Alright! Today I'm reviewing Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, a series of Disney+ anthology shorts that detail various tales of the Jedi, with season one being focused on Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku's training in the Jedi Order and the various arcs they have throughout - Count Dooku being seduced by the Dark Side, and Ahsoka's being three important moments during her life.
Starting with Ahsoka, who takes the first, fifth and sixth episodes (Why not divide them right down the middle?), the first episode is a cute but trivial tale of how a baby Ahsoka encounters a fearsome beast and befriends it through the force. It's a cool introduction to the premise of the series but ultimately frivolous, and it might have been better to focus on her friendship with Plo Koon to start it out.
The second Ahsoka episode, "Practice Makes Perfect," is a short thirteen-minute adventure about Ahsoka trying over and over again to perfect an exercise wherein she must defend herself against the entire 501st clone battalion - it's not particularly exciting and only gains meaning once you look it up and find out that the move she was perfecting is the same one used in The Clone Wars episode "Shattered," where Order 66 is declared. The short runtime and niche-ness of its impact make it feel directly responsive to fan complaints about her surviving the extermination order, and the short runtime doubly so. However, I rather liked the montage, and it's ultimately a cool bit of trivia (But again, the episode is only meaningful if you have seen The Clone Wars and also know that piece of trivia).
The third and final Ahsoka episode, "Resolve," takes place after Order 66 and details a run-in she has with an Imperial Inquisitor, whose fearsome design and lightsaber make him a formidable threat. While I wasn't too fond of the various townspeople she was living amongst, the duel with the Inquisitor was a series highlight and excellently displayed why Ahsoka is the epitome of the Jedi, even once the Order is destroyed. It almost feels like a redeemed version of the Star Wars Rebels episode "Twin Suns," where Obi-Wan fights Darth Maul for the last time.
The Count Dooku episodes are virtually perfect. The tone, imagery, force, and animation are all fantastic as we see a Jedi Master in his prime slowly become disillusioned with the Jedi Order and join the Dark Side of the Force. With the three episodes taking about 50 minutes (Including credits), it shows yet another Clone Wars-era story that would have made an even better movie than the actual Attack of the Clones story we got.
In fifty minutes, Tales of the Jedi slowly turns Count Dooku, an otherwise wholly one-dimensional villain, into one of the most nuanced characters in Star Wars. The pride of the Jedi Order was never so apparent, nor were the losses they faced so dramatic. He retroactively becomes a noble fallen Jedi, his padawan Qui-Gon's end even more tragic. It's all superbly done, showcasing the best aspects of the Star Wars Prequels and The Clone Wars in a format that only streaming could have done.
Throughout the entire series, Tales of the Jedi boasts some of the most beautiful and state-of-the-art animation to come out of any streaming service. While it's a given that each new season of The Clone Wars upped the animation ante, Tales of the Jedi jumps ahead three or four levels and makes Star Wars look the best it has ever looked. Lightsaber duels, philosophical conflicts, and character beats that don't retcon but rather enhance the movies are all found in abundant supply here.
Aside from the slow start and niche-ness of episode five, Tales of the Jedi is a superb example of everything that makes Star Wars great. It's lighthearted but serious when it needs to be, emotional has excellent animation and music, and the visual impact of each Count Dooku episode was just brilliant. I can't wait for the second season, where they hopefully up the episode count and move past the Prequel era (A Leia episode would be fantastic).
Overall, I give Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi a 9/10. "Twice the excellence, double the praise."
Comments
Post a Comment