Overall Thoughts: Unique, grittier take on galaxy far, far away is slow and tackles too much at times, but is a nice change of pace.
It's interesting to note that many Star Wars fans found Rogue One (a movie that had a ton of reshoots) to be the best movie out of the Disney era for the galaxy far, far away. In that case, it makes sense why Andor had some interesting hype surrounding it. And at the same time, Lucasfilm was having better success in the Disney+ market for their projects.
Now, after watching all of Season 1, I can definitely say Rogue One might not be a random outlier that just (by chance) worked. Something interesting is really working well in this corner of the Empire vs. Rebels universe. And, need I say, it's all executed with very little to no presence of Jedi's, wookies, Yoda's or anything in between. That's pretty impressive if you ask me.
It sounds like Tony Gilroy deserves a lot of credit here. From helming most of the re-shoots for Rogue One to creating this show, he seemed to get that Star Wars needed to step away from its' franchise "safety net" to make something creative. How about a Star Wars version of Shawshank Redemption? How about almost no aerial battles (save one at the end)? Yes, please!
Andor does start off slow, and introduces too many characters to the proceedings. However, I can give Gilroy and his directorial team credit for giving each character a valuable role in the proceedings here. Standing out the most here are Stellan Skarsgard as Luthen and Andy Serkis as prison group head Kino Loy. Both characters possess personality and gravitas and steal every scene they are in. Skarsgard in particular shines in a dual act that really shines. Meanwhile, Genevieve O'Reilly and Forrest Whitaker return to the roles of Mon Mothma and Saw Gerrera from Rogue One and other shows/movies, in fairly solid impressions. Mon's character is given the biggest upgrade in screentime, and is given her own sideplot that is fairly decent, but not the most engaging. Finally, Fiona Shaw has heart and soul as Cassian's mom, Maarva.
As for Cassian himself, Diego Luna is engaging once again here. He's not a commanding screen presence per se, but he especially shines in more serious moments when he shows his struggle with closing off his emotions. As for his partner robot (K-2SO) from Rogue One, he appears, but that's as far as I will go without spoiling anything. I think he will likely have a bigger role in Season 2.
Starting around episode 6, the series picks up the pace, with an entertaining heist episode. Then, it goes full Shawshank Redemption with a terrific prison stretch of episodes, and a great prison break episode that also builds character at the same time. The last couple of episodes lose a little steam, but remain at a fairly solid boil as the ending conflict and resolutions successfully kept me engaged. There's also a bit of a cliffhanger that does its' job in making you curious as to what will happen in Season 2 (which has been confirmed).
As for other elements, the series does flirt with being edgier and more mature for a Star Wars production early on, which weren't exactly needed. However, it is understandable that they may have been going for a more mature audience here (NOTE: this is not for young children). B2EMO is a really great addition to the series of droids and robots that have been created for the franchise, with a kind heart and genuine persona. Dave Chapman does a wonderful job voicing the character.
The production design and special effects are all top notch. Overall, this felt more like a genuine show shot on sets and location instead of primarily using a green screen. The low amount of CGI and computer generated characters also really creates an environment that feels more akin to the 70's/80's original trilogy than the prequels or recent sequels. I also appreciate Nicholas Britell for going in a unique direction with the score. There's very little nods to John Williams' original pieces, and the opening theme actually changes and becomes more interesting each time. It doesn't necessarily stand out like Williams' score does, but I don't feel like that's a bad thing either.
In the end, Andor didn't necessarily need to be 12 episodes long. It also didn't need so many characters. However, for its' old-school style action, daring story and character decisions, and some really great suspense and action, it's definitely an effective and unique series for Star Wars and Disney+.
(Alongside the other Disney+ Lucasfilm shows, I enjoyed it about the same as Obi-Wan Knobi, but a little short of the best episodes from Mandalorian's second season. Much better than Boba Fett and Bad Batch's first season)
In the end, Andor didn't necessarily need to be 12 episodes long. It also didn't need so many characters. However, for its' old-school style action, daring story and character decisions, and some really great suspense and action, it's definitely an effective and unique series for Star Wars and Disney+.
(Alongside the other Disney+ Lucasfilm shows, I enjoyed it about the same as Obi-Wan Knobi, but a little short of the best episodes from Mandalorian's second season. Much better than Boba Fett and Bad Batch's first season)
Grade: B+
