I am generally very open minded, and find very rarely do I agree with the 'popularly touted opinion' however in this case the Acolyte, which given the context and the realm of the story I should love, it has the capacity to expose some deeply interesting parts of the lore, is just... mediocre. (I genuinely love the part in Fury Road when you realize the warboys are saying 'mediocre' because it's the highest praise they've ever received).
I want to like the show, but the narrative is genuinely shallow, the characters are wishy washy, and the 'big reveal' didn't surprise me at all, it seemed quite obvious the moment you first see them on screen.
The sisters feel flat... like they want to have emotions, but are confused how to express them. Maybe that's on purpose, but if it is it definitely isn't helping the show at the moment. The revenge plot is confusing. I'm genuinely hoping they can come up with a legitimate way to explain it, but the way they're leading up expectations it seems like it's going to just roll right into another misfire. The sith motivation is... almost as shallow as the rest of the show.
I keep hoping that the next episode is going to bring things together into a cohesive whole, or at least show some signs that it might be leading to something cohesive, but if that's the path they're taking they're going an awfully roundabout way to get there. The kind of roundabout that tends to lose half their audience before they finally bring it all together.
To be fair, there are some genuinely interesting tidbits in the show. Master Sol seems to be trying very hard to one handedly carry the show, but is struggling because even a legendary actor needs some kind of idea where the story is going. (I'm not stating that the actor is legendary, only that even a legendary actor would likely struggle under his circumstances. I am still giving him props for pulling the show along as much as he does.)
They failed to live up to one of the most obvious gimmicks they could have used to boost the shows ratings, though it is possible they may bring it back in cut scenes, if they don't it will be a sad day for all of Star Wars. The hell you going to even mention a Wookie Jedi, and not even bother to give him a fight scene? (and not the fledgeling from the clone wars/bad batch) I want to see the supposed sith lord struggling to match the might of the wookie master, this would only add more tension to see how easily he defeats the others. (sorry for rambling!)
For all the talk of "if you don't like it, don't watch" it kinda ignores that for the most part.... people aren't watching.
The Acolyte by all accounts seems to be one of the least watched Star Wars shows. She-Hulk (where many fans made the same arguments) similarly bricked. The problem is precisely because people aren't watching, and that's going to affect the future of the franchise.
To me they lost the plot when they retconned the whole extended universe and Kathleen Kennedy has the gall to say there isn't good source material for the universe. Every SW book I've revisited as an adult holds water and there is tons of stuff Disney wouldn't even have to put an ounce of effort in that could turn out stellar. Even the older games like Knights of the old Republic have miles better storytelling than what the Mouse is putting out now. It's like they hired someone who hates star wars to run the whole thing. They aren't even giving out IP licenses for quality games anymore aside from the Jedi series, which is mostly a rehash of the force unleashed and the Jedi Knight series. It has to be some kind of social experiment with the amount of actively bad decisions they are making
Agreed. Glad to support you on Substack because I’d rather read honest critiques with insight than most if the trash my Facebook feed sends my way. I was there May 25, 1977 and Star Wars will always be one of my most cherished things in life. Well, SOME of it. The best films were 4,5,and 6 and then everyone else seemed to dare me to even like it. There are a few moments that stand out while others stab my heart. I think Andor ranks as the best television show and Mandalorian nearly gets there. I’ve watched the Acolyte in utter disbelief and shock. It’s not the Star Wars I was looking for. I’ll still watch but each episode confuses me as to who let such trite garbage ever get made. It’s an unnecessary show. It seems as if it were made just so some anti-SW folks could give the middle finger to the audience who sat in total awe back where it all began in a galaxy far, far away in 1977. I thank you, Erik, for your candor and truthful views. I am happy to have punched the button for the year as a subscriber!
If you watch Prey, you will see what the author is talking about! A great story, great action and a great lead character! And a great rebound for a one time great movie that led to all sorts of misses with much more famous...and male leads.
I agree that The Acolyte has mediocre writing and direction. Boba Fett wasn't very interesting IMO. But using a term like "objectively terrible scripts" is a bit disingenuous. Art is always 100% subjective.
My wife and I liked Night Country, and we also liked Season 2 of True Detective, which we'd originally skipped because of the bad reviews, but then went back and watched after finishing Night Country. But Rings of Power lost me after a couple episodes. See how that works?
