Am I a 31-year-old with a wife and a mortgage? Yes. Did I take some downtime on a vacation with said wife to watch the first two episodes of this week’s rec, which may or may not be partially (if not mostly) intended for children? Yup.
Luckily, Disney’s latest theme park ride/TV show seems to be worth the price of admission, even if it came with some some side-eye from my better half. Read on to learn why.
Kenobi
What It’s About: Set ten years after the prequel trilogy (and ten years before the original), this sci-fi action adventure follows the famed Jedi as he contends with the consequences of his greatest defeat - the downfall and corruption of his one-time friend and apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as the evil Darth Vader.
Why You Should Watch: For Star Wars nostalgia and Ewan McGregor
Disney has had mixed results as they relentlessly mine the Star Wars franchise for new reasons to make movies and TV shows, constantly challenged as they try to appease both of its intended audiences: the younger fans Disney needs to win over to buy Star Wars products for the rest of their lives, and older fanboys/girls who tend to be a bit sensitive about how their childhood heroes are portrayed. So far only two episodes have been released, but when you watch Kenobi from this lens, Disney has done a pretty good job serving both demos.
For adult audiences, you have a pitch-perfect Ewan McGregor, who was the best part of the oft-maligned prequels returning as a younger version of the character Alec Guinness made famous in the original trilogy. You can’t help but have the feels for him as an outcast haunted by his past as he hides from the Empire’s Jedi hunters (who are very sillily named “Inquisitors”). It’s also a thrill when Obi-Wan finally decides to jump back into action, and there is plenty of fun nostalgia for the two trilogies as he reminisces about one Skywalker while watching over another from afar. For younger audiences, there are cheap Jawas spitting lines like “Hey, I’ve got kids to feed!”, a snake-like villain (Rupert Friend) hissing melodramatic monologues, and then (spoiler!) a child Princess Leia introduced as Obi-Wan’s companion. That choice makes sense (it’s easier for children to identify with another child than with a sad, regretful hermit in the desert), but it also brings some of the show’s most cringeworthy moments, including one of the worst “chase” scenes I’ve ever seen - and way too much time spent on child-Leia’s backstory (surprise: she’s a REBEL!).
That all being said, the aforementioned choices were not made for someone like me (i.e. not a kid), so if you’re an adult Star Wars fan who can shrug some cheesiness off, Kenobi is worth the time. We’ve seen Disney screw Star Wars up in the past, but with a solid start from Ewan McGregor (and the looming promise of Darth Vader making an appearance), Kenobi seems like it will be worth the six hour time investment. Hopefully it’s not a trap.
Who’s In It, and Where You Probably Know Them From:
Ewan McGregor - Moulin Rouge, Trainspotting, Beginners, Big Fish, and the Star Wars prequels.
Hayden Christiansen - The Star Wars prequels are his biggest claim to fame, along with some hilariously bad movies like Jumper or Takers.
Moses Ingram - Queen’s Gambit, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Rupert Friend - Homeland, Pride and Prejudice, and The Death of Stalin.
Flea - Yes, you read that right. The bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers is in this.
Benny Safdie - You might recognize him from his brief role in Licorice Pizza, but you’re probably more familiar with him as one half of the Safdie Brothers duo who directed Uncut Gems and Good Time.
Joel Edgerton - The Great Gatsby, Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty, Black Mass, and Red Sparrow.
Kumail Nanjiani - Silicon Valley, The Big Sick, Eternals, and tons of studio comedies.
Who Made It, and What Else Have They Done:
The series is directed by Deborah Chow, who has directed episodes of Better Call Saul, The Mandalorian, and Mr. Robot.
Where You Can Watch: Disney+