Obi Wan Kenobi (Disney+ series)...

[MinionZombie]

[Neil]

I drove by the set of this most days while they were filming there... It was built next to a lake near me. You can swim in the lake, and I'll swear the number of mums swimming in there rose while there was a risk of bumping into Ewan!

[Neil]

[MinionZombie]

New trailer. Hopefully it'll be more Mandalorian and less Book of Boba Fett!

[Neil]

Episodes 1&2: Solid production, but all felt a bit flat to me... Hopefully it will pick up...

[MinionZombie]

Okay, so two episodes done ... ... meh. I'm not a massive Star Wars fan, but I've seen the movies and loved The Mandalorian. Boba Fett was dull and fairly naff except for the last three episodes (two of which were basically The Mandalorian episodes!!!), and now this. It doesn't help that it's close to the prequel trilogy, which were pretty naff films with terribly obvious and copious amounts of CGI. Story wise I'm just not that bothered one way or another, and what the hell is up with Leia's characterisation? Supposedly ten years old, but looks more like six; supposedly so smart, yet keeps bleetering out words like "Jedi" and "lightsaber" in full view and hearing of the public; resorts to the new trope of the 'strong female character' belittling males to big herself up, and just generally acts like a little brat with parental figures that seem to constantly let that slide. She even berates Obi-Wan for her nearly falling to her death ... yeah, because of your choice to jump, you moronic moppet! He saved you from your dumb decision! Sure, Leia had some attitude, but it works much better in an adult character who's done some stuff in their life ... kiddy Leia is just a hand waving princess whose only interests are ignoring every adult around her and playing with her flying toy robot thing. Not keen on the Jedi villain bounty hunter character either. She just comes across as needlessly petulant rather than intimidating or scary or imposing. Just feels more like a pain in the arse to work with, someone who's always causing trouble because they have no impulse control. I was half-expecting her to pull off a melodramatic "Nooooooooooo!!!" after Obi-Wan escaped her clutches, because that's how naff her character is. It's only six episodes, so I might just plod on with it, but it just feels like more 'content factory' stuff, and content that's far too beholden to the films. The Mandalorian, on the other hand, has plenty of references and connections, but it does so with it's own cast of characters who can exist outside of much of that pre-existing material. It actually adds to the overall story, rather than cling to it for dear life. As a result, Obi-Wan (and Boba Fett to some degree) feels kinda trapped inside itself.

[Neil]

Okay, so two episodes done ... ... meh. I'm not a massive Star Wars fan, but I've seen the movies and loved The Mandalorian. Boba Fett was dull and fairly naff except for the last three episodes (two of which were basically The Mandalorian episodes!!!), and now this. It doesn't help that it's close to the prequel trilogy, which were pretty naff films with terribly obvious and copious amounts of CGI. Story wise I'm just not that bothered one way or another, and what the hell is up with Leia's characterisation? Supposedly ten years old, but looks more like six; supposedly so smart, yet keeps bleetering out words like "Jedi" and "lightsaber" in full view and hearing of the public; resorts to the new trope of the 'strong female character' belittling males to big herself up, and just generally acts like a little brat with parental figures that seem to constantly let that slide. She even berates Obi-Wan for her nearly falling to her death ... yeah, because of your choice to jump, you moronic moppet! He saved you from your dumb decision! Sure, Leia had some attitude, but it works much better in an adult character who's done some stuff in their life ... kiddy Leia is just a hand waving princess whose only interests are ignoring every adult around her and playing with her flying toy robot thing. Not keen on the Jedi villain bounty hunter character either. She just comes across as needlessly petulant rather than intimidating or scary or imposing. Just feels more like a pain in the arse to work with, someone who's always causing trouble because they have no impulse control. I was half-expecting her to pull off a melodramatic "Nooooooooooo!!!" after Obi-Wan escaped her clutches, because that's how naff her character is. It's only six episodes, so I might just plod on with it, but it just feels like more 'content factory' stuff, and content that's far too beholden to the films. The Mandalorian, on the other hand, has plenty of references and connections, but it does so with it's own cast of characters who can exist outside of much of that pre-existing material. It actually adds to the overall story, rather than cling to it for dear life. As a result, Obi-Wan (and Boba Fett to some degree) feels kinda trapped inside itself. Agreed...

