Latest news with #Ka'iana
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Chief of War Season 1 Review: This historical drama unfolds a haunting epic of Hawaii's past
Story: Set in 18th-century Hawaii, this historical drama follows Ka'iana, a former warrior drawn back into a brutal power struggle among rival kingdoms. Review: 'Chief of War' doesn't just tell a story—it immerses you in a forgotten world. Set in the 18th century, during the final years of inter-kingdom warfare in Hawaii, the series blends political intrigue, cultural reclamation, and personal rebellion into a historical drama of epic scale. At the heart of it is Ka'iana, a former warrior turned reluctant hero, whose choices carry the weight of a collapsing system and an emerging global order. The narrative is grounded in history but shaped with a generous dose of creative freedom, making room for action, emotion, and a broader meditation on identity and power. 'Chief of War' is both a visual and dramatic feast and makes for an immersive, engaging watch. The show opens with a commentary that informs us that Polynesian islands are divided—O'ahu, Mau'i, Hawaii, and Kaua'i exist in uneasy conflict. Prophecies speak of unity, but reality remains fractured. Ka'iana (Jason Momoa), once a powerful figure, has walked away from war. He lives quietly with his brothers until he's drawn back into the politics of conquest by Maui's King Kahekili (Temuera Morrison). What starts as a campaign of allegiance to conquer O'ahu soon turns sour—Ka'iana is manipulated, betrayed, and forced into exile. His journey beyond the islands introduces him to foreign languages, technologies, and ideologies. He returns not just with knowledge but with a new purpose: to rewrite the rules of power back home. The storytelling doesn't rush. Instead, it unfolds with the confidence of a series that knows where it's going. Long stretches of silence are filled with intention. Full credit to the makers for having the confidence to use the Hawaiian language as the primary language of the series, adding authenticity and rhythm to the pacing. There's minimal handholding; viewers are expected to follow, listen, and absorb. And it works. The tension never dips, because the series isn't just about external battles—it's constantly shaping internal ones too. Ka'iana's arc evolves with each encounter, whether it's with his enemies, his allies, or literally the ghost. Visually, the series operates on a level rarely attempted in period television. The landscapes aren't just scenic—they feel sacred. From volcanic cliffs to mountaintop rituals, the show captures the textures of a land on the edge of both spiritual and political transition. The production design leans heavily on traditional elements: feathered garments, shell ornaments, and hand-carved weapons. Nothing feels overdesigned. Nothing feels undercooked. The camera knows when to pull back for awe and when to move in for grief. Even the battle scenes resist formula—they're raw, urgent, and built around consequence rather than choreography. The performances hold everything together. Jason Momoa, who both headlines and co-wrote the series, brings weight and vulnerability, anchoring the character in emotion as much as muscle. His scenes with family members offer the show its most tender moments, while his confrontation scenes deliver its sharpest edge. The supporting cast is measured, never loud. Each character carries presence. Together, they form a world that feels lived-in, not staged. 'Chief of War' packs both truth and fiction, but its themes are immediate. It's about language, land, memory, and the cost of power. This epic series is a stunning watch and remains a must-watch.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
What to watch this week: ‘Chief of War', ‘Kingdom' and more
This series, set at the turn of the 19th century, is about warrior chieftain Ka'iana, who rebels against the unification of Hawaii. It stars Jason Momoa (Aquaman), who created the show with Thomas Pa'a Sibbett. New Zealand actors Temuera Morrison and Luciane Buchanan also feature. (Apple TV+) A still from 'Kingdom'. This Telugu action film stars Vijay Deverakonda as Suri, a police officer who goes on an undercover mission. Satyadev plays Suri's elder brother, a smuggler. Gowtam Tinnanuri (Jersey) directs. Also starring Bhagyashri Borse and Venkitesh V.P. (In theatres) A still from 'Dhadak 2'. Despite its title, Dhadak 2 isn't a sequel to 2018's Dhadak but simply another film about caste oppression from Dharma Productions. This one is also a remake, of the remarkable Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal (2018). It's directed by Shazia Iqbal and stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Tripti Dimri. (In theatres) A still from 'Sitaare Zameen Par'. This Aamir Khan-starrer makes its digital debut after a run in theatres. He plays a washed-up basketball player who, after getting arrested for driving drunk, is asked to coach a team of youngsters with various learning disabilities as community service. The most interesting thing about this release is that Khan is putting the film on YouTube, where it can be seen for a flat fee, instead of the regular streaming platforms. (YouTube)
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Chief of War review: Breathtakingly beautiful, Jason Momoa's Apple show is like a political alliance between Avatar and Black Panther
