Andor Review!

 Alright! Today I'm reviewing the prequel to everyone's favorite Disney-era Star Wars movie Rogue One, the next in the long line of Disney+ content, Andor, which is about how the smarmy Empire outlaw Cassian Andor found himself mixed up in this whole Rebellion nonsense. Also struggling with the Rebellion are an antique collector and trader Luthen Rael and the primary fundraiser for the Rebellion Mon Mothma. 

The first thing you'll notice about Andor is the increased quality compared to previous Disney+ Star Wars TV shows such as The Book of Boba Fett and (especially) Obi-Wan Kenobi. Andor feels quiet and real, like they actually filmed outside and were aware they couldn't rely on the character's astounding popularity to compensate for the show's flaws. To that effect, it had to justify its own existence by being, well, good. A legitimately good, well-made, gripping drama. 

Additionally, the entire thing is set in a moody, gritty Star Wars that we see so rarely. While "real world take on a beloved property" seems like a tired trope post-The Dark Knight, Andor makes it work. While it's still child friendly, a large part of the show's success is due to the writing, drama, acting, and stakes, like a redeemed version of what the Star Wars prequels tried and failed to be. However, this has its drawbacks - for the fans of the Jedi mysticism, flashy lightsabers, and over-the-top action scenes, Andor is at an inherent disadvantage. 

The series is elevated by actors out to impress. While it's not your typical Emmy-inducing custody case tear shed, it is tense scenes where philosophies on war, rebellion, and sacrifice are all discussed, attempts that could easily have fallen flat if it weren't for naturally compelling actors. Stellan Skarsgård, as he similarly did in Dune, gives an utterly captivating performance. I don't give this comment often, but just listening to his voice, his dialect, and the inflection he was placing on words was brilliant. The same goes for Andy Serkis, who briefly appeared in a three-episode arc.

That's another thing I liked about Andor - the fact that it has arcs. Unlike most Disney+ series, Andor didn't feel like a movie that was stretched into six episodes. It was a genuine TV show with a story that could be only told through an episodic format. And again, that's me applauding something Disney produced just for being up to industry standard ("TV feels like TV and not a movie"), but that's where we are.

The other fantastic thing I loved about Andor was the feel of it. Star Wars looks dirty. It looks real. It looks like a universe you could live in, not the green screen glitz we typically see. My favorite part of the show was easily the first five minutes - we are introduced to our protagonist in a rainy, seedy underground club with harsh electric blue lighting and synth music blaring as he makes the decision to kill an Imperial officer - an action that actually carries moral weight and impacts the series. Again, for a franchise that tries to have its cake and eat it too when it comes to killing the bad guys, to actually have that moment carry weight was unexpected and welcome. It felt more like Blade Runner 2049 than Star Wars.

However, the rest of the series did not match that cold and harsh vibe, having somewhat meandering subplots surrounding bank accounts, art stores, prison breaks, heists, unwell Imperial officers, and riotous wakes. While each one of those subplots was interesting and often tense, none of them, when viewed as a whole, made much of an impression when not featuring Andy Serkis. I thought the unwell Imperial officer, Syril Karn, was fantastically cast with Kyle Soller - however, the series sets him up as Cassian's archnemesis and leaves that plot point in the dust, focusing on his slow descent into madness with no payoff. He reminded me of Bullseye in the third season of Daredevil though, so kudos for that. 

Now, I previously commended it for feeling grounded and real, and that was true - it's a hard feat to pull off, even harder in a time when it fails so often. However, there were drawbacks to the realism that I don't feel the series wholly overcame. Granted, that's a relatively subjective criticism as I'm more a fan of the laser sword and mysticism aspects of Star Wars than the political intrigue. That being said, it reminded me vividly of Dune, where everything was slow and every action needed to be carefully measured before being greenlit. It's thorough, but exhausting, and if one is not in the right frame of mind to enjoy it, it can be boring. Perhaps the most Dune-like aspect of Andor was the subplot revolving around Mon Mothma's bank account. While the maneuvering of funds doesn't sound inherently interesting, I was always captivated when Genevieve O'Reilly occupied the screen on her Coruscant homeworld. 

But the biggest sin of Andor was, by far, that at the end of the day I didn't care any more for the title character than I did when I started. They made a series based on the least interesting character from Rogue One, and surprise surprise, he's the least interesting character in his own series. While I still love Diego Luna's portrayal of him and still like the character, I remain unmoved seeing his death via Death Star in Rogue One. Much like Solo, it's like I watched the Wookiepedia page. I know more intellectually about the character, but I don't feel any different about him. Hopefully season two changes my mind. 

At the end of the day, Andor was good. Really good when compared to Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett. It was "adult" without being overly profane, violent, or sensual, and I respect that. But, and this is entirely subjective, it's not exactly my cup of tea. I can totally see why other people might absolutely love this series, but I can also see why some might not. I'm somewhere in the middle. I recognize the outstanding production quality, performances, and writing, but the only part I truly loved were the first five minutes. For some people this might rank among the best content Star Wars has ever made. For me, it was enjoyable. I recognize the quality of it, but my personal enjoyment was not proportional to that. 

Overall, I give Andor a 7/10. "With fantastic production values, performances, and surprisingly gripping drama, Andor is so good at being Andor it almost forgets to be Star Wars." 

Came for the lasers, stayed for the bank accounts.