[MinionZombie]

Episode 3. Alright, I suppose. I just don't particularly see why this story needs to be told, really. Does that make sense? Boba Fett was squandered on a fairly pointless story that was decidedly second-fiddle to Mando's guest appearances. I think McGregor's doing a good job returning to the role - the look on his face when he discovers that Anakin is still alive was particularly powerful, although I feel they kinda sapped some of the impact of Vader's return.   When Obi-Wan first sees Vader, we the audience have already seen him fully suited and booted - and even his ruddy unmasked face and various details of his scarred and reconstructed body - so the power of the moment felt by Kenobi is diminished in the viewer's eyes. Sure, we already saw him put together in Sith, but in this show they should've held back until that very moment when Kenobi first sees him. Leia has a bad habit of doing the opposite of what any adult tells her. It's annoying. Why do writers continually write young children as the smartest or most stubborn or most arrogant people in the room? Strutting around like they know everything, but then they go and do something blatantly stupid, only to be quiet for five minutes before reverting to type and doing stupid things again. Irks me something fierce, so it does. It's also fair to say that the Leia-based chase sequences are awfully bad. This tiny being can seemingly run rings around far larger and quicker foes? Jog on. They don't bother grabbing hold of her, they just run into trees and stop like poorly programmed AI robots ... really damn poor. The same can be said of the Inquisitors. That bar scene in the first episode - a measily bit of awning stops them in their tracks? Seriously?! It's literally a couple of sticks and some cloth that immediately falls off. What the actual fuck? They walk through it moments later. They're supposed to be intimidating foes from the dark side, but they just come across as bickering children consumed with petty jealousy. Dreadful characterisation and writing of them, quite frankly.

[MinionZombie]

Episode 4. This whole venture is just a big shrug, really. Disappointing. And I don't know what they're doing with this inquisitor character. She doesn't come across as scary or intimidating or anything like that. Having her interrogate a 10 year old (who looks half that age!) just looks, well, pretty silly to be honest. An example of the low quality writing that's negatively impacting pretty much everything in the story. The whole show just kinda feels a bit limp and clumsy and unnecessary, distractingly so. The Mandalorian kicks seven shades of shite out of it. I'll finish it off as there's only a couple of episodes left, but if you've not started on it yet, I wouldn't even bother with it to be honest.

[Neil]

Episode 4. This whole venture is just a big shrug, really. Disappointing. And I don't know what they're doing with this inquisitor character. She doesn't come across as scary or intimidating or anything like that. Having her interrogate a 10 year old (who looks half that age!) just looks, well, pretty silly to be honest. An example of the low quality writing that's negatively impacting pretty much everything in the story. The whole show just kinda feels a bit limp and clumsy and unnecessary, distractingly so. The Mandalorian kicks seven shades of shite out of it. I'll finish it off as there's only a couple of episodes left, but if you've not started on it yet, I wouldn't even bother with it to be honest. I'm only up to ep2 but one criticism I'm hearing is it's looking more and more like Kenobi is simply be used to shoehorn other characters onto the screen?

[MinionZombie]

I'm only up to ep2 but one criticism I'm hearing is it's looking more and more like Kenobi is simply be used to shoehorn other characters onto the screen? At times he feels a bit sidelined in his own story, yes. Obviously you need supporting players (who are an extremely mixed bag ... some are fine, others are crap), but the thrust of the story seems to fall out of his grasp at times ... what story there is, mind you, because none of this really feels like it needs to be told, you know?

