Ten years have passed since Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan has been living a quiet, anonymous life on Tatooine, keeping a distant but watchful eye on Luke Skywalker. During this time the Empire consolidated its power and started a galaxy-wide hunt for Jedi and any potential Jedi. Obi-Wan being a Jedi Master, a general in the Clone Wars and the guy who sliced up Anakin Skywalker is probably top of the most wanted list. After Leia is kidnapped Obi-Wan goes after her, despite protesting that he is not the man he once was, no longer the legendary Jedi Master. This mission has him meet criminals, storm troopers and the Inquisitors, Jedi who switched sides and lead the hunt for survivors of Order 66. And, of course, Obi-Wan encounters Darth Vader.

A Star Wars Fan’s Opinion

Let me start by saying – I loved Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have wanted to learn more about the story of what happened to Obi-Wan between the Clone Wars and A New Hope for decades. But I will also say this – it wasn’t first-rate television like The Mandalorian, it was a bit shakier, a bit more fan service, and a bit too keen on convenient rescues, but I still loved it. We have seen Obi-Wan go from padawan, to Jedi Master, to recluse, to willingly going to his death and it’s been quite a journey.

When I heard about this show I had actually hoped for some kind of western drama set on Tatooine. Obi-Wan unable to get involved in grand affairs of state cannot help but get involved to help people and fights some evil gangsters on Tatooine. What the show was actually about was much better. The show I envisioned was cool and exciting, the show we got dealt more with Obi-Wan as a character.

Not Obi-Wan Kenobi

The show was also full of great characters aside from the titular one, Vivien Lyra Blair was fantastic as young Leia and wonderfully captured Princess Leia’s (and to be honest Carrie Fisher’s) attitude of not taking bullshit from anyone. Moses Ingram as Inquisitor Reva was an interesting villain clearly dealing with obsession. Kumail Nanjiani as fake-Jedi and occasional hero Haja was another highlight, as was Indira Varma as Tala Durith, Imperial officer turned rebel. Finally, I have to mention NED-B, a loader-droid and rebel, who didn’t even have R2D2’s limited means of communication but whose death was terribly sad. Star Wars has a fantastic ability to get us to connect with droids – from whistling R2D2, Rogue One’s K2 and even The Mandalorian’s IG-11 the bounty/nurse droid.

Obi-Wan & Darth Vader

It is established in this show that Obi-Wan did not know Anakin Skywalker had survived their battle. As the Inquisitors are closing in on Obi-Wan, Darth Vader appears to personally deal with the Jedi and the two meet. The Jedi chose to meet Vader to give others a chance to escape and when he and Vader finally meet…he runs. The fight that follows shows Obi-Wan constantly outmatched by Vader and only escaping because of outside help. To see Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi Master who lead armies, defeated Sith and occasionally fought monsters, run was somewhat heartbreaking. It’s not a question of cowardice, or at least, he’s not afraid of Vader in the conventional sense. Obi-Wan has not recovered from what happened – Anakin’s betrayal, Order 66 and his last battle with Anakin where he left his best friend for dead. Obi-Wan might be sure he did the right thing in fighting Anakin but it broke him. Obi-Wan runs to buy time, because he knows he’s not as good as he used to be, and perhaps most importantly, he cannot face what he did to Anakin.

Over the series, Obi-Wan regains his confidence and drive and when Vader and Obi-Wan meet again things go differently. This time Obi-Wan wins but still, he cannot get over what happened and he even apologises but Vader does not accept his apology. This gives rise to explaining one of the odder things Obi-Wan does in the original trilogy, telling Luke that Vader betrayed and murdered his father. Vader angrily declares that it was he, not Obi-Wan, who “killed” Anakin Skywalker. When Obi-Wan returns to his life on Tatooine it is with a new sense of peace, something he’d been lacking for the past ten years.

This show has given me so much enjoyment and it’s tricky as I recognise many flaws in the programme, ranging from plot holes to dialogue. More than once I wanted to scream at the TV – STOP LEAVING PEOPLE FOR DEAD! MAKE SURE THEY’RE DEAD! As again and again characters do this. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a great show for anyone but a must for all Star Wars fans.

Also Read: Iconic Scenes: Star Wars: The Last Jedi – “The Kylo Ren & Luke Skywalker Confrontation”

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They should fear me cause I’m Harley f*cking Quinn

It seems that Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) her life isn’t rolling into the right direction. After splitting up with her “J” and taking revenge in the most explosive way possible, she’s now being hunted by everyone she has wronged. One of them is Roman Sionis aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). He’s the latest ‘victim’ on her list as she hurt his driver in that typical “Harley Quinn” way. After being captured, Quinn wants to save her skin. She’s being tasked with tracking down a precious diamond that holds the code to the bank account of a rich Mafia family. While claiming to be the “finder of all lost things”, this search may not be as easy as she expected, especially when that diamond has been swallowed by young hustler Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).

That’s not the only problem Quinn has to overcome. The jewel has also caught the attention of Gotham City Police Department Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). For Montoya, who has been screwed over by her former male colleague, this gem could be getting the promotion she deserves. A bad-ass assassin Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) also has her reasons to retrieve the diamond. There’s also Sionis’ driver Dinah Lance aka Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) wants the diamond. Four women with each their own agenda, one little thief and a large number of men who are after them. Many people but just one diamond. How will this end?

A dream cast

If you would ask us how to describe Robbie (Bombshell, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) her performance in one word we would say: Superb! She nails Quinn perfectly. Both the looks as well as the emotions. Her expressive and joyful appearance just puts an instant smile on your face and when the sadder. When the strong emotions appear, Robbie’s acting makes sure that you care about Quinn every step of the way, no matter how many horrifying mistakes Quinn made in the past. Basco plays a key role in the film and she does that by putting on a wonderful performance. The connection between Robbie and Basco is just spot-on.

