- Network: Apple TV
- Series Premiere Date: Aug 1, 2025
Critic Reviews
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Unwilling to abandon its meditative story for loud action sequences or gaudy performances, the series takes time in a landscape that feels the need to rush through these tales. “Chief of War” forces its audience to reckon with its languid storytelling process and the histories it teaches, demanding to be seen in a genre that outsiders often dominate.
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Stunning, historical and with acute attention to detail, this series is about the greed of men, a crushing power obsession and the brutality of war.
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Chief of War is a stunning, culturally rich epic, and Momoa’s finest work to date. I can’t wait for season two.
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It by no means sugarcoats how bloody that war got, and though it isn’t as narratively daring as “Shogun,” it is on the same playing field as that Emmy winner when it comes to the pure spectacle of it all and the level of exacting attention it pays to cultural detail.
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They remain laser-focused on the big, burgeoning war. A similarly single-minded approach could weigh down a show with less momentum, but “Chief of War” has such a strong engine — in Momoa, his character, and their shared daring — it rarely feels slow or stagnant.
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Momoa adeptly embodies all of Ka’iana’s contradictions, creating a compelling portrait of a desperate leader bound by duty and sacrifice. .... While the characters in Ka’iana’s immediate family could have all used a tighter focus after his unexpected departure at the start of the season, their relationships eventually pay off in the final three episodes in a way that is rewarding and heartbreaking in equal measure.
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Beyond the cultural impact, “Chief of War” is also a bloody entertaining TV show that boasts incredible performances from its cast.
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We felt instantly immersed in this 18th century Pacific island world, before contact by Westerners, where omens and prophecies are all powerful and the stars above are as important a guide as what the land and sea can give.
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The series’ impressively brutal action sequences are the fun stuff, but questions about the validity of a monarchy and the intrusions of the outside world on an insular culture are what stick with you. Some people may be annoyed by this. But for those who want a little bit of rumination with their raucousness, Chief of War provides a nice balance.
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“Chief of War” moves rather slowly, except when it doesn’t: The opening sequence, in which Ka‘iana literally manhandles an enormous shark, assisted by jars of anesthetizing ‘awa root (kava) sprinkled into the water, is electric. You hope for more of the same. What you get is just more.
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As with any of these somewhat ironically called historical epics, varying levels of disbelief suspension are required. That doesn't stop Chief of War from feeling like a culturally significant series, as this could very well be the start of something special that is as engaging to explore as it is entertaining to watch.
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None of it would work without Momoa’s considerable screen presence.
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The series' first two episodes are almost entirely in Hawaiian with subtitles, which may be a barrier for some viewers, but shouldn't be. Each episode is better and more gripping than the one that came before, as the stakes of the story increasingly raise.
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While some of the war and adventure scenes are genuinely among the most enthralling on TV in 2025, they sometimes overshadow some of the quieter scenes, rendering them mundane.
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It’s clearly a passion project, and like many passion projects, it can go overboard at times, grow overstuffed, not to say oversolemn — though solemnity, to be sure, is appropriate to the history. But the passion shows through, and the stuff is interesting — nothing you see everyday, for sure.
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“Chief of War” rumbles along for eight episodes as the kind of handsomely produced epic that you might remember fondly if you saw it when you were young enough.
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Like every other modern streaming enterprise, Chief of War could be more concisely plotted and there are times when its adherence to storytelling formula dilutes its impact.
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The script has its simplistic touches and obvious contrivances. Romance is minimized. .... But Momoa, a hulking specimen even in his dad-bod years (he turned 46 this month), is the riveting, scowling prescence who holds our interest and this sprawling and historically respectful narrative together.
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Momoa's magnum opus cuts a brutal swathe through epic chapters of Hawaiian history, long unseen and long overdue on screen — but you do wish the quieter moments carried as much weight as the barbaric battles.
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The result is an underwhelming epic with a lot of potential to be something truly great someday.
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Momoa is a suitably gargantuan presence, but also has a charisma that makes his scenes sizzle and the other scenes fizzle. .... And the storyline sags when it turns to romance or familial woes – it’s far better when concentrating on the action.
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It is a worthy endeavour, and if it occasionally feels too much like that, it does relax and gain confidence as it proceeds.
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For all the attention Chief of War pays to the beauty and authenticity of its setting, it doesn't put enough emphasis on psychological depth. There's potential for things to expand in future seasons, but for now, Kaʻiana doesn't quite get his due.
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Momoa’s control over the biggest moments is so confident that many viewers will be more than happy to ignore the poorly developed ethical debates and flimsy romances that fill so much of the nine hours. It’s a series whose highlights render its lowlights all the more forgettable — often for worse, but fundamentally for better.
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A series with sluggish pacing, a mostly flat collection of characters, and a compulsion to restate the same handful of ideas again and again. .... So that leaves the show’s action sequences to carry things. When they come, they’re usually excellent.
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As much as I enjoyed learning about Hawaii's past, the dragging, uneventful, and repetitive conflicts in "Chief of War" surely undercut the experience. That's despite the generally stellar performances — particularly by Jason Momoa, Temuera Morrison, and Luciane Buchanan, who might be the revelation of the series (she's fierce, dazzling, and fiery at 5'2") — and a lived-in atmosphere (the island's beauty is breathtaking) that sadly falters by an uninspired execution.
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