From Jedi to Marvel

[setsuled]

Last night Disney premiered a new Marvel series and a new episode of a Star Wars series, Ms. Marvel and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Surprisingly, Ms. Marvel turned out to be the much stronger of the two, but maybe that's just because my expectations were so low for it.

But first, I want to talk about Obi-Wan Kenobi. I think the hard truth we have to face is that this series, quality-wise, is about on par with The Star Wars Holiday Special. Think about it. It has the big stars in their famous roles but written by people who don't really seem to understand the characters, being more intent on just hitting the bare minimum necessary dramatic beats to tell something that can be called a story. The hair and makeup look odd, the music's not nearly as good, and there's an overall lack of a sense of grandeur that's one of the cardinal virtues of the Star Wars films.

( Spoilery review for Obi Wan Kenobi episode four under the cut )

After Obi-Wan Kenobi, I struggled with whether or not I wanted to watch Ms. Marvel. I hated Captain Marvel so why would I want to watch a show about a Captain Marvel fan girl? Well, as it turned out, Iman Vellani as the titular protagonist of the series outshines Brie Larson in every way. She's sassy with the audience and has better access to her own emotions. She has a sense of comedic timing and the ability and courage to seem really wounded.

( Spoilery review for Ms Marvel episode one under the cut )

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ms. Marvel are available on Disney+.