when Vader showed up and just owned everyone and grabbed the ship and of course, took care of Reva. They really need to make something where it is all about the Empire/Sith. We've seen so many stories now about the Rebels and Jedi.
Why they chose to focus on other subplots with Reva instead of the Vader - kenobi conflict in his own show is just beyond me. Probably the biggest wasted opportunity in movie history. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MOVIE.
You know why they chose to focus on Reva. She's got a vagina and the talentless actress they got to play her is the correct color, or more accurately not the incorrect color since all colors are correct save one.
In regards to the overuse of green screen and blue screen, I remember that after filming wrapped up with ROTS Ewan McGregor was reluctant to take part in the movie The Island due to being an effects-heavy movie and he expected more blue screen and green screen, but Michael Bay reassured him that that wouldn't be the case. McGregor admitted it was great to once again act on real sets and locations and having real things to react to.
Kind of ironic for McGregor to whine about it though, because without the prequels we never would have got to the Stagecraft tech. And Kenobi looks bland as shit, even compared to the Mandalorian, while Lucas' CG may look like CG, at least it gave us imaginative places and creatures with environments they could interact with and impact the story/action. It may been more 'immersive' for McGregor et al to act in, but for the viewer, much less immersive, and much more forgettable.
LOL ... The irony being how they didnt use by far as much bluescreen settings due to the new tech in Kenobi but the show manages to still feel bland compared to ROTS 😂😂😂
love me movies from the 70s-90s that where so brightly lit out that you literally see every corner and it made the movies look almost like a painting. I.e. Especially the western movies from the 60-70s
The Patterson 2.5hr movie edit was near flawless and kept the most important plot points and scenes intact and the pacing through his rearrangement of scenes flowed much better. I highly recommend it. It (in my opinion) is how it should have been released and is of cinematic quality. Edit: My only complaint is that he reused certain musical scores from previous SW films which for me at least, made me think more about the scenes from those films instead of being fully immersed into what was happening on the screen. That aside, this was what should have been made and released in theaters.
@@DANRYX I managed to watch it but I didn’t really enjoy it. I think it should be series but just needs better writing. The series felt so lightweight/casual for such an important character. Disney wasted an opportunity and treated a main course like a snack.
sadly I'm not as nice as you where reviewing this show......this was a huge let down full of plot holes, awful characters taking screen time away of the 2 main character we PAID to see, more plot holes to make even little Timmy have a headache, and...sorry but very CHEAP looking awful cinematography and special effects, this was the OBI WAN KENOBI show, and the Mandalorian looks 10 times more expensive and have way better VFX. The only 2 stand outs are Hayden and Ewan reprising their roles as Anakin / Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi, they defined not the ones to fault, they manage to make the show not been TERRIBLE, but any scene they aren't in, specially when they focus on Reva or Leia is just a Snorefest. This for me was unwatchable at times and I drop it after ep.3, and just watch the fights and reviews and clips on you tube, Disney keep ruining SW and Marvel to the ground, and I seriously considering not renew my Disney+ subscription, with the lack of GOOD content and just making disappointing shows, all MCU Disney+ shows and with the exception of the Mandalorian, the SW shows have been lacking.
I honestly though Ewan was awful in it, and I take no satisfaction from saying that. He was good enough to still impress, despite some of the awful dialogue in the prequels. He wasn’t good enough to rise above this crap. But then I’m not sure anybody would be …
Instead of Leia, they should've just focused on Ben being haunted by the past. Anakin appearing in dreams and visions. Building up to a confrontation and a redemption. I like the idea of the hunt for Jedis and their allies. And following a youngling that survived, and turned hateful. But the execution was not very good.
Disney simply can’t fathom that Star Wars was never meant to be a Disney property and was never going to fit their formula of copy, clean it up, re-release it. Disney found success by rewriting stories to fit their formula; Star Wars is incompatible. Honestly, I’ve already lost faith in anything that Disney does with Kennedy at the helm. She seems hell-bent on “girl power”, even if it comes at the expense of depth, character, integrity, storytelling, world-building, or even pre-existing lore. Strong characters are strong regardless of what’s between their legs. Kennedy seems like the type that grew up with Star Wars but was always mad that there weren’t more girls in the spotlight. Hell, she was probably upset that one of the main girls, Leia, was a princess. Seems ironic given that Disney became what it is through princess stories. Star Wars, however, was not one of those stories. I’m not upset that women are getting more attention in Star Wars; I’m pissed that their not given a proper story and that the only reason they’re there is *because* they’re women. Give them depth. Give them flaws. Give them a purpose beyond just being not men. Ahsoka Tano is an amazing character. She has development, purpose, conflict, individuality, and uniqueness. Asajj Ventress was the same. I can’t even remember the name of the main character from the new ones. She wasn’t developed. She was completely forgettable. Kylo Ren was the same. Just “I want to be the next Darth Vader” was his entire persona. There’s no soul in Kennedy’s Star Wars; just “girls can do it, too!” whininess. I’m over it
You're literally the only review that has said the show doesn't look cheap. I think it also looks cheap and esp when compared with Mandalorian. The CGI on some of the ships was awful and were lit poorly and had that phony cheap CGI herky jerky physics applied. The ship that Vader prevents from taking off and the other ship that the Star Destroyer was chasing looked esp bad. I guess they forgot to de-age Anakin in the flashback because he's supposed to be in his early 20s or perhaps even late teens, but he's obviously a 40+ year old man in that scene. The Qui Gonn appearance looked great but I don't think that was de-aging but old Phantom Menace footage that has been manipulated to match it up with the new dialogue. Given the piss poor quality of the other CGI I don't buy it being de-aging. Maybe it is and if that's true then that's maybe the best single effects shot in the show, but he looks too much like his old self to be de-aged. All of the Obi-Wan acting scenes and anything with Vader was the best thing about the show. Otherwise it was pretty bad and a huge black mark on the franchise.
I agree with your review. The biggest issues with the show are continuity and the score. They really should have just reused John Williams music and kept Leia out of it. Otherwise it's okay. Not as offensive as the prequels or sequels.
Even if I don't agree with your view, I really like listening to the way you say things. Sometimes a version of your voice sounds in my head when I am watching something new, the "Oliver Harper review" ! For the record, I totally agree with your Obi-Wan review, especially the damn darkness, when the show becomes an audio book. Thanks
6/10 is my rating. I felt the shakey cam was a betrayel of the style of star wars. I also felt this should have been a 2 hour film instead of a 6 hour chore to get through. there were moments I liked but a lot undermined by the obvious Unreal Virtual Studio being used. its ok but very disappointing.
way too kind. this was rubbish. what about tala taking out two storm troopers with slaps LOLOLOL... first duel obi jsut runs.. second was better.. but direction was terrible.. shaky cam, terrible contract, lighting..
