Disney+ series The Acolyte finally wins over Star Wars fans with epic lightsaber battle
Disney+ has seemingly won back the hearts of Star Wars aficionados with its latest chapter, The Acolyte.
Helmed by showrunner Leslye Headland, this fresh narrative is set in the twilight of the High Republic era, paving the way to the Skywalker Saga. It centres on a Jedi-led probe into a string of sinister deeds and features a cast including Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Charlie Barnett, and Dafne Keen.
The fifth episode, which aired on Wednesday night (June 26), delivered a jaw-dropping battle sequence that saw the demise of several key figures. While fans were gutted by the losses, they've been raving about the episode, dubbing it 'unmissable television'.
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Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) in The Acolyte
This praise marks a turnaround from previous criticism where some branded the series as 'woke' for its varied cast, and others criticised The Acolyte for its erratic tempo. There were even claims that it was the most disappointing Star Wars spin-off to date.
However, after the release of the latest instalment, viewers took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to express their newfound admiration, particularly for the stellar lightsaber duels. @PlushieFenn exclaimed: "holy hell the acolyte is suddenly f***** amazing with episode 5... This show is either about to be the biggest bait and switch in history or DISSAPOINTING AS HELL", reports the Manchester Evening News.
Echoing the sentiment, @lottosaycarlos commented: "I gotta stop giving acolyte a hard time if i turn off my brain to the plot and bad acting those lightsaber fights and death scenes were some of the most insane stuff i saw from Disney Star Wars in a minute major props to those."
Twitter user @TSoS_ singled out the latest instalment of #TheAcolyte for praise, proclaiming: "With its 5th episode, I genuinely think that #TheAcolyte delivered the best lightsaber fight choreography since Revenge of the Sith. Absolutely riveting. Full of incredibly creative moves, unique fighting styles that reflect character personalities and some truly shocking deaths."
Likewise, @JBeasley1412 confessed: "Been a bit zoned out on #TheAcolyte but that last episode had me gasping". Meanwhile, @MattfromCnB had: "And just like that the Acolyte went from being the worst written Star Wars ever to being must watch tv. That last episode was just wow."
showered his compliments.