It takes great writing discipline to make a show like Chief of War. Nearly everybody who watches it on Apple will be entering a world that they're entirely unfamiliar with. And yet, they must surrender to its intimate yet epic narrative. Set in the late 18th century, the nine-episode drama tells the story of the unification of the Hawaiian islands, from the perspective of the Polynesian community. Riskier is the creative decision to set it almost exclusively in the native language. Perhaps the folks behind it — Chief of War is co-created by Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett — were empowered by the success of similar grand-scale productions such as FX's Japanese-language drama Shōgun and Apple's own Korean-language show Pachinko. While it focuses on the campaign of Kamehameha the Great, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, it unfolds from the perspective of a warrior named Ka'iana. This is the character played by Momoa himself. A warrior of noble descent, Ka'iana deserted his king's side and went off to live with his brothers in a different corner of the community. At the time, the Hawaiian islands were ruled under different warring monarchies, with the threat of white invaders on the horizon. Ka'iana was aware of this threat when he accidentally found himself on one of their boats, headed for the mainland. Like Thor stranded in the middle of New Mexico, Ka'iana discovers the ways of the West on this voyage, during which he becomes a little too familiar with the moral failings of white men. Also read – A Gentleman in Moscow review: Utterly irresistible, the most gloriously entertaining show of the year finds Ewan McGregor in towering form Presumed dead by his family, Ka'iana learns English and concocts a plan to have arms and ammunition smuggled to his district. These weapons will be useful in the civil war that would inevitably follow the passing of the ageing Chief Kahekili, played by Maori legend Temeura Morrison. We witness Kahekili's cruelty in an early episode, as he wreaks havoc on those who oppose him. Over the course of the next few chapters, while Ka'iana is having his own adventures abroad, we are introduced to a host of supporting players. Ka'ahumanu is like Daenerys Targaryen, married off at a young age to Kamehameha in a political alliance. Cliff Curtis delivers a particularly unhinged performance as a Roman Roy-type, overlooked for the big job because of his unpredictability. In one scene, he vows vengeance by punching himself repeatedly in the face, plucking out a tooth and waving it around before a crowd. Later, egged on by his overeager mother, he stands at the edge of a volcano and allows the skin on his back to be singed off by the toxic fumes. Kamehameha, on the other hand, is a rather mild-mannered fellow. Played by Kaina Makua, a real-life farmer with no previous acting experience, he assumes the role of the reluctant hero. Chief of War seems to be suggesting that there is space still in politics for relatively uncorrupted souls. However, our conduit into this world is the far edgier Ka'iana. Having already earned a notoriety for abandoning his previous post, Ka'iana is described as the 'fist' to Kamehameha's 'head' in the battle against Kahekili. But over the course of the show, he proves himself to be a rather able tactician as well. Momoa cuts a striking figure on screen, even if you were to watch Chief of War on your Apple device. Plus, the streamer seems to have spared no expense on the production — this is one of the most staggeringly shot shows you're likely to see this year. Barring a few scenes that are visibly filmed against green-screens, the rest of it appears to have been produced on location. Read more – The Pitt review: Thrilling, trailblazing; the next best show of 2025 is already here, mere weeks after Netflix's Adolescence A passion project for Momoa — he said in an interview with GQ that he waited for Minecraft 'to save cinema' before he could get a project like this off the ground — Chief of War reportedly employed key members of the Hawaiian community to ensure that every detail is as accurate as it can possibly be. The costumes, the sets, the dialect that Momoa compared to Dothraki from Game of Thrones; everything is painstakingly put together. But binding all these elements together is the writing. Momoa and Sibbett co-authored every episode, but whoever came up with the winning note to repeatedly address characters by their names deserves a raise. It's an elegant trick to familiarise the audience with a large cast, without stranding them at sea. The cultural specificity of Chief of War is a feature, not a flaw. It enhances the show's thematic universality. Here is a story about identity and individuality, about loyalty, love and legacy. In theory, the show can be enjoyed by anybody who liked James Cameron's Avatar, or Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. It's epic and exotic; daring yet dignified. Chief of War is yet another example of Apple's ambitious quest to replicate the golden era of HBO. And to think that Prime Video was wasting its time and money on something like Citadel. Chief of War Creators – Jason Momoa, Thomas Pa'a Sibbett Cast – Jason Momoa, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison, Luciane Buchanan, Kaina Makua Rating – 4.5/5 Rohan Naahar is an assistant editor at Indian Express online. He covers pop-culture across formats and mediums. He is a 'Rotten Tomatoes-approved' critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild of India. He previously worked with the Hindustan Times, where he wrote hundreds of film and television reviews, produced videos, and interviewed the biggest names in Indian and international cinema. At the Express, he writes a column titled Post Credits Scene, and has hosted a podcast called Movie Police. You can find him on X at @RohanNaahar, and write to him at He is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More