Different people like different things and trying to claim some level of authority on what's good or bad art by citing objectivity just makes you look silly. The fact that The Acolyte already has more reviews than the entire run of Mando tells us that something more than genuine feedback is happening. I don't claim to know what it is - theories abound. But bad reviews won't make Disney stop making garbage any more than they stopped us from getting Jaws 4.
I think there is both subjective taste and objectively bad writing that extends beyond taste. Some people may enjoy it still (we all have our guilty pleasures) but that doesn't change the fact.
Art is absolutely not always 100% subjective. Any art form requires talent, skill, training, and hard practice to master. It's not that hard to identify when a scuptor has no talent or technical skill, and it's even easier to see when a writer doesn't.
What people LIKE is subjective, true. I'll bet Sabrina Carpenter's Please Please Please has been listened to 1,000 times more this week than Bach's Mass in b-minor, but I'd be willing to bet only one of those will still be around in 100 years. Why is that, I wonder?
Just as morally cowardly people have figured out that expressing the right opinions on social media is an easier way to be seen as a good person than actually doing good things, so have hack writers and risk-averse production companies figured out that hammering home the right message is an easier way to get critical acclaim than actually making good art.
This is one of the biggest problems in Hollywood today. This new generation of show runners and movie makers cant handle criticism and automatically dissmis it as nothing more than (insert whatever istaphobic label).
I think it's a direct result of the everyone is special and everyone gets a trophy mentality that everyone grew up with. It's not just a problem in Hollywood though, its everything. In the private sector there's so many millennials and gen zs that think they should be rewarded for just showing up, and when they get fired for doing a bad job or bad performances they have a mental break down because they've never experienced anything but praise.
And that's what you're seeing in Hollywood now. They'll produce something like the acolyte that has some bad, bad writing, cringe dialog, and weak storytelling, but has good set designs, good cinematography and well choreographed fight scenes, and fans are being called every name in the book for not liking it.
I saw an article from screen rant saying episode 5 proves that the negative reviews from fans on rotten tomatoes are all just review bombing and just how absurd they are because the fight scenes were so good. As if the 1 episode with decent light saber fighting makes up for a poorly written, predictable show with bad dialog, that started off with a character saying "attack me with all your strength" while doing some wired arm thing, and a fire in space.
I am generally very open minded, and find very rarely do I agree with the 'popularly touted opinion' however in this case the Acolyte, which given the context and the realm of the story I should love, it has the capacity to expose some deeply interesting parts of the lore, is just... mediocre. (I genuinely love the part in Fury Road when you realize the warboys are saying 'mediocre' because it's the highest praise they've ever received).
I want to like the show, but the narrative is genuinely shallow, the characters are wishy washy, and the 'big reveal' didn't surprise me at all, it seemed quite obvious the moment you first see them on screen.
The sisters feel flat... like they want to have emotions, but are confused how to express them. Maybe that's on purpose, but if it is it definitely isn't helping the show at the moment. The revenge plot is confusing. I'm genuinely hoping they can come up with a legitimate way to explain it, but the way they're leading up expectations it seems like it's going to just roll right into another misfire. The sith motivation is... almost as shallow as the rest of the show.
I keep hoping that the next episode is going to bring things together into a cohesive whole, or at least show some signs that it might be leading to something cohesive, but if that's the path they're taking they're going an awfully roundabout way to get there. The kind of roundabout that tends to lose half their audience before they finally bring it all together.
To be fair, there are some genuinely interesting tidbits in the show. Master Sol seems to be trying very hard to one handedly carry the show, but is struggling because even a legendary actor needs some kind of idea where the story is going. (I'm not stating that the actor is legendary, only that even a legendary actor would likely struggle under his circumstances. I am still giving him props for pulling the show along as much as he does.)
They failed to live up to one of the most obvious gimmicks they could have used to boost the shows ratings, though it is possible they may bring it back in cut scenes, if they don't it will be a sad day for all of Star Wars. The hell you going to even mention a Wookie Jedi, and not even bother to give him a fight scene? (and not the fledgeling from the clone wars/bad batch) I want to see the supposed sith lord struggling to match the might of the wookie master, this would only add more tension to see how easily he defeats the others. (sorry for rambling!)
For all the talk of "if you don't like it, don't watch" it kinda ignores that for the most part.... people aren't watching.
The Acolyte by all accounts seems to be one of the least watched Star Wars shows. She-Hulk (where many fans made the same arguments) similarly bricked. The problem is precisely because people aren't watching, and that's going to affect the future of the franchise.