I share your issues with the score to the show. A show about the characters from the films, which were obviously related to John Williams themes and motives, and they NEVER use any of them until the last episode! It is just baffling. How can you have Darth Vader on screen and not at least subtly include the imperial March motive?!?!? The Kenobi theme John Williams wrote for the series is rather good, but to me it lacks varations, it comes up way too often in its original form and even key (of course a few exceptions here and there, but I have a feeling it was too simplified in context to the underscoring of the drama). I can understand that one might not use the iconic themes etc. when it is about new stories and characters who were not part of the films, but with Kenobi? Come on! -------- Another issue: Besides surviving being stabbed with a lightsaber not just once, but even twice, and then stumbling upon the message for Ben, Reva/3rd sister can teleport to Tatooine in no time? With what ship? How did she get there this fast? ...
The show gave no specific time frame for her trip to Tatooine. It could have been a week, who knows. I think the editing was deliberately done to intercut scenes from different time zones to create tension but I didn’t watch thinking she got there in 5 minutes. Why do you think that?
Disappointing series in my opinion and massively canon breakage! One example is obi wan not knowing Vader was alive which is utter rubbish because in return of the Jedi obi wan said to Luke….. “To protect you from the emperor you where both hidden from your father when you where born”
I mean the implication at the end of Revenge of the Sith is that Obi-Wan thinks Vader is dead. So if anything, that is a slip up from that film, not this show.
Hiding Luke with his Aunt and Uncle on Anakin's home planet seems wildly risky if Obi Wan and Yoda believe Vader to still be alive. For me you either go with "They found out after episode 3 and in ROTJ Obi Wan is retroactively using Vader's survival as justification for hiding Luke." or "Just in case Vader somehow survived, they hid him on Tatooine with Anakin's brother in law." Both are somewhat clunky explanations; it's a consequence of Lucas doing the original trilogy first and then going back to do the prequels. I wouldn't say there is anything here that particularly jumps the shark on canon breaking, it's just needlessly convoluted and awkward in places. Like Obi Wan telling Leia at the end to pretend she doesn't know him.
Outshines everything in the prequels?? Good one. The immolation scene at the end of Episode III,he was fantastic. And yes the fights were more choreographed but they were awesome. These looked tired, slow and frankly their setting was boring...an embrassment of a show
Another horribly written Disney Star Wars shown, that focuses on brief pretty visuals but has the characters do moronic things and ignore obvious solution simply to get the plot moving.
Saying Ewan McGregor isn't a TV actor isn't well thought-out when McGregor has done multiple TV shows at this point and received Emmy Awards for his work on TV, like freaking Fargo. Did Oliver Harper review Fargo TV and say "Well, McGregor isn't a TV actor, and it shows." Tom Hardy wasn't really a TV gu and he did Taboo, which was a fantastic show.
I've had to close my blinds just to see what was happening in certain scenes. The same problem happened with Moon Knight' where it was hard to see what was going on
The problem with these fill in the blanks stories, especially when they involve such major characters, is they have no stakes. No one major can die so they come off as pointless.
Watched the whole stupid series, only because of Ewan McGregor. Once again, it was rubbish. Terrible acting, writing and directing. Still, Obi-Wan Kenobi the series was somehow far better than any of the Disney space shit movies. The Holiday Special tried to warn us that Star Wars was shit way back in 1978. We're still in denial.
MY IDEA FOR VADER'S ORIGIN: I always figured a better Annakin/Vader changeover would be Obi Wan witnessing Annakin getting shot down in an X-wing. He sees the explosion and assumes his friend died a hero in battle. In reality, the Empire captures him and saves his life. The emperor realizes the potential and begins to poison Vader's mind by implying that the Rebellion left him to die. The rebellion are hypocrites that want anarchy. They must be stopped. However, we only see Annakin getting shot down, and then Vader's original entrance in Ep 4. The events between that time are just rumors, and intercepted transmissions that lead some of the Rebel generals to speculate that the Empire has secret hostages/prisoners/ and hidden camps around the galaxy... The next time we see Vader is his entrance in Episode 4. This protects the reveal so new audiences still find out when Luke does.
Looking forward to your Andor review (please!). That show was pretty phenomenal and finally did something really different and interesting with Star Wars.
Tala and Reva not running into each in the tunnels isn't an oversight, if you slow down the footage when we first see the tunnels you briefly see that it branches off into two different directions. Which explains how no one ran into each other and how Tala made it to Ben without being spotted by the Imperials in town. The issue is that this detail is only shown on screen for less then three seconds in a literal blink and you miss moment, non does it address how Reva managed to take the wrong path and still arrive at the port faster then a child who had a 20-minute head start in the right tunnel
I just assumed Reva went to the nearest most likely landing pad, with a ship and a pilot waiting to pick someone up, and head them off. I didn’t consider that she even used the tunnel.
Yeah, it was there, but so badly edited, like every episode. I thought they were going to pay it off that Reva had been to that location before, and she was using past knowledge, but then it was apparently just her knowing everything. It also made no sense that she killed the pilot if she wanted to trace the smugglers. And it made no sense she wanted to kidnap Leia again, if her goal was killing Vader, because she KNEW Vader was looking for Kenobi, which would have been her best opportunity to strike. A show of utter stupid.
As a good part of the film was shot using Stagecraft by ILM at the Manhattan Beach Studios in Los Angeles , they still have not learnt completely how to use it successfully. So many wide shots were the same because the camera was using the maximum distance from the stagecraft display. By the final episode I knew exactly where reality stopped and the display began. I too thought the very dark scenes ridiculous, maybe it was shot for monitors that have DolbyVision. Most of us don't.
Disagree on the idea that the same 7-8 John Williams songs need to be used over and over and over again for every single piece of Star Wars media. Mandalorian had its own distinctive sound that was new and it worked great.
This review is the one... I've been genuinely curious about what Oliver thinks about this series. His critical eye for coherent editing is especially interesting going into this... trainwreck, for lack of a better word. Such lazy writing being pushed as if it were profound and poetic... And such wasted potential. I am left feeling uneasy about any new content (because that's what it is... it's like a math equation for Disney) going forward...
I'm glad you picked up on the darkness. Episode 6 dropped on a lovely sunny evening and I was sitting in my garden trying to watch it. I gave up in the end and watched it later. Overall it was great to get Ewan and Hayden back, and I would far prefer a second season than Andor and Ahsoka which nobody asked for or wanted.
This show messes up things in the real Star Wars films, it looks cheap at times and is very poorly written. Instead of focusing on Luke it instead focused on Leia because the force is female I guess. The actress that plays Reva can't act worth a damn but she's the correct color so she got the job. The Empire was made to appear even more incompetent. Also just like Max in Fury Road the story isn't about who it's supposed to be about. The plot instead just drags the supposed protagonist along because Obi Wan and Max aren't the correct gender. I'm almost upset that Andor isn't half bad because I want Disney to drop this IP or at least stop making new stuff due to the way they've bungled the entire thing. Rogue One is the only thing worth watching that they've made and that's only because of the very end of the movie. I grew up going to Disneyworld when I was a kid but I'm hoping the company goes bankrupt, the way they keep bleeding money I may get my wish.
8:32 After Andor I’d like to hear your thoughts on its score. I think it sounds more like Hans Zimmer, but in my opinion it works for the show, which is more serious and gritty than anything from Star Wars.
