'Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return' Shows How Much Love Went Into The Series
Image Source: USA Today
Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return, directed by David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Chef's Table), is perhaps not your typical making-of documentary. Whilst it does follow the 3-year task of bringing the Obi-Wan Kenobi series from concept to screen, it presents more heart than one might expect. In a comfortable hour, set against the majestic cinnabar-red sands and neon light of the show's sets, this documentary shows a deep understanding of the childlike joy that Star Wars has invoked in generations. The production team clearly understood the responsibility that comes with that love in bringing the iconic Jedi back to the small screen.
The more nuts-and-bolts style many may expect from a behind-the-scenes documentary is turned away in favor of painting a more emotional, cinematic picture of its subject to depict the beating heart of nostalgia beneath the slick editing and point-of-view shots on set. With brushstrokes and color provided in the form of interviews with Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow and principal cast members such as Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Moses Ingram, and many more, it is hard to walk away without feeling the technicolor love present in every contributor from the top of the call sheet all the way down to the bottom.
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Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return opens by pulling the audience back in time with period interview footage of Alec Guinness, the original actor of Obi-Wan. In a brief but wonderfully nostalgic clip, Guinness sits comfortably in his character costume of heavy robes and a pair of homey blue slippers, describing the challenge of playing Obi-Wan in the (at the time) groundbreaking sci-fi epic. Guinness's affection for the role and universe is evident as he speaks warmly to the "top to bottom" challenge of embodying the wise samurai warrior archetype pitched by Lucas all those years ago. It is an affection that Ewan McGregor shares too.
McGregor's love for Star Wars blankets every moment he is on screen as seen in his dedication and deep consideration for Kenobi as a character. With boyish glee, charming laughs, and a habit of swapping between "I" and "Obi-Wan," he is a lead voice that feels just as much the little boy that wore out his VHS tape until it was "just colors" decades before he auditioned for the role. It isn't just McGregor's love for the worldbuilding or craft in creating this older, wiser Obi-Wan that shadows him as he stares up at a faux-cinema on the show's set- but also his deep affection for the people he has worked with. His warmth for Deborah Chow, series director of Obi-Wan Kenobi and franchise newcomer, is evident and bright. Her cerebral contribution to the documentary, interspersed with all-too-brief shots of the creature shop, wirework, and mind-blowing staging for the show, is a pleasant point between McGregor's glee and the third principal voice of Hayden Christensen.
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The small reunion between Christensen and McGregor is a powerful emotional beat. Amongst a repeated visual motif of the set shrouded in darkness, with a faux-cinema screen towering above, it is an undoubted highlight to hear a gentle "Hello there" and see the two actors hug. Both speak on how the Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker of the prequel trilogy mirrored much of their relationship. Christensen almost appears on the verge of tears throughout much of his section, voice breaking as he speaks of the honor and challenge in playing the emerging Darth Vader while McGregor would insist on staying to watch him shoot.
The thoughts and stories of various other cast members—perhaps too many to name—are also pepper throughout this lovingly made, visually lavish documentary. Returning and new actors as well as a lone stunt co-ordinator and a surprise face (at least to this unfamiliar reviewer) provide a charming, comfortable backdrop to what are surprisingly intense emotional themes of family and legacy.
Despite the feel-good aspect and the constant presence and awareness of the crew on set, some things let Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return down. There are only a few glimpses of the creature shop and special effects departments. An odd editing choice at the tail-end of the show also interrupts an otherwise smooth and well-paced structure. The ending, too, may veer on saccharine for some viewers. For others, on the other hand, it likely feels more like a celebration of their own love for the Star Wars franchise.
This documentary is a comfortable watch that is absolutely made for Star Wars fans. While it may be lighter on technical detail that some may appreciate, it is heavy on heart and displays of dedication by the Obi-Wan Kenobi cast and crew.
Rating: 7/10
Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return is now streaming on Disney+.
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