Andor Season 1
Year: 2022
Created by: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilley, Stellan Skarsgard & Kyle Soller
Episodes: 12
BBFC: 12
Published: 15/12/22
Created by: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilley, Stellan Skarsgard & Kyle Soller
Episodes: 12
BBFC: 12
Published: 15/12/22
It’s no secret that my patience for Star Wars content has been wearing thin of late and Andor was something I wasn’t looking forward to from the outset. A prequel to Rogue One, a film I personally think is one of the weakest Star Wars films in the franchise…I may be in the minority with that opinion, but I think it’s a fair statement to say I wasn’t overly fussed about watching Andor prior to its release. But the reviews swayed me, I was seeing perfect scores and glowing praise for almost every single episode, clearly, I was missing out on the biggest TV event in many years. So, as I watched the credits rolling on the twelve-episode series my conclusion is only that it’s not just Star Wars that has lost its way, but also the fanbase for thinking this was anything more than sub-par.
Set five years before Rogue One, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is searching for his sister. When he has an altercation with some Preox-Morlana security officers this sets in motion a series of events that leads him to become an agent for the fledgling Rebel Alliance, of which he has no faith in. Meanwhile senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) finds herself becoming the political spearhead of the Rebellion by bringing her concerns and grievances against the Empire to counsel. Elsewhere in the galaxy, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a deputy inspector for Preox-Morlana, is investigating Andor and convening with Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) of the Imperial Security Bureau to bring him to justice.
Set five years before Rogue One, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is searching for his sister. When he has an altercation with some Preox-Morlana security officers this sets in motion a series of events that leads him to become an agent for the fledgling Rebel Alliance, of which he has no faith in. Meanwhile senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) finds herself becoming the political spearhead of the Rebellion by bringing her concerns and grievances against the Empire to counsel. Elsewhere in the galaxy, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a deputy inspector for Preox-Morlana, is investigating Andor and convening with Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) of the Imperial Security Bureau to bring him to justice.
Andor has all the hallmarks of a great political thriller, but it never follows through on them because of its fear of straying too far away from what audiences expect of a Star Wars product. I use the word product very pointedly here, because Star Wars has not been ‘entertainment’ for a long time now, it’s been carefully and meticulously curated as a product to keep audiences engaged at all times. For a show about idealists rising up against an all-powerful Empire for the good of the galaxy, it’s awfully clean around the edges in a way only possible with massive corporate productions. Disney are the Empire here, and it’s almost like they feel they can lure you in with the promise of a gritty political thriller set in the Star Wars universe only to make it play out the same way all Star Wars content does but with half the creativity and passion.
After a plodding four opening episodes Andor gears up for its first major action sequence (which comes in episode six I might add) which is, I admit, thrilling. It carries this momentum through to episode ten where another major action sequence takes place, but for the final two episodes it once again slumps back into a tedious slog. Action is what Andor does best, and the immediate build up to action too. This four episode stretch between episode six and episode ten uses the high stakes heist shown in six to add weight to the conversations that are happening between the other players in the story. This then carries through to episode ten as the repercussions from the heist are felt and pay off in the most spectacular way.
The moment the bullets stop flying in Andor is when I know it’s safe to kick back, close my eyes, and fall asleep because I won’t miss anything of importance or interest. That makes me sound like some kind of Neanderthal who can’t pay attention to something unless there’s explosions, but in reality, it’s just the writing being so dull, and the characters so plain, that I can’t help but allow my attention to lapse.
There’s little more I need to say about Andor. It lacks the visual pop of both Rogue One and The Mandalorian, the performances are no more than acceptable across the board, and it ends on a cliff-hanger for a second season. Andor is modern Star Wars through and through, it takes no risks, and the story goes nowhere fast. I think the rule of thumb seems to be that if you liked Rogue One then you’ll like Andor, so if like me you desire more from modern Star Wars than vague character introductions, waffly dialogue, and a desire to keep you hanging around as long as possible without actually doing anything of interest, then Andor is best just forgotten about. You already know how the story ends, and the journey to get there clearly is hardly worth telling.
After a plodding four opening episodes Andor gears up for its first major action sequence (which comes in episode six I might add) which is, I admit, thrilling. It carries this momentum through to episode ten where another major action sequence takes place, but for the final two episodes it once again slumps back into a tedious slog. Action is what Andor does best, and the immediate build up to action too. This four episode stretch between episode six and episode ten uses the high stakes heist shown in six to add weight to the conversations that are happening between the other players in the story. This then carries through to episode ten as the repercussions from the heist are felt and pay off in the most spectacular way.
The moment the bullets stop flying in Andor is when I know it’s safe to kick back, close my eyes, and fall asleep because I won’t miss anything of importance or interest. That makes me sound like some kind of Neanderthal who can’t pay attention to something unless there’s explosions, but in reality, it’s just the writing being so dull, and the characters so plain, that I can’t help but allow my attention to lapse.
There’s little more I need to say about Andor. It lacks the visual pop of both Rogue One and The Mandalorian, the performances are no more than acceptable across the board, and it ends on a cliff-hanger for a second season. Andor is modern Star Wars through and through, it takes no risks, and the story goes nowhere fast. I think the rule of thumb seems to be that if you liked Rogue One then you’ll like Andor, so if like me you desire more from modern Star Wars than vague character introductions, waffly dialogue, and a desire to keep you hanging around as long as possible without actually doing anything of interest, then Andor is best just forgotten about. You already know how the story ends, and the journey to get there clearly is hardly worth telling.