The issue with low light shots is that the shows are streaming and the bitrate is utter shite. Causing what happens here and for example the Battle of the Dead episode of GoT with all the snow, and night scene, which streaming didn't help with either. I bet on Blu-ray the dark scenes in Obi Wan would be fine.
I'm actually thinking that the nighttime scenes are so dark because this show and others like the Battle of Winterfell in GoT is intended for HDR TVs, which adjust the brightness accordingly. But most of us don't HAVE HDR TVs!!
Continuity problems for Star Wars is a staple at this point. One of the writers seriously didn’t know that Obi wan knew Darth Vader was Anakin which was stated he did know thanks to the holo tapes. I don’t blame the actors, or most of the crew. Given how most if not all of the current Star Wars projects have production problems stretching 5 miles long it would be safe to assume this had some problems.
It gets dumber; because Beattie's original idea for his 'trilogy' was based on Reva hating Jedi for being evil, and Obi-Wan telling Reva about Anakin/Vader (leading to her change of heart). I know Beattie was credited but not involved in the re-write or TV show, but damn... Joby Harold didn't even bother to read the original Kenobi script LF owned, or rewatch ROTS before asking questions to Hidalgo? FFS.
@@Ruylopez778 To expect them to follow continuity to even the films is a stretch for those lazy bums. They completely lost me when they said they had “No source material”
Leia knowing Obi-wan in this series makes quite a bit of sense now of why she named her son after a Jedi that previosly she had no big interaction with.
They're retconning stuff to make Leia the original hero of the OT. The new Lucasfilm employees hate Luke Skywalker, they admitted, that their desktop backgrounds were crossed-out Lukes.
The canonicity issues are not issues at all because there has always been that theory that she was part of the Rebel Alliance. Remember it was implied in the first film?
Am currently listening to the Score on Amazon. The new Williams-Theme is good and the score made me peek up whenever it appears in the underscore (these Cues were actually arranged by frequent Williams-collaborator William Ross, Holt had nothing to do with these). Holts music is… fine, I guess, perfectly listenable. But is sounds about as much like Star Wars like Jeff Russos scores for the new Star Trek-Series sound like Trek. So, I guess the main problem with the Score is tonal inconsistency (that appearances from existing themes are kept to token quotes aside, that is) The Series, as a whole, is overall serviceable but feels bland for the most part, which I attribute to issues with camerawork and direction. For sure, there are some great scenes and the acting performances by McGregor and the other returning actors are good. But the Series contains and creates severe plotholes. Like BOBF, Obi-Wan isn’t a complete disaster but could… should have been better. Not great, not terrible.
I believe she did know Obi-Wan, especially because of her reaction when Luke rescues here and he says he's here with Ben Kenobi. Princess Leia Organa: Ben Kenobi? Where is he? Luke Skywalker: Come on! She says this very enthusiastically, she doesn't say who's 'Ben' Kenobi ?
Who cares at this point. She said it that way because George Lucas told her to, not some bullshit lore reason they literally didn’t think about for 40 years
Obi Wan could have been really cool. Secret missions to keep Luke secret or being unable to help wanting to help his hunted allies. Could have introduced various different threats or if they really ran out of ideas...just use Darth Maul. At least it doesn't make the canon iffy like with him facing Vader several times in this show. It really did have potential. But Disney just doesn't seem to know what they are doing. They get the occasional thing right. But just feels like they are running Star Wars into the ground without any clue how to use it well. Didn't love how they handled Leia. Obi Wan was a bit too incompetent. Reva really wasn't great and I'm not sure why they felt like she needed redemption. If handled better she could have been a decent villain. No matter how silly it sounds to say...Obi Wan was kind of my last hope. He was great in the original trilogy, he was handled well in the prequels, and he could have given this new Disney Star Wars a bit of a boost. But...the writing for Disney Star Wars is just awful. If all of this is to make people feel bad for making fun of Jar Jar and the prequels in general...it may be working.
"Just use Darth Maul"? What about Rebels?? It would be far worse for the canon if they used Maul as in Rebels he was looking for Kenobi since the end of the Clone Wars
might be worth looking for the Patterson cut , some dude cut it down into a 2.5 hr film, removing a lot of the crap and even adding new scenes and using some of the original music by john williams
Hi Oliver, kinda a late comment I know. Do you plan on doing retrospective reviews of Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode 2 Attack Of The Clones, and Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge Of The Sith sometime in the future? I know that unlike myself and a lot of the fanbase you aren't a real big fan of these movies, but I would love to see your take on them and they are the only ones you haven't done yet!
In a Q&A video he did in 2014, he felt that there was no point in covering those movies and felt that Red Letter Media did a better job than he could of.
I think it's possible Lucas didn't want the Imperial March used with Vader, because it was left out of ANH even when they came to remaster them all. That said, they could have used the motif in some way like AOTC. It doesn't explain why they didn't use more of the other themes, though.
There were rumors that Lucas is upset because he and Kennedy had an agreement to use John Williams music throughout the show, but I can’t confirm the validity of that. However, Natalie Holt did just confirm that Deborah Chow wanted them to “do their own thing” and specially leave out the Imperial March until the finale.
@@mikeg155 Yeah, I can imagine Lucas being quite particular about what they can and can't use in the show, because it's his characters (unlike say the Mandalorian). I think KK, or some other weirdo wanted to trumpet having the first 'female composer' for this series, because they rarely seem to find the best people for a role. For me, it's just lame to use it as he sits on a throne. The castle was BORING and nothing happened there. There didn't do anything really interesting with Vader. He just walks about a bit and has a dull duel. In one sense, I feel like Vader and Obi-Wan shouldn't even be in a TV show (live action) with the original actors - they should be on the big screen. I just don't trust KK to make anything of decent quality, frankly.
Interesting review. Disagree about the effects as thought some of the volume stuff really didn't look great! Totally agree about the dark scenes. On my tv it was so dark the pixels struggled with it and was actually blurred! Also agree about the score. Why not use more of the original stuff. I enjoyed parts of this but should have been epic and was more run of the mill! I thought the show led to huge plot holes, especially obi Wan not killing Vader and Neeson was wasted in it too.
Whilst I realise that my comments will be controversial, it’s the inclusion of a non white central character that drives the show after the original belief it is about Obi Wan & Vader. Also why tease Luke in the early showings, and then make it all about Leia? It seems that there is an editorial direction away from males and/or Caucasian humans. Wonder why some people are getting frustrated?
I think they did a decent job with the last scene between Leia and Obi-Wan to try and explain her reasoning for not acknowledging him in A New Hope. But to their credit it now makes her naming her child Ben in the Disney Sequels make more sense. Also quite frankly if people can except Vader building C3PO and having R2 as his droid as Anakin then this shouldn't be an issue.
