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In an era of remakes, reboots and – at best – adaptations, the unexpected is a rare commodity. The creators of Chief of War have found just that in a corner of history largely overlooked by screenwriters: the Hawaiian Islands at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. They have forged this setting into a vigorous, bloody and winding narrative. The surprise is even greater since the series originates with an actor best known for his imposing physique and roles in blockbuster franchises, Jason Momoa, known as Aquaman in the DC Comics adaptations and for his role in A Minecraft Movie.
Together with Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, Momoa − who came to fame as Khal Drogo, leader of the Dothraki in Game of Thrones − has crafted a saga that shares more than a few similarities with George R.R. Martin’s epic. On the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, as in Westeros, viewers must pay close attention to untangle the dynastic lineages vying for power and brace themselves for the brutal battles and massacres born out of inter-clan disputes.
But here – and this is how Chief of War distinguishes itself from the norm – the intrigues and feats of arms do not take place in an imaginary world but are rooted in actual world history, at the moment when Europe and the emerging United States began to impose their rule. Across nine episodes, the series both celebrates a distinctly Hawaiian story – the unification of the archipelago by King Kamehameha (circa 1758 – 1819) – and laments the beginnings of American and British domination, following the voyage (and death) of James Cook in 1779.
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