‘Andor’ puts the rest of Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ to shame

At this point, even the most enthusiastic Star Wars Fans may be getting tired of the Disney content assembly line.from rise of skywalker To boba fett bookwhere nostalgia can carry mediocrity only so far.

However Andor No – the show is a far cry from Disney’s usual wiggles of reference-heavy, poorly written slop, stuffed with Easter eggs to distract from its lack of substance.

Andor In fact, it feels like it takes place in another world, an interesting place full of junky, retrofuturistic technology and disaffected rebels.At some point it almost feels like blade runnerwith a gritty, grounded look at the lives of ordinary people living under the boots of empire.

Disney tends to put prequels within prequels, wrapped in an endless stack of nesting dolls stuffed with origin stories, backstories we don’t need to know. , telling the story of the rebels who secured the blueprints to the Death Star, and now telling the origin story of Cassian Andor, Disney somehow created something that feels fresh.

Andor It begins with Cassian (Diego Luna) cold-bloodedly murdering two of Empire’s brutal thugs. This murder is a far cry from the senseless massacres we’ve seen so many times in this franchise, where stormtroopers are slapped like flies (even by ex-recruits).

Cassian’s actions are morally gray and framed as having very serious consequences, sparking a crackdown led by Cyril (Kyle Soller), a young Imperial officer who disobeyed orders from his superiors. . Cyril seems genuinely haunted by two murders motivated by principle rather than logic, and he soon finds his like-minded grunt, Sergeant. Kostek (Alex Ferns) is in charge.

Cyril is very determined but inexperienced, which makes the relationship between the two attractive. Kostek, on the other hand, is a battle-hardened meathead who despises his underlings, and the two are like mall security guys, going on a bit of a power trip and exercising a terrifying amount of authority. What’s going wrong?

Cassian himself is a likable deranger, far from a pure-hearted Jedi. He’s a die-hard survivalist trying to get out of the problems he keeps creating.

Planet Felix is ​​a dirty, industrial, working-class planet that reeks (and smokes) of despair and is filled with workers who have no reason to love an empire. It’s a beautifully realized world, a textured place that feels alive – and frankly, it’s a relief to be away from the dull sands of Tattooine.

AndorThe refinement of Star Wars The show that came before – why did you write Kenobi When Boba Fett And why did the CGI scenery look so unconvincing and the planets seem lifeless?

of Andorall machines, droids and ships look very heavy and practical. rogue one still intact. You can see the rusting rivets that hold these enormous machines together, and you can feel the immense effort behind their construction.

It feels like an extension of that cruel and dangerous universe I glimpsed new hopefar from the stupid side Star Warswithout losing sight of the starry sky – no Jedi magic Andorbut there is resistance.

like anime Star Wars shorts, visionand to some extent, mandalorian, Andor Usage Star Wars It’s even more memorable as a sandbox rather than a nostalgia-driven marketing machine.