Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 3, 2024

Princess Leia rather famously intoned, "“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope” in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, but that may then beg the question as to whom might be Obi-Wan Kenobi's "phone a friend" in a moment of need. The moment of need has evidently passed unrequited (so to speak) with the ending of Obi-Wan Kenobi after six episodes. It's always hard to tell from PR spin just how long a "limited series" was supposed to last, and with the added data point that Obi-Wan Kenobi was sparked at least in part by a jettisoned feature film, and so may have had some "built in" confines that kept it to one season, the fact that as of the writing of this review it seems to be dead in the water (and/or outer space) despite being hotly anticipated and rather widely viewed on Disney+ may indicate that other factors were in play in terms of the property's longevity. The at least relatively short run for Obi-Wan Kenobi may also be a bit on the surprising side given its franchise imprimatur, as well as any number of heavy hitters involved in the production, not the least of which is probably Ewan McGregor returning to the title role (and also serving as one of the show's executive producers).

Somewhat hilariously given that now iconic scene from the first Star Wars film which introduced Princess Leia (albeit in quasi-"Skype" form), Obi-Wan Kenobi might suggest that her importuning for help was not the first time she needed to "reach out and touch" (if only virtually) the venerable Jedi master. But of course as Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith documented, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) had shown a special interest in a special set of twins, with little Leia (Vivian Lyra Blair in the miniseries) put more or less into foster care as that film came to a calamitous close. Obi-Wan Kenobi centers largely on what amounts to rescue efforts by Obi-Wan after Leia is abducted. If that's the central tether tying the six episodes of the miniseries together, there is still a typically novelistic approach to the story, which offers a veritable glut of either new or returning characters to the Star Wars fold.

If Princess Leia in distress isn't exactly anything new, neither is the revelation that Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) isn't quite dead yet and may in fact have something to do with Leia's predicament. The fraught relationship between Obi-Wan and the erstwhile Anakin Skywalker provides a surprising amount of angst in the miniseries, as a seemingly emotionally distraught Obi-Wan may not have the focus to deal with his former and evidently current nemesis, let alone rescue a little girl who is surrounded by seeming acres of Imperial Stormtroopers.

Obi-Wan famously communicated as a sort of spectral presence with Luke to "use the force" in A New Hope, but one of the underlying plot strands here is Obi- Wan's own inability to really muster the inner peace needed to "connect" with any unseen power. It may be in this central unease that McGregor is able to really delve into some of the, well, "darker" aspects of a character who, at least in the Alec Guinness formulation, often seemed to be placid prophesying monolith. Little Blair is fine if maybe just slightly bland as Leia, but the supporting cast includes some excellent performances by Rupert Friend and Moses Ingram in particular.

The series has the expected scope of a Star Wars entry, but kind of interestingly some of the action set pieces can be hit or miss. The pace of the series tends to be a little inconsistent, though I'd argue the second half of the six episodes starts to build more effectively after a somewhat drawn out opening set of episodes that may take a bit too much time introducing the panoply of characters and interlocking subplots. Whether or not more episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi were ever considered at one point, the miniseries actually comes to a decent enough conclusion where at least some viewers probably won't feel cheated to have invested so much time only to exit with a checklist of unanswered questions.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Disney / Buena Vista's standalone 1080 release. Per Disney / Buena Vista's standard operating procedure with television series, there are no 1080 discs in this set, which is why the 2K video score above has been left blank.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Captured with Arri Alexas and finished at 4K, this is another generally fantastic looking Star Wars miniseries from Disney+. As with many other similar "franchise" series like The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season 4K, there's a really appealingly seamless quality to almost all of the CGI blending with practical sets and costumes, and in fact this particular episode may be even more impressive since it doesn't have a "featured" central CGI character. There is some obvious green screen or similar technology on display at times which I guess might be argued is somewhat more apparent given the increased resolution of the 4K version, but in my estimation any major complaints should be nonexistent and even minor complaints may be of the niggling qualm variety. Quite a few episodes feature Obi-Wan moving through rather dark or dimly lit environments, and one of the improvements in this 4K outing is some noticeable if subtle addition to shadow detail courtesy of HDR. Otherwise, though, I wouldn't personally say HDR has materially altered the palette when stacked up against the 1080 release, though actual suffusion may be improved. Fine detail on practical items like actual human beings and costumes and props is typically excellent throughout all six episodes.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series continues the perhaps just slightly odd tradition that Disney / Buena Vista has tended to follow with its separate 1080 and 4K UHD releases of television series, with the 1080 release of the series getting "only" a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and this 4K UHD set offering Dolby Atmos audio. I can't frankly complain about the 1080's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which is consistently immersive and rather nicely layered and detailed throughout the six episodes, but that said the Dolby Atmos track offers noticeable verticality and other "general" engagement of the Atmos speakers throughout the presentation, probably understandably most noticeably in any number of spaceship scenes or even "planetary" moments that involve overhead drone material. As with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, the side and rear channels are regularly employed to deliver some of the more bombastic sound effects (i.e., things like explosions and laser fire), as well as providing a rather nicely spacious accounting of a winning score (which includes some John Williams contributions). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Duels of Fate: Obi-Wan vs. Vader (HD; 11:22) perhaps just slightly hilariously begins with a kind of quasi "previously . . .on Star Wars" snippet offering the venerable Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan battling Darth, though director Deborah Chow uses the footage to establish how much that central showdown informs at least the subtext of her approach toward Obi-Wan Kenobi.


• The Dark Times: Villains (HD; 11:46) offers Chow and others detailing the adaptive process in bringing not just icons like Darth Vader to the series but also some baddies who had only appeared in other media creations like animated efforts.


• Designing the Galaxy (HD; 10;57) focuses on production design with Chow and production designer Doug Chiang.

Disc Two

• Audio Commentary on Part VI by Director Deborah Chow

Additionally, Disney / Buena Vista is releasing this in handsomely designed SteelBook packaging. The front panel offers Obi-Wan and Darth facing off with a smaller image of Obi-Wan and his royal charge (that would be Princess Leia) in between the two combatants. The back cover offers Obi-Wan riding an Eopie. The interior panels offer another close-up of Obi-Wan and Darth. The SteelBook also encloses a set of art cards.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Star Wars fans will of course most likely geek out a little to see McGregor and Christensen back in action, and if that's the perceived "calling card" of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the good news is that the series has quite a bit else to offer, though it may take a couple of episodes for those "offerings" to become completely clear. Production values are extremely high and the performances generally quite excellent, even ultimately moving. Technical merits are solid and both the on disc supplements and SteelBook packaging are enjoyable. Recommended.