Oliver always enjoy your reviews about films, series etc , very detailed on many ways . About this show obi wan Kenobi didn't get to me the hype was slow and bad plot. But I'm like you I'm in the middle not to like it or hate it
I really enjoyed the show but there are some fair criticisms like the strange pacing and the music not really standing out in most of the show. But I disagree about the continuity issues you bring up with Leia and Obi-Wan. I feel like they open the plotholes you mentioned early on but it is all wrapped up rather nicely by the end of the show. In fact, I think the show enhances moments of A New Hope rather dramatically.
I found the show badly written and very poorly directed. Ok some of teh production values are good but there are so many plot holes. I do not understand Disney's intentions. They revive iconic characters just to do a poor job with them.
Should have been a trilogy of movies as it was originally intended. The Obi and Darth stuff was great, but too little too late. Nobody cared about Reva and adding Luke and Leia was irritating.
i’m getting numb to disney antics, from criminally misusing good or returning actors, flimsy plots to virtue signaling. I am however THRU THE ROOF on the technical aspects of this show i mean holy cow the camerawork, the costumes, the sets, the lighting, the SFX, the music, the directing. Everyone calls it fan filmy for a reason. Pedestrian quality for the budget they claim.
I still cant believe they didnt use the real Star Wars music for this. They own the rights for everything and could have easily used Battle of Heroes to make at least the last fight feel like it was even remotely important.
It's quite sad when the words 'bland' and 'forgettable' are associated with Star Wars. It's kind of unforgivable that they had McGregor, Christensen and Neeson, and this was what we got.
Disney is more concerned about constantly putting SOMETHING out on their streaming platform instead of putting out something actually good. I was really looking forward to Obi Wan Kenobi and was utterly disappointed. It was so insanely thinly written, badly acted and aimless. Every character ends up exactly where they started off. Pretty much no substantial development for any character happened. It's the exact same issue with the Solo movie. Seriously, fuck Disney Star Wars.
@@DiamondDead Well there are 2 Star Wars in existence these days. Classic Star Wars done by George Lucas and Di$ney Star Wars. Its not hard to tell them apart. One is fine dining, the other a trip to McDonalds.
@@braxxian and cold McDonald's at that 😂
@@braxxian I mean Disney is a cashgrab for sure. But the prequel$$$$$$$$$$ were also made for a reason
There are only 3 star wars movies that where unforgettable, the rest was rated from OK at best, but mostely trash. They probably should have left it alone after the 80 s. They could have done a lot of interesting things with the prequel, sequel, the world, but they decided to just make easy commercial stuff.
The main problem with all these spin-offs and sequels is that (1) they create probems with continuity and (2) they lack suspense because we already know who survives and who doesn't.
Problems with continuity have been a thing since TESB when GL retconned his own backstory.
Yep, that's the fatal flaw of all prequels, that you already know the ultimate fates of most of the characters.
@@davidgeisler9885
Well, that's true, but in no way as severe as since the prequels and spin-offs.
The only major continuity flaw in the OT would be Obi-Wan telling Luke that Vader killed Anakin - and later states that it was true what he said from a certain point of view.
Sure, Lucas changed his back story (or to be more precise, Kasdan and several other writers suggested changes via rewrites), but, for example, Leia being Luke's sister is not a continuity error, rather a bold, risky and somewhat unsettling choice in hintsight (because of the whole incest and father torturing daughter thing). Some things are left in the dark, for example, is Owen really Anakin's brother (of course, the prequels cleared that up, but before the prequels it was left blank)?
Are there any continuity issues I missed in the OT (that have not been produced by prequels or sequels or spin-offs)?
It is truly baffling that they would rather just destroy continuity for the sake of shoehorning Leia into the story. Why they couldn't create a new character or pull someone like Mara Jade from the extended universe is just beyond me
They could just counter that by 1) giving characters a solid motivation to do certain stuff and in doing that actually expand on the canon and not contradicting in it. For example instead of Obi-Wan saving Leia he goes on a mission to learn how to become a force ghost with the instructions of Qui-Gonn, Vader learns about this travels to fight him and in following Obi-Wans steps also learns how to become a force ghost (bcs how would Vader know how to do this in episode 6?) 2) Just don't try and build suspense by getting these characters in dangerous situations. Just give them something to care about (a certain village) and a task to protect them if you really want that suspense.
Honestly it seemed like they had a movie script, then they chopped it up into episodic bits and added filler to pad out the episodes. It’s telling that the credited writers for each episode are mostly known for their film scripts. There so much to like about the show when it focuses on Obi-Wan and Anakin, that clearly that was the original focus of the story.
Since Solo flopped, it looks like Disney prefers series not movies, so you are probably right.
Your correct. It began as a movie but once solo flopped the higher ups decided to shelve it for the time being until it was reborn as a limited series.
It was a movie script originally from what I've read, your feeling is on spot!
Always found it odd that writers are so scared of making an out and out evil female character. They always have to be shown to have been manipulated or have a redemption arc (and in this case somehow makes all the terrible things they've done forgiveable.)
She cut a mans hand off. I don't think anyone could forgive her. Also how come everyone survives having a lightsaber shoved into their chest except for Lian Neeson?
You literally just described Anakin Skywalker's arc...
@@Punisher9419 Anakin killed younglings. He was redeemed.
I feel like she also follows the angry black woman trope hollywood loves
Ma Ma in Dredd was one of the last evil female bad guys I saw in screen.
I am still in disbelief that the scene of child Leia running away from two grown adults was actually real. I thought it was gonna be awful after the first two episodes, and I'll be forever annoyed they forced Leia into the story, but then they seemed to remember it was a show about Obi-Wan and from episode three on they got better and better. All of the stuff with Vader and Obi-Wan was excellent, it could easily have been a great movie with the material they had
"Star Wars is creatively bankrupt" (RLM). The more they pump out the more I agree to this point even though some shows are better than others. They seem to have so little to add to this universe without all the "remember this?" content. Actually, all I want them to do is tell new, good stories without recycling the old stuff.
That would be next to impossible with Star Wars.
Trouble is that all the good stuff comes from classic Star Wars. Look at what a dogs breakfast Disney did with the new trilogy. It was garbage. That's why they keep dragging George's old characters out, they are incapable of creating any decent ones of their own.
visions was pretty fresh
For most part agree RLM are spot on, but Mandalorian is fantastic though and doesnt suffer from this lazy writing. Feels like it was rushed and on a budget
@@OriginalCandy they didn't really criticize The Mandalorian
As soon as we saw Leia run from those bandits it was obvious where this show was going.
Only enjoyable part was when Vader showed up and just owned everyone and grabbed the ship and of course, took care of Reva.
They really need to make something where it is all about the Empire/Sith. We've seen so many stories now about the Rebels and Jedi.
Like that Mama joke from the atrocious film the Last Jedi, I knew where that film was going.
Why they chose to focus on other subplots with Reva instead of the Vader - kenobi conflict in his own show is just beyond me. Probably the biggest wasted opportunity in movie history. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MOVIE.
You know why they chose to focus on Reva. She's got a vagina and the talentless actress they got to play her is the correct color, or more accurately not the incorrect color since all colors are correct save one.
