‘Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’ reviews: Critics call it ‘catnip for franchise fans’ with ‘stunning animation’
Returning to a galaxy far, far, away, “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” premiered on Disney+ on October 26, 2022. Answering questions fans have been asking for years, each episode explores different Jedi characters over six installments. First following Ahsoka Tano across various points in her life, and then a young Count Dooku before his fall to the dark side of the Force.
Starring Ashley Eckstein, Corey Burton and Liam Neeson, the animated anthology series created by Dave Filoni currently holds a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. So what are critics raving about?
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Brian Lowry of CNN notes that the purpose of the series is to give more background to familiar faces in the iconic universe. “Beyond a glimpse of a baby Ahsoka (just in time for holiday gift-giving, kids), in an episode that illustrates her home planet and its warrior streak, the episodes leap around in time. That includes additional insights into Dooku and his abandonment of the Jedi order to embrace the dark side and Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid).” The series is a companion piece to the recent “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” as both add a new depth to characters that fans love and adore. Is it fan service? Who cares! “Because if you take it as a given that ‘Star Wars’ is going to indulge in what’s derisively referred to as ‘fan service,’ then by all means, do it as well and as slickly as this.”
Therese Lacson of Collider writes, “’Tales of the Jedi’ shines a light on the ignorance of the Jedi and how their unflexible nature ultimately led to their doom. Created by Dave Filoni, the anthology series fits perfectly into the existing Star Wars universe.” She continues, “At one point in an episode, a character who has become disillusioned with the Jedi lays it out clearly for Dooku: ‘Jedi are lapdogs of the Senate. Their bidding always comes first. It’s evident throughout the galaxy. Jedi claim peace but mostly keep law and order for the rich and powerful.’ This statement, while not completely true, is also not false.” In conclusion, Lacson states, “’Tales of the Jedi’ is a fitting entry into this catalog and continues to add layers of dimension to familiar and beloved characters.”
Tessa Smith of Mama’s Geeky begins by establishing that the series fills in blank areas that remained for years. “These animated shorts are all less than twenty minutes long, making it an easy season to binge. The first episode doesn’t do the best job of pulling viewers in, but the series hits the ground running with episode 2, so get ready…”Hearing the actors we know and love back in these roles is enough to overjoy any viewer, but add in the stunning animation and this is a must watch series for Star Wars fans.”
Jeffrey Lyles of Lyles’ Movie Files might have the best opening line, stating that the series “is basically Star Wars-flavored catnip for franchise fans who should happily gobble up every morsel of this tasty anthology series.” The first episode is the weakest of the bunch, but everything else is golden. “’Tales of the Jedi’ shows in brisk, but efficient detail, how the lauded Jedi becomes Darth Sidious’ main tool throughout the Clone Wars. There’s an added bonus here with vocal performances from actors from the live action prequel saga giving this an added level of significance.” With a rating of 9.5 out of 10, the series is well on its way to icon status within the franchise.
All six episodes are currently available to stream on Disney+.
