New Star Wars Fan Film Better Than The Acolyte
The Acolyte is the latest Star Wars television show on Disney+, and while the show has some fierce supporters, it also has more than a few disappointed critics. Even outside the idiotic culture war nonsense, there is seemingly a quiet consensus that this franchise can do better. It most certainly can, and Star Wars fans looking for something better need only check out Inquisition, a short fan film that does almost everything right that The Acolyte does wrong.
Star Wars most likely has more fan films than any other franchise, so what makes Inquisition so special? For one thing, I was impressed by its relatively straightforward plot focused around a Jedi Master and his Padawan who get separated after Order 66.
If you’re a Star Wars fan jaded by The Acolyte, then Inquisition may be the refreshing cup of cold, blue milk that you’ve been looking for.
Years later, the Master has become a brutal inquisitor working to hunt down the remaining Jedi on behalf of the Empire, and his former student may be the only thing that can stop him.
We don’t want to spoil this Star Wars fan film for you, so let’s lightsaber cut right to the chase: what, exactly, does Inquisition do better than The Acolyte? The straightforward plot is easy to follow, and it doesn’t take this story long to get to the action.
That’s arguably inevitable for a short fan film, but it felt downright refreshing after so many Acolyte episodes effectively strung us along before delivering a half-hearted dose of action and a lukewarm cliffhanger.
In addition to this Star Wars fan film giving us some great action almost right out of the gate, the action feels meaningful.
Plus, while The Acolyte is set outside of most Star Wars stories, Inquisition is very deliberately set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. This is obviously a matter of opinion, but I think Acolyte erred by separating itself from the rest of the mainstream franchise.
The freedom to tell more original stories sounds great on paper, but the blunt fact is that this fan film feels more relevant, especially because it focuses on something fans would love to see onscreen: the Imperial purge of the Jedi.
In addition to this Star Wars fan film giving us some great action almost right out of the gate, the action feels meaningful–watching a former master and apprentice battling for both each other’s souls and the future of the galaxy feels meaningful in a way that watching that goofy guy from The Good Place mow down a bunch of nobodies doesn’t.
Plus, their dialogue even reveals some interesting perspectives from the fallen Jedi, something we could always use more of.
Like Palpatine with young Anakin, I’ll be watching these filmmakers with great interest.
Now, we’re not saying this Star Wars fan film is perfect–Inquisition suffers from some of the issues most fan films do, including the occasional sketchy effect. And, like seemingly all Star Wars fan films before it, the movie is set in the woods, which wasn’t even that exciting back in Return of the Jedi.
But these are small errors and there are very few of them, giving this fan effort a level of polish and professionalism that, frankly, Disney could stand to learn from.
If you’re a Star Wars fan jaded by The Acolyte, then Inquisition may be the refreshing cup of cold, blue milk that you’ve been looking for. And even if you’re a fan of the latest Disney+ series, it’s worth checking out this well-acted, well-produced, and seriously stylish production. Like Palpatine with young Anakin, I’ll be watching these filmmakers with great interest.
