If you’re a fan of sci-fi, it’s honestly just an amazing time to be alive. New Star Trek content regularly, new Star Wars content too. (I love them both. You actually can love them both. It’s allowed.) But I will admit to being a bit bemused by this entry into the Star Wars canon. Let’s take a deeper dive into Andor.
As always, we’ll break everything down into the categories of story, acting, and overall.
Story 6/10
Who is Andor for?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a fantastic film. Most people can agree on this, I think. It was a different take on the IP with a story that had broader implications for the Galaxy and who’s narrative was a direct lynchpin moment for the original trilogy’s story… but in its own way was kind of small. A little group comes together to do something incredible and then they all die heroically. All in all, a really well constructed, tight, fast paced story that had a satisfying (If tragic.) ending.
Andor, by contrast is a very, very slow burn. There are a lot of little bits and pieces that tie back to other entries in the franchise but I’m left wondering if this was a truly necessary story to tell? We find out about Cassian’s origins – he’s basically kidnapped from his home planet, becomes a thief and eventually develops the heart required to join the Rebel Alliance. (Which does call into question his line to Jyn Erso that this has been his fight since he was 6 years old. His home planet was messed up by Imperial mining operations but he doesn’t spend the rest of his years prior to this series fighting the Empire by any means.) But was anyone asking for his origin story? And if they were, was this the slow paced, tangential sort of story they might have wanted?
Acting 8.5/10
Plot related misgivings aside, everyone plays their part really well. A definite highlight is Dave Chapman’s vocal work as B2EMO, Cassian and Maarva’s broken down, stuttering and slightly unreliable droid. You can just tell, even if he has massive mechanical troubles, he’s trying his absolute best and has a real attachment to his people.
“A definite highlight is Dave Chapman’s vocal work as B2EMO, Cassian and Maarva’s broken down, stuttering and slightly unreliable droid.”
Kathryn Hunter plays Eedy Karn, the mother of one of the show’s antagonists and she’s wonderful. A complete and total scene stealer. Her wheedling, nagging and passive aggressive jabs at her long-suffering son are just so good. She’s the kind of person who’s kids put them in a rest home and never visit. You think Syril Karn is a real piece of work till you meet her and it all kind of falls into place.
Kyle Soller plays the aforementioned Syril, son of Eedy. He’s fantastic as a foil for Cassian. Like a dog with a bone, he just won’t let go of the case involving our protagonist. We’ve all worked with a Syril at some point in our lives. He needs validation from those of a higher station and works relentlessly to elevate his own position. He has a need for control and importance and an inability to just mind his own business. It’s a joy to dislike him.
Andy Serkis is always an absolute joy. You’ve also worked with this guy at some point! He’s slave labor, but he’s super into getting the job done and wants you to do the same. (If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean. Nose to the grindstone. You know the drill.)
And of course, Diego Luna reprises his role as the title character. Just like in Rogue One, Cassian is intense, charismatic, mostly humorless and very compelling to watch. Being that this is a prequel, I was wondering going in if there would be a pronounced difference between this version of Cassian and the older, more seasoned one we see in Rogue One. I can’t say that there is a really big gap between the two. The portrayal is pretty consistent across both works.
Overall 7/10
There are some amazing sets and set pieces in this series. Aldhani, the planet where Cassian is drafted into a robbery mission, is especially beautiful and makes use of some fantastic UK scenery. The factory where Death Star parts are being constructed is also great – white and clean and shiny and sterile and you can see how the people there are just numbed into doing their best work by it all. (See my comments on Andy Serkis.)
Great character work and fantastic production values (I mean. It’s Star Wars. Of course the production values are great.) do a lot of work to make this entry into the Star Wars canon as good as it is, and I’m really hoping Season 2 gives us something even better.
Facebook Comments