I think the character of Reva was originally written for Nic Cage because all of her dialogue is either whispered or screamed...
Someone needs to deepfake that immediately
It's more likely that she just can't act.
In regards to the overuse of green screen and blue screen, I remember that after filming wrapped up with ROTS Ewan McGregor was reluctant to take part in the movie The Island due to being an effects-heavy movie and he expected more blue screen and green screen, but Michael Bay reassured him that that wouldn't be the case. McGregor admitted it was great to once again act on real sets and locations and having real things to react to.
Indeed. You cant blame actors for delivering bland performances when they are surrounded by nothing but green screens and a tennis ball on a stick.
Kind of ironic for McGregor to whine about it though, because without the prequels we never would have got to the Stagecraft tech.
And Kenobi looks bland as shit, even compared to the Mandalorian, while Lucas' CG may look like CG, at least it gave us imaginative places and creatures with environments they could interact with and impact the story/action.
It may been more 'immersive' for McGregor et al to act in, but for the viewer, much less immersive, and much more forgettable.
LOL ... The irony being how they didnt use by far as much bluescreen settings due to the new tech in Kenobi but the show manages to still feel bland compared to ROTS 😂😂😂
Kudos for bringing up the scenes that are too darkly lit to see anything.
love me movies from the 70s-90s that where so brightly lit out that you literally see every corner and it made the movies look almost like a painting. I.e. Especially the western movies from the 60-70s
My dad called Leia little legs after that embarrassing chase scene in the first episode where three grown men couldn't catch a small child
I agree. The scene looked embarrassing.
The Patterson 2.5hr movie edit was near flawless and kept the most important plot points and scenes intact and the pacing through his rearrangement of scenes flowed much better. I highly recommend it. It (in my opinion) is how it should have been released and is of cinematic quality.
Edit: My only complaint is that he reused certain musical scores from previous SW films which for me at least, made me think more about the scenes from those films instead of being fully immersed into what was happening on the screen. That aside, this was what should have been made and released in theaters.
link?
Agreed! It just flows better and does its best to remove many unnecessary parts
@@evocatimedia TH-cam removes it every time
@@DANRYX I managed to watch it but I didn’t really enjoy it. I think it should be series but just needs better writing.
The series felt so lightweight/casual for such an important character. Disney wasted an opportunity and treated a main course like a snack.
Another solid review. Your edited clips combined with the original Star Wars music was better than anything the show actually did. Kudos.
sadly I'm not as nice as you where reviewing this show......this was a huge let down full of plot holes, awful characters taking screen time away of the 2 main character we PAID to see, more plot holes to make even little Timmy have a headache, and...sorry but very CHEAP looking awful cinematography and special effects, this was the OBI WAN KENOBI show, and the Mandalorian looks 10 times more expensive and have way better VFX. The only 2 stand outs are Hayden and Ewan reprising their roles as Anakin / Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi, they defined not the ones to fault, they manage to make the show not been TERRIBLE, but any scene they aren't in, specially when they focus on Reva or Leia is just a Snorefest. This for me was unwatchable at times and I drop it after ep.3, and just watch the fights and reviews and clips on you tube, Disney keep ruining SW and Marvel to the ground, and I seriously considering not renew my Disney+ subscription, with the lack of GOOD content and just making disappointing shows, all MCU Disney+ shows and with the exception of the Mandalorian, the SW shows have been lacking.
I honestly though Ewan was awful in it, and I take no satisfaction from saying that. He was good enough to still impress, despite some of the awful dialogue in the prequels. He wasn’t good enough to rise above this crap. But then I’m not sure anybody would be …
Jedi! The plural of Jedi is Jedi. ...Yes, today I feel like being "that guy".
Thank you
Instead of Leia, they should've just focused on Ben being haunted by the past. Anakin appearing in dreams and visions. Building up to a confrontation and a redemption.
I like the idea of the hunt for Jedis and their allies. And following a youngling that survived, and turned hateful.
But the execution was not very good.
Adding Leia turned it into a dumb kids show.
Disney simply can’t fathom that Star Wars was never meant to be a Disney property and was never going to fit their formula of copy, clean it up, re-release it. Disney found success by rewriting stories to fit their formula; Star Wars is incompatible. Honestly, I’ve already lost faith in anything that Disney does with Kennedy at the helm. She seems hell-bent on “girl power”, even if it comes at the expense of depth, character, integrity, storytelling, world-building, or even pre-existing lore. Strong characters are strong regardless of what’s between their legs. Kennedy seems like the type that grew up with Star Wars but was always mad that there weren’t more girls in the spotlight. Hell, she was probably upset that one of the main girls, Leia, was a princess. Seems ironic given that Disney became what it is through princess stories. Star Wars, however, was not one of those stories. I’m not upset that women are getting more attention in Star Wars; I’m pissed that their not given a proper story and that the only reason they’re there is *because* they’re women. Give them depth. Give them flaws. Give them a purpose beyond just being not men. Ahsoka Tano is an amazing character. She has development, purpose, conflict, individuality, and uniqueness. Asajj Ventress was the same. I can’t even remember the name of the main character from the new ones. She wasn’t developed. She was completely forgettable. Kylo Ren was the same. Just “I want to be the next Darth Vader” was his entire persona. There’s no soul in Kennedy’s Star Wars; just “girls can do it, too!” whininess. I’m over it
You're literally the only review that has said the show doesn't look cheap. I think it also looks cheap and esp when compared with Mandalorian. The CGI on some of the ships was awful and were lit poorly and had that phony cheap CGI herky jerky physics applied. The ship that Vader prevents from taking off and the other ship that the Star Destroyer was chasing looked esp bad. I guess they forgot to de-age Anakin in the flashback because he's supposed to be in his early 20s or perhaps even late teens, but he's obviously a 40+ year old man in that scene. The Qui Gonn appearance looked great but I don't think that was de-aging but old Phantom Menace footage that has been manipulated to match it up with the new dialogue. Given the piss poor quality of the other CGI I don't buy it being de-aging. Maybe it is and if that's true then that's maybe the best single effects shot in the show, but he looks too much like his old self to be de-aged.
All of the Obi-Wan acting scenes and anything with Vader was the best thing about the show. Otherwise it was pretty bad and a huge black mark on the franchise.
Seriously. When Vader holds that ship from taking off it looks like stop motion animation rendering.
I agree with your review. The biggest issues with the show are continuity and the score. They really should have just reused John Williams music and kept Leia out of it. Otherwise it's okay. Not as offensive as the prequels or sequels.
>ewan mcgregor is not a tv actor
>does tv adverts for online betting apps
has he gone full trainspotting irl?
Even if I don't agree with your view, I really like listening to the way you say things. Sometimes a version of your voice sounds in my head when I am watching something new, the "Oliver Harper review" !
For the record, I totally agree with your Obi-Wan review, especially the damn darkness, when the show becomes an audio book. Thanks
6/10 is my rating. I felt the shakey cam was a betrayel of the style of star wars. I also felt this should have been a 2 hour film instead of a 6 hour chore to get through. there were moments I liked but a lot undermined by the obvious Unreal Virtual Studio being used.
its ok but very disappointing.
