Obi-Wan Kenobi Part I & II Review: 7 Ups & 2 Downs
4. Ewan McGregor Is Brilliant
Coming as a shock to absolutely no one, Ewan McGregor has already emerged from Obi-Wan Kenobi as its greatest strength, slipping back into his most famous role with the ease of a Jedi.
It's great, nostalgic fun to have McGregor back in the franchise, but it's even better to see how willing he is - even at this early stage in the game - to challenge himself with a deeper performance than the prequels ever allowed.
Playing a broken man haunted by his survival and plagued by visions of the friend he believes he failed, McGregor has barely touched the surface of Obi-Wan's mental anguish, but has already captured great tragedy within the Jedi's heart. There's even a brief but heartbreaking reference to Duchess Satine, his deceased love interest.
Don't let that description confuse you, though: This is still McGregor's Obi-Wan, so there's plenty of humour and playfulness scattered around to counteract his pain.
It's just that, in these first two episodes, the much more serious performance of Alec Guinness is already starting to show itself, and McGregor seems more than ready to explore Obi-Wan's darker side.