'Chief of War' Apple TV+ Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text FX's adaptation of James Clavell's Shōgun was one of 2024's buzziest shows, breaking Emmy Awards records and performing well enough that what had started as a limited series sparked development on second and third seasons. Still, there were viewers who lamented that Shōgun spent too much time on its extended game of political chess, neglecting the epic samurai battles that they felt they'd been promised. Chief of War The Bottom Line Strong big moments, dull character beats. Airdate: Friday, Aug. 1 (Apple TV+)Cast: Jason Momoa, Luciane Buchanan, Temuera Morrison, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Cliff Curtis, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale'o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, Te Kohe Tuhaka and Benjamin HoetjesCreators: Thomas Paʻa Sibbett and Jason Momoa That bloodthirsty audience is more likely to feel well-served by the first season of Apple TV+'s Chief of War, from creators Thomas Pa'a Sibbett and Jason Momoa. Related Stories Movies Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera Save Children From California Wildfire in 'The Lost Bus' Trailer TV Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn's Apple Series Has a Title and a Premiere Date Over nine hourlong episodes, the show delivers a handful of grand set pieces within a context that feels suitably and satisfyingly epic. During those highlights, the drama is brutal, bracing and frequently gorgeous. It would be the rare television series that I wouldn't mind checking out on the big screen - except for how often the human elements in between those sequences feel like filler. They're a selection of undeveloped or half-developed supporting characters failing to deliver sufficient historical nuance around Momoa's central performance, which, though it may play only one or two notes, does so with ample charisma. Momoa, who co-wrote every episode and directed the finale, plays Ka'iana, a warrior chief in self-imposed exile as the series begins. It's a nebulous point in "the late 18th century" and Ka'iana has abruptly left his position as military advisor to Maui's King Kahekili (Temuera Morrison), whose vicious adherence to a prophecy involving the ruler who will unite the Hawaiian kingdoms makes Ka'iana uncomfortable. Ka'iana is living with his ohana - brothers Nahi (Siua Ikaleʻo) and Namake (Te Kohe Tuhaka), wife Kupuohi (Te Ao o Hinepehinga) and her sister Heke (Mainei Kinimaka) - doing peaceful things like fishing and riding around on the backs of sharks. King Kahekili somehow lures Ka'iana back into the fold for an attack on the kingdom of O'ahu, a massacre that leaves Ka'iana questioning Kahekili's sanity and, through circuitous circumstances, lands him on a Western trading vessel that allows him to see much of the world and learn about pants. At the same time, we meet Ka'ahumanu (Luciane Buchanan), who was born to royalty but raised in exile herself. Ka'ahumanu is promised in marriage to Kamehameha (Kaina Makua), a nephew of King Kalani'opu'u more interested in farming than war - at least until Kalani'opu'u dies and leaves the "God of War" title to Kamehameha instead of the ascending king, Cliff Curtis' Keoua. Don't worry if you can't keep up with the different chiefs and kings and kingdoms, nor with why Keoua is so frustrated at being named king but not the "God of War." All you need to know is that when we begin, Hawaii is divided and peaceful, but that things get bloodier and more deadly as the series progresses, because the distinctions mean a lot to the characters involved. Plus, white men are coming and not just to get leis at the airport. There are battles scattered throughout Chief of War, and while viewers may not always fully understand the stakes of each individual skirmish, all that truly matters is that whatever side Jason Momoa is fighting on - sometimes in indelible capes and headdresses and other times in no-frills casual thongs, all kudos to costume designer Caroline Eselin-Schaefer - that's who you're supposed to be rooting for. Which is simple enough. Although the story of Hawaiian unification has been frequently told with Kamehameha as its centerpiece, here the future king is reduced to a woefully naive idealist, eager to avoid conflict and happy to maintain a cautious peace with the "Paleskins." Momoa's Ka'iana, in contrast, gives the impression of having watched the first season of The White Lotus, so he knows that while welcoming outsiders might bring trade, it's more likely to lead to cultural subservience and erasure. Whatever he says or aspires to is usually correct, even when it involves an unconditional embrace of the white man's guns, a bellicose cheat code on par with dragons in Game of Thrones or, well, the white man's guns in Shōgun. Ka'iana's most significant conflict is between backward-looking trad