Spoilers The Acolyte (Disney+ 2024-)

[Huntn]

​

I watched the first 2 episodes. This story takes place in the Jedi Golden Years a century+ before the the rough times we are familiar with. A person trained in the force is reaping revenge on Jedis.

The action sequence that starts the show certainly caught my attention, but after watching 2 episodes, I’m not yet grabbed by it. It kind of feels like watching a kids show without nearly the gravity of Andor. And I don’t care for the music when it slips into fight mode. A comment made in this episode 2 article surprised me a little that it’s better than Ahsoka but the author seemed to be uncommitted. Surprised in that I found confirmation about Ahsoka. Another comment described the show as a cross between Frozen and Kill Bill, hmm. I will continue watching for now.

'The Acolyte' Episode 2 recap: Kill List

This second episode whisks the story along.

decider.com

 

[coffeemilktea]

From what I've seen, I think it's better than Ahsoka and certainly FAR better than Kenobi. And the action scenes are good, but it seems a little lacking in good plot twists or really interesting developments... at least so far.

It kind of feels like watching a kids show without nearly the gravity of Andor.

This is a good point, I do feel like I'm watching an episode of Scooby-Doo. 😅 And while a lot of the central characters are Jedi — a group famous for their wisdom and supernaturally good insight — most of them seem to have trouble thinking more than one or two steps ahead (if that much).

I think only Qimir (played by Manny Jacinto), a guy who looks homeless and claims to just be "a supplier," seems capable of real insight as well as possessing the rarest power in all of Star Wars: the power to think ahead. (I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be a Palpatine-esque arch-villain)

 

[obeygiant]

haahahahahahahhahaha..........HAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHA...... HAAAA HAAAA HAAAAAA cough cough hack!

 

[azpekt]

this show makes me forget I ever was a Star Wars fan.

what a trainwreck…

 

[Kung]

^ Agreed. I tried to like it....until episode 3. I literally lost it at "The power of one, the power of two, the power of manyyyyyy......"

It's not because of who's cast in it or who's not or anything like that. The acting is fairly wooden, and a lot of the lines are terrible ("What have you done?" "What have YOU done?" "What have YOU DONE?"). Suffice it to say that the wide disparity between audience and official reviewers on Rotten Tomato *HAS* to be due to far more than just 'review bombing.'

 

[Huntn]

After these comments, I remain at: I watched the first 2 episodes… 😳☺️

 

[wonderings]

^ Agreed. I tried to like it....until episode 3. I literally lost it at "The power of one, the power of two, the power of manyyyyyy......"

It's not because of who's cast in it or who's not or anything like that. The acting is fairly wooden, and a lot of the lines are terrible ("What have you done?" "What have YOU done?" "What have YOU DONE?"). Suffice it to say that the wide disparity between audience and official reviewers on Rotten Tomato *HAS* to be due to far more than just 'review bombing.'

Saying it is trolls and the like is the standard rebuttal when a show is doing bad. It could not possibly be because the show is actually bad!

I never really blame the actors in bad shows, think it all comes down to the writing and directing. If they give you garbage to work with, that is what you get out of it.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I don’t like how they keep bringing back elements from the Skywalker movies…

Spoiler

1. Mae & Osha are twins. 2. They have no father.

 

[Kung]

Saying it is trolls and the like is the standard rebuttal when a show is doing bad. It could not possibly be because the show is actually bad!

I never really blame the actors in bad shows, think it all comes down to the writing and directing. If they give you garbage to work with, that is what you get out of it.

Yes, 100%. I mean, sure, people will disagree. That’s life. We can all hold different opinions. And absolutely there are times where people are indeed being trolls. But there are indeed many times where the writing is bad, or what have you.

 

[wonderings]

Yes, 100%. I mean, sure, people will disagree. That’s life. We can all hold different opinions. And absolutely there are times where people are indeed being trolls. But there are indeed many times where the writing is bad, or what have you.

Sure people will be trolls but not the level all these shows make out. Rings of Power, Acolyte, and others. This is not hundreds of thousands of trolls, these are legitimate fans unhappy with what is being done to stories and worlds they love. If you look at who is producing these shows, they have no history of love for Star Wars, and if you watch their interviews you see they are more interested in agendas then good old fashion story telling.

 

[VisceralRealist]

Well yeah, that's the self-defeating nature of review bombing. I've seen it happen with books as well, and from various political "sides". The show or book gets negative attention before it is released, people give it 1-star ratings denouncing it before they've even consumed it, then it comes out and it turns out it actually is bad (not necessarily for the reasons the review-bombers were claiming), but its very real flaws can now be ignored with "it's just trolling". As with most of these things, I recommend you actually see it to judge it and not go by online ratings and meta-discourse.

 

[wonderings]

Well yeah, that's the self-defeating nature of review bombing. I've seen it happen with books as well, and with various political "sides". The show or book gets negative attention before it is released, people give it 1-star ratings denouncing it before they've even consumed it, then it comes out and it turns out it actually is bad (not necessarily for the reasons the review-bombers were claiming), but its very real flaws can now be ignored with "it's just trolling". As with most of these things, I recommend you actually see it to judge it and not go by online ratings and meta-discourse.