Smollett-Bell (One Last Thing, Hands of Stone) grabs your attention every time she appears as Black Canary, who literally and figuratively has a killer voice. No matter if it’s during the quiet signing scenes or the violent, entertaining and action-packed fight scenes, watching Smollett-Bell is such a treat. While Winstead (The Parts You Lose, Gemini Man) only makes her first appearance during the middle of this movie, she brings such a comedy element as well as immense female power. Perez (The Dead Don’t Die, Active Adults) might not have the rock ‘n roll attitude the rest of the cast has but she’s still very much fun to watch.

Don’t think that the exquisite cast only exists of women. No, there’s also McGregor (Doctor Sleep, Christopher Robin). Whether it’s as the charismatic but short-tempered Sionis or as the secretive and sinister Black Mask, his scenes are just fantastic. Saying that there’s a sensational chemistry between the leads would be such an understatement.

Tremendous talent behind the camera

There’s also the top-notch talent behind the scenes that delivered astonishing work. First up, we want to congratulate the hair and makeup team and costume department. They make from Birds of Prey the most energetic, flashy and eye-catching comic movie you will ever see. Our praise also needs to go to the stunt team and the special effects team. The many on-set stunts and the CGI added afterwards make this film go so smoothly, even though they might be over the top. We also want to thank the people who made and/or chose the music. Every song has a hidden reference and gives Birds of Prey an immense punch.

One hell of a ride

While watching Birds of Prey, it becomes clear that comic book movies are still going to dominate the box office for many years to come. If any of those could be as much fun, entertaining, stunning performed and wonderfully created, then we would be over the moon.

Rating: (4 / 5)

Also Read: Joke’s On You: The History of Batman’s Arch-Nemesis

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Star Wars, the franchise that conquered the world. The troubles making the first film are now legendary. But George Lucas and his team created something truly special with Star Wars and its direct sequels Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Popularly considered three of the greatest sci-fi films ever.

After Return of the Jedi satisfyingly closed the trilogy in 1983, the franchise lay dormant, until 1999 when Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released. This was the first part of the prequel trilogy which told the story about the fall of the Jedi and the rise of the empire from the original trilogy (retroactively renamed episodes 4, 5 and 6). But it wasn’t the glorious homecoming fans hoped for.

Episode 1 currently sits at a 6.5 on IMDb and a 53% on rotten tomatoes. Quite a dip in quality compared to the first three movies (Star Wars- 8.6 IMDb, 93% RT, Empire Strikes Back- 8.7 IMDb, 95% RT and Return of the Jedi- 8.3 IMDb, 81% RT). But 20 years later, is the Phantom Menace really that bad?

“Be gone with him”

After years of anticipation, initial reviews for The Phantom Menace were resoundingly negative.

“Nothing has the right to bore and disappoint us this much.”

-The Guardian

Everything about the movie has been criticized over the years. Whether it’s uninteresting characters, flat performances, the dialogue, the boring story, a lack of understanding of is audience or the use of CG effects. Everyone has a bone to pick with the Phantom Menace.

So, I find myself in a difficult position when I say, Phantom Menace doesn’t deserve the hate it gets.

“I have a bad feeling about this”

That’s not to say Phantom Menace isn’t flawed. The film suffers from a lack of compelling characterisation. Many characters are mythic archetypes who aren’t relatable on a human level. Though they are still entertaining.

The script is full of ham-fisted dialogue that explains things rather than adding personality to the universe. Some of the performances are lacklustre (Jake Lloyd’s Anakin) or grating (Ahmed Best’s Jar Jar Binks).

And the film has a very confused tone, mixing adult political drama with kid friendly wish fulfilment and blazing action. Which just don’t gel together.

“Defiance I sense in you”

But personally, I appreciate Phantom Menace trying to grow with its audience. After 16 years the kids who grew up on Star Wars were becoming adults, so Lucas tried to take an adult look at how the problems of the original trilogy came about.

Granted it wasn’t successful, and it needed the guiding hands of others to help iron things out, rather than George doing everything himself, seemingly unchallenged. But I will always take something different but flawed over safe and boring.

“Agree with you the council does”

And there are many positives to appreciate about Phantom Menace. There are some fine performances from Ewan McGregor as the charming, younger Obi-Wan Kenobi, Liam Neeson as calm, rebellious Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn and Ian McDiarmid is endearing and menacing as both sides of Chancellor Palpatine.

While the film drags in some parts, there are plenty of incredibly enjoyable action beats to make up for that. Like the Naboo escape scene, the pod race on Tatooine and even the overstuffed but enjoyable four-pronged finale.

The movie also has a great design and look. It’s colourful, inventive with a large variety of creature designs, sets, and costumes and it mixes early CG and practical effects in great ways to make its worlds feel bigger than the original trilogy.

And this film features some of composer John Williams’ best work. Will anyone argue that Duel of the fates isn’t one of the best songs of the entire saga?

Was It Really That Bad? …. No

The Phantom Menace is flawed, certainly. It would’ve benefited from having others around to iron out Lucas’ vision rather than giving him complete control.

But at its worst Episode 1 is an entertaining popcorn sci-fi film. Packed with a lot of creative ideas and it features some genuinely good work behind and in front of the camera that deserves appreciation rather than simple hate. Because as Yoda said, “hate leads to suffering.”

Also Read: Was It Really That Bad? Robin Hood (2018)

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