[MinionZombie]

Episode 5. Better, but still some really stupid bits...   When Reva is on one side of a supposedly impenetrable door - which a giant fucking gun has only made a scratch to after multiple shots - she has a 'force conversation' with Obi-Wan, but the way they've done it on the show was really distracting, because it felt more like two people loud-whispering through a thin wall rather than a bloody great big security door. They're even saying the lines as they're speaking them, not 'thinking' them ... so then you wonder, has no Storm Trooper overheard anything that Reva says at this point or later in the episode where she's mumbling secret talky stuff with Obi-Wan? However, what was really fucking stupid, was when Reva slices through the security door - the same one that was only scuffed after multiple shots from a huge cannon - with her lightsabre! Seriously, it cuts through like butter. What the actual fuck? If it was that easy why didn't she just go ahead with that in the first place? Sure, she wants to get close to Vader to exact revenge as we now learn - but pretty much expected already - but wouldn't others get suspicious and ask why she didn't just do that straight away? Also - when Reva sneaks up on Vader from behind and does the classic giveaway of telegraphing her strike with a scream, you just think, yet again, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! He's Darth friggin' Vader, you don't think he'd feel you sneaking up on him? It was a cartoonishly bad ambush, all the more so as you see how effectively Vader fends her off. I don't know why they didn't de-age Anakin a bit more, because he certainly looked older and more creased than he did in the same time frame in the prequel trilogy. A bit odd, that. Still, there was some better stuff in this episode, but even still, much of the episode is really only 'functional' rather than great. "Functional" is about the best this show can manage, which just ain't good enough. At its worst it's insultingly stupid.

[shootemindehead]

The writing has been mediocre to downright awful on this. So many basic issues getting past what should be simple control points during script stage. Astonishing really.

[MinionZombie]

The writing has been mediocre to downright awful on this. So many basic issues getting past what should be simple control points during script stage. Astonishing really. Infuriating, isn't it? These are paid professionals and this is the best they can do? Riddled with plot holes, gaps in logic that are like chasms, sloppy characterisation, and an over-reliance on 'memberberries' over a robust structure of storytelling craft. When 'basically functional' is your high point there's something severely rotten going on. Makes you seriously question the people hiring writers and directors who churn out dreck like this. Apparently there's been some movements behind the scenes with a major exec at Disney shit-canned, but the trouble is that so many of these plates are set spinning years in advance, and it takes a lot to undo a many-tentacled fuck up that's gone down the wrong path. I was reflecting on another aspect of the fifth episode - I cared much more for the death of a voiceless droid than the fate of any human character!

[shootemindehead]

Infuriating, isn't it? These are paid professionals and this is the best they can do? Riddled with plot holes, gaps in logic that are like chasms, sloppy characterisation, and an over-reliance on 'memberberries' over a robust structure of storytelling craft. When 'basically functional' is your high point there's something severely rotten going on. Makes you seriously question the people hiring writers and directors who churn out dreck like this. Apparently there's been some movements behind the scenes with a major exec at Disney shit-canned, but the trouble is that so many of these plates are set spinning years in advance, and it takes a lot to undo a many-tentacled fuck up that's gone down the wrong path. I was reflecting on another aspect of the fifth episode - I cared much more for the death of a voiceless droid than the fate of any human character! I don't really know or understand where the malaise comes from either. I have to assume that the basic hiccups that we see in these Disney Star Wars efforts are, at least, spotted at some point by somebody. But whether they're acted upon is obviously not a concern to the company as a whole. But there are just really basic scene issues getting through with incredible ease. Take Episode 5, as you mention, where the Imperials bring up a canon to try and blast their way through the huge metal doors and they're managing it very slowly. Then, literally, a few scenes later Reva slices through the doors and the giant lock with her lightsaber. How can there have been nobody at Disney that didn't spot a problem there? Or even worse, you have a great scene where Vader rips her a new arsehole, and then it's completely destroyed because he decides to leave her alive at the end of the fight. Austin Powers level of farce right there. Why bother even writing that scenario, when you're going to end it like that? Awful stuff. Just insulting to people's intelligence really. I wonder if Disney really give a damn about the quality of these Star Wars items at all, or whether it's all just nebulous "content" to them to fill space on their channel. Because they don't seem to. There's definitely some things in the show to like. But for everything that's handled well, there's always some easily remedied stupid nonsense that happens a few scenes later that brings the whole thing crashing down again.