New Statesman
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
With Chief of War, Hawaii gets the Game of Thrones treatment
Photo by Apple tv+ When it comes to subtitles, I'm in tune with the times. Like most young people, I use them a lot. It's something to do with 'dynamic range compression', and the audio being lower quality online than on DVDs or traditional TV. But equally, it's nice to be able to double-check mumbly dialogue, especially since TV shows are so well written these days. And when trying to impress a cultured companion by watching a Fellini down the BFI, they're obviously a must-have. That said, I was still struck by the ballsiness of Apple TV's Chief of War, the first two episodes of which are almost entirely in the language known as 'Ōlelo Hawai'i. As Hawaii's biggest televisual exports to date are Hawaii Five-0 and Lilo & Stitch, and that in Britain the word 'Hawaiian' normally occasions an argument about fruit on pizza, I understand the urge to deepen our understanding of the islands' culture. And Chief of War has reportedly been headed by an entirely indigenous creative team. Still, this is what TV in 2025 amounts to: not just watching, but reading too. We're in late-18th-century Hawaii, long before the high-rise Honolulu of our time – before even the eponymous 'Hawaiian' shirt. This is a land of geometric tattoos, spears and lads in scanty loincloths (about as revealing as thongs). In this period, the archipelago was split into four major kingdoms which try to keep themselves to themselves, but also occasionally feud. Overhanging this is a prophecy, introduced via voiceover, that 'a star with a feathered cape will signal the rise of a great king', destined in turn to unify all of Hawaii. The series is the story of that prophecy coming true – though not in the way anyone expected, since it becomes quickly entangled with European colonialism. We open with Jason Momoa (you'll know him as Khal Drogo, a loinclothed warlord in Game of Thrones). He plays Ka'iana and executive-produced the series, so I have a feeling his character might have something to do with this prophecy. He's in exile from his home kingdom, where he had been a famed warrior. He's living his best life, catching sharks on rafts with his brothers, and considering starting a family. But Hawaii has different plans for him. He is summoned back to his homeland by King Kahekili (Temuera Morrison, familiar as Jango and Boba Fett in the Star Wars saga), who believes the time of the prophecy is upon them. Ka'iana is soon press-ganged into taking up the office of Kahekili's 'Chief of War' and together they attack the nearby kingdom of O'ahu, massacring its inhabitants. (The subtitles during these scenes read, '[grunting]', '[shouting]', '[clamouring continues]'; they may as well have said '[throat-slitting]', '[skull-splitting]' and '[head-clubbing]'.) But it soon becomes apparent that Kahekili is even more bloodthirsty than Ka'iana had accounted for, and he and his family find themselves on the run, pursued as traitors. I'm not ashamed to admit that this was all a bit tricky to follow. There are lots of warriors racing through grassy forests (barefoot, despite the obvious risks of thorns and thistles), and lots of slow-motion punching and pummelling, set to a pounding drumbeat soundtrack. There are – at least for the time being – some baffling side-characters, such as a dead-eyed priestess who apparates into scenes to explain what the gods are thinking, or to deliver vague prophecies. Midway through episode two, the main plot complication looms into view: a British galleon, spied through a storm. Some furtive googling (one eye always on the subtitles, of course, though the arrival of these scraggly sailors and their more familiar speech patterns lent some relief) informs me that the real-life Ka'iana was among the first Hawaiians to travel beyond Polynesia after encountering British explorers. Pursued by Kahekili's men, we see Ka'iana swept out to sea and rescued by the British ship. By episode three, one year on, he's in Alaska, being shown how to work a musket. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe I was sufficiently gripped by Chief of War to push on. It's nice to see the production values of Troy given to a forgotten, world-historical narrative. The islands look amazing (VisitHawaii will be happy): great green volcanic crags, half-misted in low cloud, lapped by white, splashy beaches. And, thanks to the subtitles, I think I even picked up some 'Ōlelo Hawai'ian. So have a good weekend, folks, and hui hou koke iā oe! Chief of War Apple TV+ [See also: 150 years of the bizarre Hans Christian Andersen] Related
The Spinoff
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Nine-and-a-half minutes with Chief of War's local star Luciane Buchanan
