In a nod to A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fourth chapter sees our robed Jedi, joined by an ally in disguise, visit an Imperial fortress to rescue an imprisoned Princess Leia.
What could have been an exciting jailbreak instead becomes a dull set of events devoid of the passion and development opportunities that have made Kenobi such a compelling movie in the past. Episode four is the season’s first setback, despite being the shortest of the run thus far. Star Wars is not afraid to mash up its past.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a lengthier repetition of Luke’s narrative from The Last Jedi, whereas The Force Awakens is a flashier rendition of A New Hope. However, this week’s spoof Death Star jailbreak is uninteresting in its recreation of events, and so serves as a hollow call-back rather than a compelling progression. In quest of his ward, Kenobi slips along similar, frequently hazardous halls, with little more than a burst of water providing any kind of novel hazard.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 4 Is Comparatively Dull
One major issue is that there are no true stakes, which is a common problem with prequels. We know Leia and Obi-Wan will make it through this tragedy. Whereas effective prequel stories may add perilous complexities to people’s backstories — last week’s fiery adventure with Vader is a fantastic example – episode 4 opts for an extremely straight and uncomplicated timeline of events. At no time does the risk level increase above mild peril when Tala and Kenobi enter, abduct Leia, and flee. Even Tala, who has no idea what will happen to her, never feels completely threatened.
Obi-Wan Kenobi falters after a promising start with a drab fourth episode. Episode four is a by-the-numbers jailbreak plot that fails to mimic the adventurous thrills of A New Hope, without the emotional depth and character-study components that have so far demonstrated the program is strong. The major events are held back by static action and a lack of exciting challenges to overcome, although Reva’s intentions and the Inquisition’s collection of frozen Force users do build the basis for more engaging future chapters.