*'The adventures of young Leia'*
It's a sad day when lifelong Star Wars fan's give up watching after the first episode...it was garbage.
way too kind. this was rubbish. what about tala taking out two storm troopers with slaps LOLOLOL... first duel obi jsut runs.. second was better.. but direction was terrible.. shaky cam, terrible contract, lighting..
I share your issues with the score to the show.
A show about the characters from the films, which were obviously related to John Williams themes and motives, and they NEVER use any of them until the last episode! It is just baffling.
How can you have Darth Vader on screen and not at least subtly include the imperial March motive?!?!?
The Kenobi theme John Williams wrote for the series is rather good, but to me it lacks varations, it comes up way too often in its original form and even key (of course a few exceptions here and there, but I have a feeling it was too simplified in context to the underscoring of the drama).
I can understand that one might not use the iconic themes etc. when it is about new stories and characters who were not part of the films, but with Kenobi? Come on!
--------
Another issue:
Besides surviving being stabbed with a lightsaber not just once, but even twice, and then stumbling upon the message for Ben, Reva/3rd sister can teleport to Tatooine in no time?
With what ship? How did she get there this fast? ...
The show gave no specific time frame for her trip to Tatooine. It could have been a week, who knows. I think the editing was deliberately done to intercut scenes from different time zones to create tension but I didn’t watch thinking she got there in 5 minutes. Why do you think that?
This just begs the question: why haven't you done retrospectives on the Prequels yet?
Why should he waste his time rewatching awful movies?
@@WesCoastPiano Because it would be interesting to get his opinion on them.
This show didn't deserve your level, it could have been so good, you always do a good job at staying even tempered, great job
Dude has never even heard of Ewan McGregor’s TV work. Not well researched.
Ewan McGregor
Is great Oliver is great
The show was trash
This review can be summarized in a short sentence: It sucks.
Disappointing series in my opinion and massively canon breakage!
One example is obi wan not knowing Vader was alive which is utter rubbish because in return of the Jedi obi wan said to Luke…..
“To protect you from the emperor you where both hidden from your father when you where born”
Absolutely agree. Also by not killing Vader Kenobi is responsible for mass genocide. Ridiculous.
I mean the implication at the end of Revenge of the Sith is that Obi-Wan thinks Vader is dead. So if anything, that is a slip up from that film, not this show.
Hiding Luke with his Aunt and Uncle on Anakin's home planet seems wildly risky if Obi Wan and Yoda believe Vader to still be alive. For me you either go with "They found out after episode 3 and in ROTJ Obi Wan is retroactively using Vader's survival as justification for hiding Luke." or "Just in case Vader somehow survived, they hid him on Tatooine with Anakin's brother in law." Both are somewhat clunky explanations; it's a consequence of Lucas doing the original trilogy first and then going back to do the prequels. I wouldn't say there is anything here that particularly jumps the shark on canon breaking, it's just needlessly convoluted and awkward in places. Like Obi Wan telling Leia at the end to pretend she doesn't know him.
Outshines everything in the prequels?? Good one. The immolation scene at the end of Episode III,he was fantastic. And yes the fights were more choreographed but they were awesome. These looked tired, slow and frankly their setting was boring...an embrassment of a show
Agreed.
I think he was talking emotionally and the performance given. Obi is very emotionless in the prequels.
Another horribly written Disney Star Wars shown, that focuses on brief pretty visuals but has the characters do moronic things and ignore obvious solution simply to get the plot moving.
“Disney hunts themselves. They cannot help what they are. The Disney brand is like an itch! THEY CANNOT HELP IT!”
LMAO
youre wrong. this is bad. stop. no. oww. my asss. -jc
Who is Hewan?
Who is O' Sheara Jackson?
“O’SHAY” Jackson, ma dude. Not osheeA
Dude can't speak Proper English Like Twitte,r TH-camrs.
I don't agree with a lot of your opinions but the review, as always, is well-thought-out and well produced.
Saying Ewan McGregor isn't a TV actor isn't well thought-out when McGregor has done multiple TV shows at this point and received Emmy Awards for his work on TV, like freaking Fargo.
Did Oliver Harper review Fargo TV and say "Well, McGregor isn't a TV actor, and it shows."
Tom Hardy wasn't really a TV gu and he did Taboo, which was a fantastic show.
I'm glad you mentioned how dark the show was. I agree; I couldn't see a thing either. Mandalorian had scenes like that too! WTH??
I thought it was my TV settings! I tried changing them multiple times, but I couldn't see a damn thing!
Even with the curtains closed I still could barely see a thing
easy way to hide cheap cgi
I've had to close my blinds just to see what was happening in certain scenes. The same problem happened with Moon Knight' where it was hard to see what was going on
It seems to be the trend these days with movies tbh.
Disney+ has destroyed it's best franchises with bloody awful low quality tv shows! The soundtrack is especially unforgivably bad!
annakin was a terrible annoying child. no improvement. leia is even more annoying.
The problem with these fill in the blanks stories, especially when they involve such major characters, is they have no stakes. No one major can die so they come off as pointless.
"Oh no! Obi Wan has fallen into a pit and has been buried by rocks!"
"Anyway..."
Watched the whole stupid series, only because of Ewan McGregor. Once again, it was rubbish. Terrible acting, writing and directing. Still, Obi-Wan Kenobi the series was somehow far better than any of the Disney space shit movies. The Holiday Special tried to warn us that Star Wars was shit way back in 1978. We're still in denial.
MY IDEA FOR VADER'S ORIGIN: I always figured a better Annakin/Vader changeover would be Obi Wan witnessing Annakin getting shot down in an X-wing. He sees the explosion and assumes his friend died a hero in battle. In reality, the Empire captures him and saves his life. The emperor realizes the potential and begins to poison Vader's mind by implying that the Rebellion left him to die. The rebellion are hypocrites that want anarchy. They must be stopped. However, we only see Annakin getting shot down, and then Vader's original entrance in Ep 4. The events between that time are just rumors, and intercepted transmissions that lead some of the Rebel generals to speculate that the Empire has secret hostages/prisoners/ and hidden camps around the galaxy... The next time we see Vader is his entrance in Episode 4. This protects the reveal so new audiences still find out when Luke does.
Looking forward to your Andor review (please!). That show was pretty phenomenal and finally did something really different and interesting with Star Wars.
Tala and Reva not running into each in the tunnels isn't an oversight, if you slow down the footage when we first see the tunnels you briefly see that it branches off into two different directions. Which explains how no one ran into each other and how Tala made it to Ben without being spotted by the Imperials in town. The issue is that this detail is only shown on screen for less then three seconds in a literal blink and you miss moment, non does it address how Reva managed to take the wrong path and still arrive at the port faster then a child who had a 20-minute head start in the right tunnel
I just assumed Reva went to the nearest most likely landing pad, with a ship and a pilot waiting to pick someone up, and head them off. I didn’t consider that she even used the tunnel.
