blaskofilms

As many other reviewers have pointed out, there are some plusses to this show: special effects, costuming and soundtrack. Sadly, they all amount to very little emotional impact.

It is nearly impossible to orient yourself into this particular era of Middle Earth. What the characters want, what are the stakes and what is the central theme - these questions are virtually ignored. There's no real point of entry, and there's no real gravity. Making matters worse, the central characters, Galadriel specifically, are not very engaging. In strong fantasy, there are typically characters you want to get behind, characters you'd like to be. But Rings of Power? Well, there's a reason why you're not seeing Rings of Power trick-or-treaters or cosplayers near you. These aren't memorable heroes ... or villains.

If this were not connected to Tolkien's work, it might be fine - a middling fantasy show that serves equally well as a screensaver and a time waster. But for Tolkien? And a billion-dollar investment? No, this series falls far short of its expectations and its potential. Not Recommended.

Truly, I admire Mike Flanagan. I think that Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House are excellent examples of long-form genre storytelling. Flanagan understands that tall-tale horrors are usually allegories for real-life agonies, and that a frightening show is more about the tingles of what we can't see than the shock of what we can. On one hand, The Haunting of Bly Manor is both a love letter to Jack Clayton's The Innocents and a tender exploration of caring for a loved one suffering from dementia.

But on the other, it's so precious about its social messaging that, like the show's central spectre, it becomes repetitive and featureless. It's one thing to be inclusive - the cast is excellent and the performances are consistently compelling - but it's another thing to wrap your marginalized characters in a sort of golden gauze of endless virtue. In David Mamet terms, The Haunting of Bly Manor too often feels more like a "problem play" than a puzzling thriller. It has the feel of being made by someone trying to be an "ally" first and a storyteller second. That's nothing terrible, of course, but it does limit the impact of an otherwise chilling story.

As a result, what could have been a masterpiece series is reduced to something that feels trapped in its time. One can imagine a modern and socially-conscious audience absolutely raving about this series in 10-star reviews, though they may find that they've forgotten nearly everything about it within a week.

For months, I held off from watching Ahsoka. I had read the reviews, watched the snipes, gripes and story breakdowns on YouTube. I knew that the fanbase was split between diehard Filoni fans and those who've had just about enough of Disney SW. And then I set it all aside, and I watched the entire season in a two-day binge.

And the funny thing? Everybody is right about this show.

As far as negatives go, there are many. It's often stunningly poorly scripted. SW fans are usually pretty forgiving to clunky dialogue and goofy plot contrivances, but Ahsoka routinely pushes this tolerance past the limit. It feels like we're watching a hasty second draft, and not a cohesive, completed screenplay.

It's also too often poorly directed. Why would anyone allow their main actors to so often appear so lifeless, constantly folding their arms, puffing out frustrated sighs and pausing for interminably long breaks between dialogue exchanges. It's not for lack of talent - the main cast is excellent, but the direction of their work is amateurish at best.

So why a seven? Why give this sorry little show such a reasonably solid score? First, let's be honest. Disney has probably lowered our expectations. For all of Ahsoka's faults, it's light years ahead of The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mandalorian Season 3. If you love SW, these can be strange times. We get a lot of content, but not a lot of very good content.

But second - and here's perhaps the most important factor to me - Ahsoka is sincere and genuine and very Star Warsy. It's a space opera. It's optimistic. It's occasionally quite rousing and fun. And while the direction and script are flawed, the visual and sound effects and musical score are virtually flawless. This FEELS like Star Wars. The LOOKS like Star Wars. This SOUNDS like Star Wars. Filoni clearly cares about this universe, and in Ahsoka, he and his crew gently begins to expand it.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Season 1 - much, much more than I thought I would. Sometimes, an earnest attempt at something great still wins the day, star warts and all. Recommended.