Obi-Wan Kenobi Review: Doesn’t Live Up to its Full Potential!

The Star Wars fandom nearly exploded upon the announcement that there would be an Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series focused on the period of time between Episode III and IV. Ewan McGregor would come to reprise his role, portraying the title character as he is balancing his grief over the fallout of Order 66 and the fall of his apprentice.

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I am with the consensus on the key successes of Obi-Wan Kenobi. There are a few moments and storytelling aspects to this series that stand out as terrific. Notably, every moment we get to explore Obi-Wan’s trauma was enticing. The confrontations he shared with Darth Vader were splendid. Hayden Christensen would return in pivotal moments, and this was his best work in the franchise (almost as if he was held back by terrible George Lucas dialogue in the past). The two characters are done very well throughout the series, culminating towards the excellent conclusion in episode 6. I even liked parts of Reva’s character, despite the outrage towards her inclusion.

Sadly, a considerable amount of Obi-Wan Kenobi is bogged down by menial subplots and characters. It was neat seeing Leia, and the child actress did a great job, but her story arc was just not that appealing. Characters like Tala and Haja were complete wastes. If the series had focused solely on its strengths by putting Obi-Wan at the forefront in contrast to Darth Vader’s relentless pursuit, the show would have been everything I wanted. However, even with that, there are still problems with the bland visual appeal, disorienting camerawork, and lacking production quality. Aside from some neat effects, I was never very impressed with how the show looked.

Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t live up to its full potential, but it has given Star Wars fans a few of the best moments in the franchise when focused on the title character and Darth Vader. I’m not hopeful with talks towards a second season, as the conclusion to the show was a perfect wrap-up to lead towards the original “Star Wars” film. Watch ‘Obi-Wan’ Kenobi on Disney+ Hotstar here.

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)’ Rating – 3/5

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