To me they lost the plot when they retconned the whole extended universe and Kathleen Kennedy has the gall to say there isn't good source material for the universe. Every SW book I've revisited as an adult holds water and there is tons of stuff Disney wouldn't even have to put an ounce of effort in that could turn out stellar. Even the older games like Knights of the old Republic have miles better storytelling than what the Mouse is putting out now. It's like they hired someone who hates star wars to run the whole thing. They aren't even giving out IP licenses for quality games anymore aside from the Jedi series, which is mostly a rehash of the force unleashed and the Jedi Knight series. It has to be some kind of social experiment with the amount of actively bad decisions they are making
Agreed. Glad to support you on Substack because I’d rather read honest critiques with insight than most if the trash my Facebook feed sends my way. I was there May 25, 1977 and Star Wars will always be one of my most cherished things in life. Well, SOME of it. The best films were 4,5,and 6 and then everyone else seemed to dare me to even like it. There are a few moments that stand out while others stab my heart. I think Andor ranks as the best television show and Mandalorian nearly gets there. I’ve watched the Acolyte in utter disbelief and shock. It’s not the Star Wars I was looking for. I’ll still watch but each episode confuses me as to who let such trite garbage ever get made. It’s an unnecessary show. It seems as if it were made just so some anti-SW folks could give the middle finger to the audience who sat in total awe back where it all began in a galaxy far, far away in 1977. I thank you, Erik, for your candor and truthful views. I am happy to have punched the button for the year as a subscriber!
Thanks so much Jim! I really appreciate it!
If you watch Prey, you will see what the author is talking about! A great story, great action and a great lead character! And a great rebound for a one time great movie that led to all sorts of misses with much more famous...and male leads.
I agree that The Acolyte has mediocre writing and direction. Boba Fett wasn't very interesting IMO. But using a term like "objectively terrible scripts" is a bit disingenuous. Art is always 100% subjective.
My wife and I liked Night Country, and we also liked Season 2 of True Detective, which we'd originally skipped because of the bad reviews, but then went back and watched after finishing Night Country. But Rings of Power lost me after a couple episodes. See how that works?
Different people like different things and trying to claim some level of authority on what's good or bad art by citing objectivity just makes you look silly. The fact that The Acolyte already has more reviews than the entire run of Mando tells us that something more than genuine feedback is happening. I don't claim to know what it is - theories abound. But bad reviews won't make Disney stop making garbage any more than they stopped us from getting Jaws 4.
I think there is both subjective taste and objectively bad writing that extends beyond taste. Some people may enjoy it still (we all have our guilty pleasures) but that doesn't change the fact.
stick to your guns on this one.
Art is absolutely not always 100% subjective. Any art form requires talent, skill, training, and hard practice to master. It's not that hard to identify when a scuptor has no talent or technical skill, and it's even easier to see when a writer doesn't.
What people LIKE is subjective, true. I'll bet Sabrina Carpenter's Please Please Please has been listened to 1,000 times more this week than Bach's Mass in b-minor, but I'd be willing to bet only one of those will still be around in 100 years. Why is that, I wonder?
Put enough independently subjective reviews together and you get an objective consensus. The Acolyte is objectively terrible.
Just as morally cowardly people have figured out that expressing the right opinions on social media is an easier way to be seen as a good person than actually doing good things, so have hack writers and risk-averse production companies figured out that hammering home the right message is an easier way to get critical acclaim than actually making good art.
They'll keep doing it until we demand better.
EXACTLY!
This is one of the biggest problems in Hollywood today. This new generation of show runners and movie makers cant handle criticism and automatically dissmis it as nothing more than (insert whatever istaphobic label).
I think it's a direct result of the everyone is special and everyone gets a trophy mentality that everyone grew up with. It's not just a problem in Hollywood though, its everything. In the private sector there's so many millennials and gen zs that think they should be rewarded for just showing up, and when they get fired for doing a bad job or bad performances they have a mental break down because they've never experienced anything but praise.
And that's what you're seeing in Hollywood now. They'll produce something like the acolyte that has some bad, bad writing, cringe dialog, and weak storytelling, but has good set designs, good cinematography and well choreographed fight scenes, and fans are being called every name in the book for not liking it.
I saw an article from screen rant saying episode 5 proves that the negative reviews from fans on rotten tomatoes are all just review bombing and just how absurd they are because the fight scenes were so good. As if the 1 episode with decent light saber fighting makes up for a poorly written, predictable show with bad dialog, that started off with a character saying "attack me with all your strength" while doing some wired arm thing, and a fire in space.