I was talking about this with a friend a few days ago and could not come up with any examples, maybe someone can hear. Has there been a show or movie that had mass negative reviews for the trailers that have actually turned out to be good? The ones I come across or follow even a little always seem to have the fans right on with what they are were expecting and how bad it would be.

 

[yaxomoxay]

"The power of one, the power of two, the power of manyyyyyy......"

I am not following the show - not a big SW fan - but I am not kidding you, I saw that scene online and I thought it was a parody. I am serious. I legit thought it was some video made by some fan to make fun of Star Wars.

I also heard about other complaints but since I am not knowledgeable enough on SW I can’t take a side, but it seems that this show pissed almost everyone off.

 

[Kung]

I was talking about this with a friend a few days ago and could not come up with any examples, maybe someone can hear. Has there been a show or movie that had mass negative reviews for the trailers that have actually turned out to be good? The ones I come across or follow even a little always seem to have the fans right on with what they are were expecting and how bad it would be.

That's been my experience. I think it's obvious that when people view movies and shows, what they're looking for is often diametrically opposed to what 'professional' reviewers are looking for; thus the reason that the 'audience' score, for example, at RT is often drastically different than the reviewer scores....and of course there's an element of "They weren't true to the original."

That doesn't mean that EVERYTHING new sucks. If the character development and lines are there, and it matches expectations, it'll do well. Heath Ledger's Joker is a great example. I remember thinking "Heath Ledger? He's got some big shoes to fill, but...well, let's see what the kid has."

And then he blew the part AWAY, to the point where his Joker sort of became the new standard, so to speak, and to me the reason was obvious - his personality, his character, had been developed and matched not only what the part called for but what many felt like an actual Joker should be - an agent of true chaos. More than any other, I would not want to get stuck alone with Heath's Joker, not knowing *what* the heck he would do. LOL

 

[obeygiant]

...Also if professional reviewers say scathing things about the recent release they won't be invited to the cushy premiere next time around. Audience reviews have nothing to lose and are able to tell the truth.

 

[wonderings]

...Also if professional reviewers say scathing things about the recent release they won't be invited to the cushy premiere next time around. Audience reviews have nothing to lose and are able to tell the truth.

yeah, think there is way more going on for reviewers that leaves them potentially impartial. Also I am not sure how many reviewers are actually looking at a show or movie like a fan does with a world like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, that has tons of lore behind it. And now mix that all with the societal pressures of making sure every story has some message of inclusion, representation, etc. Story telling, at least in tv and movies is really tied down now and no longer free to simply tell a story, at least it is harder now then it has been before.

 

[jedimasterkyle]

My wife and I finally got caught up with this show and SO FAR, I like what I'm seeing. It's offering a fresh, new glimpse into the Jedi before we know them and it's interesting to see how they handle issues and conflicts in a time of peace.

There's a good amount of character growth and development and the story with Osha and her sister is very interesting, albeit a bit....recycled to a certain extent...because of how it is mirroring Rey/Kylo Ren.

The Wicca Force Witches have put an interesting spin on the concept of the Force and I'm finding it to be rather intriguing. Certainly mirrors aspects of Taoism wherein the "Force" isn't good or bad. It just exists and holds everything together rather than it being put into categories of Light and Dark. It forces the audience to understand that the Force is viewed differently by whomever uses it. The Night Sisters from the Clone Wars added their own spin to the Force and I'm curious to see where else they take this.

I really hope they explain the Stranger's motivations because so far, he is the biggest question mark but also, the least interesting character. Right now, he's Kylo Ren without the bratty attitude. But, his Cortosis helmet is a cool call back to legends.

Sol is a very interesting character. He's putting on a face of a wise, calm and collected Jedi Master but with each episode, another layer is peeled back, revealing that he has been hiding a painful secret and it's been eating at him this entire time.

As for what the trolls and haters have been pointing out about "secret agendas" and all that nonsense, I honestly dont care. It seems anymore that there is always going to be someone or a group of people online who are angry about everything and never satisfied so I dont pay them any attention. They're choosing not to watch this with an open mind so it's their loss.

 

[wonderings]

As for what the trolls and haters have been pointing out about "secret agendas" and all that nonsense, I honestly dont care. It seems anymore that there is always going to be someone or a group of people online who are angry about everything and never satisfied so I dont pay them any attention. They're choosing not to watch this with an open mind so it's their loss.

Such a small number of people are claiming this is some hidden Disney agenda, you are basically repeating Disney's defence of the show, blame the fans. The show itself is poorly written. No offence to you, you are free to like and enjoy and great if you do! But the writing is just plain bad, no consistency in the universe as we know it. It is Disney PR that is attacking fans, claiming that the only reason people don't like it is that they are trolls or other worse names. People are allowed to not like something without getting all sorts of labels for calling out bad writing. There have been a few good Star Wars movies/series. Rogue One is that rare example of a solid story that made sense and fit in with the original world Lucas created. I heard good things about Andor but have not watched it yet.