Tara Ward goes into battle on the Chief of War press junket. Being part of an international press junket for a new TV show is a weird experience. To begin, you open an email filled with instructions about the types of questions you can ask, whether you'll see the 'talent' on camera or simply hear their voice, and how many minutes you have to chat. Then, you're transported into a Zoom waiting room, where you speak with several different but equally upbeat American publicists, who bounce you from one waiting room to another and back again. It's a slick operation run with impressive military precision, as other journalists from around the world also jump in and out and publicists say things like 'head on over for a six-minute wait,' and 'Phoebe, is there an embargo for Korea?' Just when you think you're going to be trapped in that Zoom void for the rest of your life, you're suddenly thrust into the bright sunshine and New Zealand actor Luciane Buchanan is on the screen in front of you. Buchanan is sitting on a balcony somewhere in Hawai'i, a stunning vista of blue skies and calm seas stretching far behind her (I am in Dunedin, it's 6 degrees celsius and my lunch dishes are piled up next to me). Buchanan is immediately warm and friendly, and gives no hint that she's stuck in an endless cycle of interviews with journalists like me, who all want to squeeze what juice they can out of a tightly-managed 10-minute chat about her new Apple TV+ show, Chief of War. Based on true events, Chief of War is a sweeping historical drama that tells the story of the unification and colonisation of Hawai'i at the turn of the 18th century, through the eyes of warrior Ka'iana (Jason Momoa). The nine-part epic has been a passion project for Momoa, who not only stars in the series, but also co-created, co-wrote and co-directed. Chief of War filmed in both Hawai'i and New Zealand, and features several New Zealand actors including Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis, Te Ao o Hinepehinga and Te Kohe Tuhaka. Buchanan plays Ka'ahumanu, who was trusted friend to Ka'iana and wife of King Kamehameha, and who also became one of Hawai'i's most powerful political leaders of the 19th century. It's the latest starring role in a big-budget drama for Buchanan, who most recently impressed audiences around the world as Rose in Netflix thriller The Night Agent. It's also a long way from her first acting role at the age of 17, when Buchanan played Billy T James's daughter Cherie in the 2011 biopic Billy. 'I was petrified, I didn't know what I was doing,' Buchanan remembers. As intimidating as that experience was, Buchanan left the three-week Billy shoot with the realisation that she wanted to pursue a career in acting. Roles in shows like Filthy Rich, The Brokenwood Mysteries and The New Legend of Monkey soon followed. Buchanan also co-wrote and starred in the short film Lea Tupu'anga / Mother Tongue, which screened at Sundance Festival. She then decided to try her luck in Los Angeles, where her 2022 breakthrough role in The Night Agent saw her hit the top of IMDb's list of most searched actresses in the world. In fact, Buchanan was sitting in a Los Angeles bar watching a Dodgers game when her manager casually revealed she'd won the role of Ka'ahumanu. Buchanan immediately felt the pressure of bringing such an important historical figure to life on the small screen, and began the 'huge learning curve' of researching Ka'ahumanu's life and understanding the rich and complex history of Hawai'i. 'I'm a big fan of Polynesian history, and I love learning about my Tongan history when I'm sitting around with family, so being able to deep dive into this world felt like a dream,' she says. Buchanan also dedicated herself to learning 'Olelo Hawai'i, the indigenous language of Hawai'i (the first two episodes of Chief of War are spoken only in 'Olelo Hawai'i). Mastering a new language added an immense challenge to the role, but Buchanan was determined to do justice to Ka'ahumanu's legacy. 'I said to myself, what if I went all-in for this character? What if I did everything I possibly could – what would that look like?' she recalls. 'I truly feel proud of myself. I gave it everything.' Chief of War is a large-scale international production, but Buchanan says it was special to film part of the series in Aotearoa, working with the small local crew (some of whom she met all those years ago on Billy) and New Zealand acting icons like Morrison and Curtis. And while she flew to Hawai'i for the Chief of War press tour, Buchanan is now back in Auckland filming a movie – 'New Zealand just keeps on calling me home' – and is so busy that she hasn't had time to catch up on any of her favourite television shows, including Mobland and The Bear. As we speed towards the nine-minute mark, I realise I've forgotten everything from the PR email and have committed the sin of having the chat box on my Zoom call closed. I've missed the crucial PR warning messages of '2 minutes', '1 minute' and 'wrap', and expect the Apple TV+ police to pull up outside my door at any moment. As we say our goodbyes, nine-and-a-half minutes after we first met, Buchanan says what a privilege it was to play Ka'ahumanu, a woman so important to the Hawai'ian people. 'I still pinch myself to this day that I was the lucky one who got to portray her.'
