Chief of War: Season 1

You have to give credit to Apple for putting so much faith into authentically creating such a niche story. While many of us are familiar with the country of Hawaii, its history is a far lesser known subject, with the same applying to its language, customs, traditions, and so forth. To get a television series that looks to shine a spotlight on these isn't exactly a surprise, as more intricate and native-themed productions happen all around the world, but this isn't what Chief of War is by any stretch of the imagination.

Chief of War is essentially Apple TV+'s answer to Shogun, Game of Thrones, Frontier... essentially pick a big-budget historical drama and that's what this series is looking to reflect. Except the difference here is that Chief of War is a story that is told mostly in the Hawaiian language with a cast of mostly Polynesian stars to boot, led by Jason Momoa and enhanced by famed faces like Temuera Morrison. This is why Chief of War is most closely associated with Shogun, as it takes authenticity to the next level, sacrificing the approachability that comes with speaking mostly in English and revolving around familiar stars, instead asking audiences to rely on subtitles and letting its native and typically lesser-known cast thrive. It's a gamble in many ways to put so many resources behind such a niche project, but I'm thankful Apple did because Chief of War is another fine example of quality television on this streaming platform.

The main basis of the story is that it chronicles the unification and then subsequent colonisation of Hawaii. Or at least that's where it aims to eventually get to, as this first season mostly revolves around the former point, witnessing how a bloodthirsty chief looks to conquer the various Pacific islands, bringing them under his rule, all while another fights back and looks to remain independent, preaching unification through cooperation rather than subjugation. At the heart of the show is Momoa, who plays a war chief that is dragged into politics through misdirection and betrayal, an incident that sees him abdicating the islands and joining a crew of explorers as they return to the wider world, a hostile and alien territory to this fearless Hawaiian native. From here, the majority of the story is simple: we get to see how Momoa's character attempts to sway the chiefs from fighting amongst themselves to instead uniting and preparing for an array of western colonisers that will look to bleed their home of resources and likely even conquer their people.

As you would expect, this narrative pulls no punches. It's brutal, emotional, heavy, and often hard to stomach. This is a story that is authentic, documenting the atrocities that the various Hawaiian chiefs commit against one another and the civilians of the land, all while it shows the savagery of the late 1700s elsewhere around the world and how western explorers are typically far from the trustworthy and kind folk they may seem to be on the outside. It's a show that has sad and heart-wrenching twists, gory and ruthless action that will make you wince, affectionate and intimate connections that develop hope in the viewer, striking and awe-inspiring backdrops and set choices, and thrilling and chaotic action that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Now that might all seem like the perfect combination for a win, but it's also quite typical these days for the historical drama formula. Chief of War doesn't feel unique, it feels like it's another example of the formula that Game of Thrones first made popular and that Shogun recently perfected, offering a balance of action and battles mixed with tense conversations and political struggles. It's an entertaining formula, but its familiarity does lead to comparisons and without a doubt Chief of War lacks the finesse, gripping pacing, and refined edge of Shogun, as well as the grand scale and ambition of Game of Thrones. It doesn't do either element better than the existing shows, even if it still stands out as a quality piece of television when compared to much of everything else. You could say it's very similar to Vikings in that respect, another excellent series that doesn't quite reach the same heights as its best competitors.

Granted its quality is in part down to what we know and have come to expect from an Apple TV+ production. At no point do you feel let down by the quality of Chief of War, as the set choice, costumes, cinematography, camera work, audio balance, everything is top of the line. Well, aside from a few quirky bits of CG, moments when the camera pans over a distant native village that was very clearly animated by a computer... Matching this up with an excellent performance from Momoa in the lead, who plays a strong, complex, and emotionally flawed leader, an individual who stands out amongst many powerful performances, especially from Morrison's tyrant and Luciane Buchanan's leading lady.

So yes, Chief of War is perhaps not quite as effective as a story medium as Shogun, lacking some of the gravitas and razor-sharp narrative structure, and it doesn't quite do the overarching world in the same manner of others, largely keeping the focus on specific parts of the Hawaiian islands, but it's still an engaging series, one that is perhaps better when consumed in a shorter space of time rather than over around two months as weekly episodes. It's savage, brutal, emotional, and striking, and for anyone interested in Hawaiian culture and history, there's a lot to appreciate even if it seems to take more than a few creative liberties to keep the story feeling exciting.