‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Episode 4 Review - The Mind-Numbing Blandness Continues

The fourth episode of The Acolyte continues to raise more questions than answers. Unfortunately, none of these questions manage to capture your interest in the show. The dull imagery strains your eyes, making it hard to look at the screen for most of the time. It seems like the creators relied on the popularity of Star Wars to carry The Acolyte, assuming it would attract both existing fans and new audiences (you don't need to be a Star Wars expert to watch this show). But why settle for such mind-numbing blandness? I'm not even sure if I want to keep watching The Acolyte to find out the answers to the questions it raises.

Episode 4 finds Mae and Qimir traveling through the forest of Khofar to find and execute Master Kelnacca. Kelnacca is just here to remind the viewers of Chewbacca. Similarly, the main villain, who appears at the end of this episode, looks like Darth Vader. I admit I am a rookie when it comes to Star Wars. But are the main bad guys in this universe bounded by some obligation that they must come donning Vader-like black masks and uniforms? He also has a red lightsaber. I don't know where the fifth episode will take us, though I can certainly say that so far, The Acolyte looks creatively bankrupt.

The episode has its share of unoriginal moments. For instance, Osha tells Sol that she won't wear the civilian robe, and then we cut to her wearing the civilian robe. This joke is older than Jedi's existence, and the predictability factor removes the comic charge from this moment. We see the joke coming from a distance. Then there is that awkward scene where Osha tells Jecki, "Don't tell me you will miss me?" When did these characters develop a deep emotional bond? At one point in Episode 4, Mae just decides to abandon her mission and surrender herself, but her decision doesn't feel organic. Where is this change of heart suddenly coming from? One senses that the writers are out of ideas and are just doing anything to move the story forward.

In the forests of Khofar, we meet strange creatures called Umbramoths. One of them tries to attack Osha and is killed by Sol's lightsaber. It helps that they are attracted to light, so Sol finds it easy to get rid of the Umbramoth that flies in their direction. How nice it would have been if the group had then found themselves evading an army of Umbramoths that rest on the branches. It's here where The Acolyte should have indulged in some fun clichés but chooses to fulfill its preordained requirements. The Acolyte, so far, has proved to be a waste of your time and the talents of its actors.

Final Score - [4/10]