The Acolyte (Disney+) 

By: Rachel Brodeur

There’s a certain sound that a lightsaber makes: it’s a subtle vibration, a low crescendoing hum that returns every Star Wars fan back into the vivid world of their childhood. It’s a fandom with high expectations, and despite Disney’s Acolyte having all the elements: the lightsabers, the costumes, the ships, that audiences want in a Star Wars franchise, it falls short of creating a memorable story.

Acolyte features a diverse cast led by Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, The Hate U Give) as a young woman accused of killing a Jedi. In the course of being investigated for this crime, her past and present collide with her crossing paths with a former mentor and respected Jedi Master Sol, played by Lee Jung-jae. Jung-jae won audiences and critics over in 2021 starring in the Netflix hit Squid Game, and his scenes in Acolyte are some of the highlights of the series. One interesting aspect of the show is that while the Star Wars universe is usually one where it is easy to tell who is on the light or dark side of the force, there are several characters that will keep audiences guessing until the end. 

Ultimately, though, Acolyte’s adequacy is on the shoulders of its younger cast. It might be a hard reality for fans of the original series that they are no longer the target demographic for the series. Younger audiences will better relate to the struggles in flashback episodes where decisions are driven by children. Acolyte is a series with an identity crisis; older crowds see science-fiction and action star Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) being cast as Master Indara and naturally want her to have more screen time. Acolyte lacks the heroes’ journey of the original trilogy, it isn’t as gritty as The Mandalorian and it isn’t as fun as Clone Wars. 

On its surface, there’s nothing wrong with Acolyte. Despite some commendable fight scenes, a few surprising reveals, and several photogenic sets, the series is lesser than the sum of its parts and fails to resonate on a deeper level of humanity and truth. Fans should check it out, but it’s the television equivalent of a room temperature glass of blue milk: sort of interesting, but not enough.

Rachel’s Rating: 4.5/10

Disney’s Acolyte adds an interesting story to the Jedi universe. Despite casting accomplished actors, the series lacks the charismatic blend of action, humor and storytelling that make Star Wars titles noteworthy.