Yeah, it was there, but so badly edited, like every episode. I thought they were going to pay it off that Reva had been to that location before, and she was using past knowledge, but then it was apparently just her knowing everything.
It also made no sense that she killed the pilot if she wanted to trace the smugglers. And it made no sense she wanted to kidnap Leia again, if her goal was killing Vader, because she KNEW Vader was looking for Kenobi, which would have been her best opportunity to strike.
A show of utter stupid.
As a good part of the film was shot using Stagecraft by ILM at the Manhattan Beach Studios in Los Angeles , they still have not learnt completely how to use it successfully. So many wide shots were the same because the camera was using the maximum distance from the stagecraft display. By the final episode I knew exactly where reality stopped and the display began. I too thought the very dark scenes ridiculous, maybe it was shot for monitors that have DolbyVision. Most of us don't.
Great content as usual Ollie 🤟👍😀
Disney gets too big for it's pants sometimes.
Disagree on the idea that the same 7-8 John Williams songs need to be used over and over and over again for every single piece of Star Wars media. Mandalorian had its own distinctive sound that was new and it worked great.
Old palpy did sound off during his cameo
This review is the one...
I've been genuinely curious about what Oliver thinks about this series. His critical eye for coherent editing is especially interesting going into this... trainwreck, for lack of a better word. Such lazy writing being pushed as if it were profound and poetic... And such wasted potential. I am left feeling uneasy about any new content (because that's what it is... it's like a math equation for Disney) going forward...
I'm glad you picked up on the darkness. Episode 6 dropped on a lovely sunny evening and I was sitting in my garden trying to watch it. I gave up in the end and watched it later.
Overall it was great to get Ewan and Hayden back, and I would far prefer a second season than Andor and Ahsoka which nobody asked for or wanted.
This show messes up things in the real Star Wars films, it looks cheap at times and is very poorly written. Instead of focusing on Luke it instead focused on Leia because the force is female I guess. The actress that plays Reva can't act worth a damn but she's the correct color so she got the job. The Empire was made to appear even more incompetent. Also just like Max in Fury Road the story isn't about who it's supposed to be about. The plot instead just drags the supposed protagonist along because Obi Wan and Max aren't the correct gender. I'm almost upset that Andor isn't half bad because I want Disney to drop this IP or at least stop making new stuff due to the way they've bungled the entire thing. Rogue One is the only thing worth watching that they've made and that's only because of the very end of the movie. I grew up going to Disneyworld when I was a kid but I'm hoping the company goes bankrupt, the way they keep bleeding money I may get my wish.
I rarely disagree with you, but it looked terribly cheap in places. That whole Vader stopping the ship thing looked awful.
I disagree, there is nothing in A New Hope that suggests that Leia didn't know Kenobi.
8:32 After Andor I’d like to hear your thoughts on its score.
I think it sounds more like Hans Zimmer, but in my opinion it works for the show, which is more serious and gritty than anything from Star Wars.
The issue with low light shots is that the shows are streaming and the bitrate is utter shite. Causing what happens here and for example the Battle of the Dead episode of GoT with all the snow, and night scene, which streaming didn't help with either.
I bet on Blu-ray the dark scenes in Obi Wan would be fine.
I'm actually thinking that the nighttime scenes are so dark because this show and others like the Battle of Winterfell in GoT is intended for HDR TVs, which adjust the brightness accordingly. But most of us don't HAVE HDR TVs!!
It was originally written as a film Trilogy.
Continuity problems for Star Wars is a staple at this point. One of the writers seriously didn’t know that Obi wan knew Darth Vader was Anakin which was stated he did know thanks to the holo tapes. I don’t blame the actors, or most of the crew. Given how most if not all of the current Star Wars projects have production problems stretching 5 miles long it would be safe to assume this had some problems.
What holo tapes?
@@stevesteiner7220 The security footage Obi-Wan saw Anakin slaughtering the young lings on.
It gets dumber; because Beattie's original idea for his 'trilogy' was based on Reva hating Jedi for being evil, and Obi-Wan telling Reva about Anakin/Vader (leading to her change of heart).
I know Beattie was credited but not involved in the re-write or TV show, but damn... Joby Harold didn't even bother to read the original Kenobi script LF owned, or rewatch ROTS before asking questions to Hidalgo? FFS.
@@Ruylopez778 To expect them to follow continuity to even the films is a stretch for those lazy bums. They completely lost me when they said they had “No source material”
Leia knowing Obi-wan in this series makes quite a bit of sense now of why she named her son after a Jedi that previosly she had no big interaction with.
They're retconning stuff to make Leia the original hero of the OT. The new Lucasfilm employees hate Luke Skywalker, they admitted, that their desktop backgrounds were crossed-out Lukes.
@@Nightbreed24Yes that's so true and George Lucas is my father
Yeah no, it still doesn't. It's another retcon by Disney hacks.
A LOT of ret-cons and plot holes 😬🙄
The canonicity issues are not issues at all because there has always been that theory that she was part of the Rebel Alliance. Remember it was implied in the first film?
I had mixed thoughts on it.
Am currently listening to the Score on Amazon. The new Williams-Theme is good and the score made me peek up whenever it appears in the underscore (these Cues were actually arranged by frequent Williams-collaborator William Ross, Holt had nothing to do with these). Holts music is… fine, I guess, perfectly listenable. But is sounds about as much like Star Wars like Jeff Russos scores for the new Star Trek-Series sound like Trek. So, I guess the main problem with the Score is tonal inconsistency (that appearances from existing themes are kept to token quotes aside, that is)
The Series, as a whole, is overall serviceable but feels bland for the most part, which I attribute to issues with camerawork and direction. For sure, there are some great scenes and the acting performances by McGregor and the other returning actors are good. But the Series contains and creates severe plotholes. Like BOBF, Obi-Wan isn’t a complete disaster but could… should have been better. Not great, not terrible.
I believe she did know Obi-Wan, especially because of her reaction when Luke rescues here and he says he's here with Ben Kenobi.
Princess Leia Organa: Ben Kenobi? Where is he?
Luke Skywalker: Come on!
She says this very enthusiastically, she doesn't say who's 'Ben' Kenobi ?
Who cares at this point. She said it that way because George Lucas told her to, not some bullshit lore reason they literally didn’t think about for 40 years
And then barely bats an eyelid when he is killed.
Oliver Harper-You need Remedial English & Allocution Bone-Up,In the nicest possible way.
Hugh-In-Mac-Gerggor??:)
Obi Wan could have been really cool. Secret missions to keep Luke secret or being unable to help wanting to help his hunted allies. Could have introduced various different threats or if they really ran out of ideas...just use Darth Maul. At least it doesn't make the canon iffy like with him facing Vader several times in this show. It really did have potential.
But Disney just doesn't seem to know what they are doing. They get the occasional thing right. But just feels like they are running Star Wars into the ground without any clue how to use it well. Didn't love how they handled Leia. Obi Wan was a bit too incompetent. Reva really wasn't great and I'm not sure why they felt like she needed redemption. If handled better she could have been a decent villain.
