Series Ahsoka Season 1 is good
Here are my general thoughts about Ahsoka.
As a Clone Wars and Rebels fan, I did enjoy seeing the animated figures brought to life.
The outdoor scenes which are obviously shot in the Volume virtual stage feel confined, and the movement stagey, hitting their marks, rather than fluid. The Volume works best as a dynamic background for a fixed stage, such as a ship interior or the Star Map on Seatos.
I can't help comparing Ahsoka to Andor. Andor was brilliantly written with a stellar cast highlighted by Stellan Skarsgard, Genevieve O'Reilly, Andy Serkis, and Fiona Shaw. Andor is a gritty political drama which feels Star Wars adjacent, with its deconstruction of Fascism, but not like Star Wars per se.
Ahsoka is the opposite of Andor, with rather lackluster writing, staging, and direction. The acting is competent, good in the cases of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka, Ariana Greenblatt as young Ahsoka, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan, and the late, lamented, Ray Stevenson as Baylan.
There were no Shakespearean soliloquies in Ahsoka as in Andor. Dave Filoni isn't a great writer. He knows the voice of his characters, but he says, "and then Ahsoka says this" and then he writes just that.
David Tennant embodies the soul and memory of the old Jedi Order. Tennant adds a touch of gentle humor and realism with his voice work as Ahsoka's ancient Jedi droid companion, Huyang.
What I love about Ahsoka is the world building and general Samurai/High Fantasy "Star Warsiness" of it all. The plot, sets and pacing owe much to Kurosawa's films such as Throne of Blood (and thus, to Macbeth). The virtual sets of Peridea call back to Middle Earth, as does Ahsoka's post-World Between Worlds costume and demeanor change to what fans have termed as "Ahsoka the White." We are getting a full Hero's Journey for Ahsoka, featuring a journey through the underworld via inside a space whale.
Filoni is still getting his legs as a live action writer and director. I feel like he is still operating in animation mode, with storyboards, key frames, and previz. That's a disciplined way of doing filmmaking and helps to control costs, but like the Obi Wan Kenobi show, Ahsoka feels confined by budget, time, not enough episodes, and Disney's lack of any coherent direction for the Star Wars IP.
The most pleasant surprise of Ahsoka for me was a de-aged Hayden Christiansen reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker (and pre-"I have the high ground" Darth Vader). This could have been merely shameless fanservice, but Christiansen's performance, and his unrelenting physicality and characteristic lightsaber flourishes, made his appearance during Ahsoka's epic journey through immersion into the underworld, a gift and a redemption showing Christiansen's range and what this actor can do with a decent script and direction.
Ahsoka season 1 is a snack, less filling than Andor, but still delicious. A popcorn meal.
3 of 4 stars
Series Ahsoka is good
Ahsoka is good.
There's a lot to like about Ahsoka eps 1 & 2.
The special effects, props, scenery, and costumes are great.
But that's not what makes Ahsoka special. Dave Filoni & Steph Greene, who directed the first two episodes, take their time. Moody atmospheric shots inform us about the internal world of the characters without "as you know" verbal characterization.
Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka, MEW as Hera, and esp. Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine, on point. Music, cinematography, lighting: all good.
Series Help, I've Locked Myself Out
About 25 years ago my brother borrowed out his first Star Wars novel from the school library. I took one look at the cover, which had a wizard firing a naff laser lightshow
◊ from his fingertips, and said no thanks. This was the start of my petty and unwavering snobbery against the Star Wars Expanded Universe. 25 years on it has finally come back to bite me in the ass.
Ahsoka wasn't made for me. It was made for those who took the time to familiarize themselves with two separate animated shows, based in part off of the same damn book that pre-pubescent me once sneered at. If you are only familiar with the main Star Wars movies (i.e. most adults), then you are not necessarily going to be familiar with characters like Ahsoka, or Grand Admiral Thrawn, or whoever else this show reintroduces to what I assume must be cheers and raucous applause from long time cartoon fans.
In a sense, it is fortunate that the characters are simple enough that a complete newcomer like me can understand what their deal is. But that's also a flaw too. I've watched all eight episodes now and I don't really get much out of the show's characters. Ashoka seems so wistfully smug and content that the story struggles to wrangle any drama out of her. This show should have been called "Sabine", as it focusses more on her emotional arc and her adventures. She's certainly got more going on than anyone else, but she is not up against stiff competition. Most of the characters are flat and boring, and so are their conversations. Despite being an action drama, and each episode running under 30 minutes, the show manages to drag. There are just too many static scenes of characters standing awkwardly opposite each other, chatting with all the passion of work colleagues 75 minutes into their Teams conference call. The show's otherwise impressive high-fantasy inspired visuals just can't compensate for that lack of energy.
The plot itself is also paper thin. You see, the bad guys want to bring Grand Admiral Thrawn back from exile. Oh no, I guess? We don't know why he specifically is such a big deal, considering they've apparently beat him once already. It's up to Ahsoka and friends to stop them. The gravity of this situation, the gravitas of events unfolding the way they do, again depends too heavily on previous shows to have done the ground work to make you care. Meanwhile, I'm just seeing a stoic orange woman trying to stop a placid blue man.
All of this to say, my review is probably going to be useless to any serious Star Wars fan. For everyone else, maybe don't get too excited about Ahsoka. The only impact it had on me was to reconsider trying the Thrawn Trilogy. And that being the case, maybe don't bother with the tv series and go read some books instead.