The Apple TV+ new historical epic Chief of War is proving to be a smash hit: critics are praising the show as audiences race to binge the opening episodes.
There’s a reason we rank the platform among the best streaming services – it boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to top quality series, with the likes of spy thriller Slow Horses due to return very soon, mind-bending sci-fi Severance recently wrapping its second season and space saga Foundation currently airing its third outing. And while it may have been a risky move for Apple to drop Chief of War alongside its big-budget Issac Asimov adaptation, the gamble has paid off, with the Jason Momoa-led series shooting straight to the top of the Apple TV+ charts.
And it’s not just me who thinks Chief of War is a frontrunner for the best Apple TV+ show this year, with critics awarding the show 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you’re yet to tune in, you can get a taste of what to expect from the trailer below.
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A passion project for Momoa and co-creator Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, the show follows Ka’iana (Momoa) as he attempts to unify the warring islands of Hawai’i before the spectre of Western colonisation reaches their shores. While the four major kingdoms of Hawaiʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi have endured generations of bloody battles, only united can they face the might of the European invaders.
Told from an indigenous perspective, the show pulls from Momoa’s Hawaiian heritage and features a predominantly Polynesian cast including Temuera Morrison (The Star Wars saga’s Jango/Boba Fett), Cliff Curtis (Fear the Walking Dead) and Luciane Buchanan (The Night Agent).
In true Apple TV+ style, the show spares no expense, with everything from the stunning locations to the elaborate costumes and the epic battles conveying a sense of period authenticity, complimented by the use of the Ōlelo Hawaiʻi native language.
Chief of War marks Momoa’s second collaboration with Apple TV+ after dystopian sci-fi See (created by recently appointed Bond scribe Steven Knight), although the new series will see the former Aquaman take the directors chair for the first time, helming what is touted to be a huge finale.
What are the critics saying about Chief of War?
As you’d expect from the show’s very respectable Rotten Tomatoes score, the critics have plenty of praise for Chief of War, with Empire Magazine calling it “Momoa’s magnum opus.” Financial Times meanwhile say the show is a “grand, ambitious series (that) deserves to call itself an epic.”
Momoa’s powerful performance also comes under the spotlight, with the Daily Telegraph saying the co-creator “has a charisma that makes his scenes sizzle” while other critics rave about his “strong performance” (Screen Rant) and “considerable screen presence” (Chicago Tribune).
Although, the real talking point among many is the representation of indigenous cultures the show delivers with Common Sense Media highlighting the “watershed moment in media representation – not only telling a Native Hawaiian story from an Indigenous perspective, but doing so with the large scale and artistry such histories deserve”
What’s the subscriber’s verdict?
Subscribers have similar thoughts, with the show boasting an 82% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One Reddit user called the show “the most accurate representation of ancient Polynesia that Hollywood has ever done” while another called it “a very authentic indigenous story.”
Meanwhile, other posters have praised the “stunning cinematography and attention to detail” as well as “the focus on native language and culture.”
Between Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, Peacock’s Those About to Die and Hulu/Disney+ Shōgun, it seems like every streaming service is trying to boast their own Game of Thrones-like smash hit historical epic, and judging by the reaction to Chief of War, Apple TV+ has just found theirs.
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