No matter how silly it sounds to say...Obi Wan was kind of my last hope. He was great in the original trilogy, he was handled well in the prequels, and he could have given this new Disney Star Wars a bit of a boost. But...the writing for Disney Star Wars is just awful. If all of this is to make people feel bad for making fun of Jar Jar and the prequels in general...it may be working.
"Just use Darth Maul"? What about Rebels?? It would be far worse for the canon if they used Maul as in Rebels he was looking for Kenobi since the end of the Clone Wars
@@diegocalderon5190 Yeah, what about it? Exactly, nothing.
@@stevesteiner7220 You are sad, strange little man. You have my pity. Farewell.
might be worth looking for the Patterson cut , some dude cut it down into a 2.5 hr film, removing a lot of the crap and even adding new scenes and using some of the original music by john williams
It’s a squandered opportunity
I was pleasantly surprised with the series. My only misgiving was not using the Imperial March when Vader was around.
They did use it in the last episode. Since it's not heard in the movies until Empire I'd have preferred they left it out.
Any why in the Empire Strikes back couldn’t Vader bring down the Millenium falcon
The music moved my heart
im glad you mentioned the night scenes.. I thought my screen was broken.. had to watch with all the lights off to see the last fight scene..
Hi Oliver, kinda a late comment I know.
Do you plan on doing retrospective reviews of Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode 2 Attack Of The Clones, and Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge Of The Sith sometime in the future?
I know that unlike myself and a lot of the fanbase you aren't a real big fan of these movies, but I would love to see your take on them and they are the only ones you haven't done yet!
In a Q&A video he did in 2014, he felt that there was no point in covering those movies and felt that Red Letter Media did a better job than he could of.
@@patrickshields5251 That’s too bad.
I hope he eventually changes his mind, cause I personally don’t think so.
@@soraandkairi1194 As evident here, I don't think he would change his mind.
@@patrickshields5251 Ok.
I understand.
Thanks for explaining everything to me👍🏻
@@soraandkairi1194 You're welcome.
I think it's possible Lucas didn't want the Imperial March used with Vader, because it was left out of ANH even when they came to remaster them all. That said, they could have used the motif in some way like AOTC. It doesn't explain why they didn't use more of the other themes, though.
There were rumors that Lucas is upset because he and Kennedy had an agreement to use John Williams music throughout the show, but I can’t confirm the validity of that.
However, Natalie Holt did just confirm that Deborah Chow wanted them to “do their own thing” and specially leave out the Imperial March until the finale.
@@mikeg155 Yeah, I can imagine Lucas being quite particular about what they can and can't use in the show, because it's his characters (unlike say the Mandalorian). I think KK, or some other weirdo wanted to trumpet having the first 'female composer' for this series, because they rarely seem to find the best people for a role. For me, it's just lame to use it as he sits on a throne. The castle was BORING and nothing happened there. There didn't do anything really interesting with Vader. He just walks about a bit and has a dull duel.
In one sense, I feel like Vader and Obi-Wan shouldn't even be in a TV show (live action) with the original actors - they should be on the big screen. I just don't trust KK to make anything of decent quality, frankly.
if you haven't seen Halston on netflix then you haven't seen what Ewan can truly do in TV
Yeah, what an ocean of total bullshit with miles between the small atolls of okay stuff. Disappointed.
Interesting review. Disagree about the effects as thought some of the volume stuff really didn't look great! Totally agree about the dark scenes. On my tv it was so dark the pixels struggled with it and was actually blurred! Also agree about the score. Why not use more of the original stuff. I enjoyed parts of this but should have been epic and was more run of the mill! I thought the show led to huge plot holes, especially obi Wan not killing Vader and Neeson was wasted in it too.
Whilst I realise that my comments will be controversial, it’s the inclusion of a non white central character that drives the show after the original belief it is about Obi Wan & Vader. Also why tease Luke in the early showings, and then make it all about Leia? It seems that there is an editorial direction away from males and/or Caucasian humans.
Wonder why some people are getting frustrated?
I think they did a decent job with the last scene between Leia and Obi-Wan to try and explain her reasoning for not acknowledging him in A New Hope.
But to their credit it now makes her naming her child Ben in the Disney Sequels make more sense.
Also quite frankly if people can except Vader building C3PO and having R2 as his droid as Anakin then this shouldn't be an issue.
To be also fair Han or Luke might have suggested the name. The real-life reason is because Harrison Ford's son is also named Ben.
Obi-Wan is an NPC and Reva and Leia are the main charactera.
For 5 episodes all I could think was:
1-why aren't you using the original music?
2-the message Leia left in R2 is completely ruined
It’s not worth watching. This show is total garbage. My favorite part was that they got the Vader voice correct after messing it up in Rogue one.
Well maybe because James Earl Jones was alot older than when he did it in the original trilogy. Dumbass.
Good video Oliver 👍
Oliver always enjoy your reviews about films, series etc , very detailed on many ways . About this show obi wan Kenobi didn't get to me the hype was slow and bad plot. But I'm like you I'm in the middle not to like it or hate it
I really enjoyed the show but there are some fair criticisms like the strange pacing and the music not really standing out in most of the show.
But I disagree about the continuity issues you bring up with Leia and Obi-Wan. I feel like they open the plotholes you mentioned early on but it is all wrapped up rather nicely by the end of the show.
In fact, I think the show enhances moments of A New Hope rather dramatically.
I agree with Critical Drinker's take .... it shouldn't have been made
I found the show badly written and very poorly directed. Ok some of teh production values are good but there are so many plot holes. I do not understand Disney's intentions. They revive iconic characters just to do a poor job with them.
Make money now. Face consequences later.
I gasped when you said Ewan McGregor shouldn't be a TV actor, he's amazing in Fargo season 3
Should have been a trilogy of movies as it was originally intended. The Obi and Darth stuff was great, but too little too late. Nobody cared about Reva and adding Luke and Leia was irritating.
It wasn’t intended to be a trilogy, it was intended to be one movie. That’s why it’s full of padding
garrrbbbbagggeeeeeeeeeeeeeee* it ws garbage. -jc
I think Disney should make a sequel where "Ben" meets Luke as an adult and they try to take down The Ultimate Weapon from Rogue One
i’m getting numb to disney antics, from criminally misusing good or returning actors, flimsy plots to virtue signaling. I am however THRU THE ROOF on the technical aspects of this show i mean holy cow the camerawork, the costumes, the sets, the lighting, the SFX, the music, the directing. Everyone calls it fan filmy for a reason. Pedestrian quality for the budget they claim.
I still cant believe they didnt use the real Star Wars music for this. They own the rights for everything and could have easily used Battle of Heroes to make at least the last fight feel like it was even remotely important.
Ewan McGregor is not a TV actor. Except for his duel performance on Fargo.
Viewers: man TH-cam recommendations are being boring lately
Kenobi Clips: *Hello There!*
I felt the same way about stranger things. It felt much more professional and high budget.
They could have done with Qui gon jinn when Leia was first taken.
Reva (the only new main character) could have been cut and nothing would have been lost.