Kassa

Andor is unlike anything we've seen from Star Wars before. Cassian Andor is a complicated character - something special in the otherwise superficially drawn Star Wars world.

Andor is set before the events of Rogue One and before the Rebellion openly opposes the Empire. So these are dark times - Andor can best be compared to Rogue One but The series expands the star wars empire with more emotion and variety. Its completely different to all Star Wars movies and series befor but gives the whole umiverse a new touch of emotion, depth and will to be something emotional and worth watching beside popcorn cinema.

This episode was not a bad way to set up rhis show and the overall premise!

From the opening scene you can tell that this is gonna be a different Star Wars experience than you are used to! You feel like this is shot with so much love and care compared to many of the other shows!

The production value is really good already in this first episode! So many of the scenes just hooks you in with their identity, plus it looks good most of the time! It felt like that experience kn Star Wars i aleays wanted!

It might be a slow burn, but trust me when I say that you will be rewarded if you invest yourself in this story and journey!

I'm sorry, but no. This has the best acting, writing, visuals, directing, and atmosphere out of any recent Star wars project... There ain't no way the fandom is gonna unanimously agree on everything, I get it, however this has some of the most care I've seen outside of the animated projects put into it. This FEELS like a team of people that spent time and effort on every little thing and it's really a shame that there are some individuals that would rather see 30 plus minutes of mindless action than watch a story start to unfold into something greater. I feel like for the first time in a long time that Star Wars is growing up... I only hope some of the more critical of this show will too.

The premiere episode is a fairly good start to the series. I usually don't expect much out of the very first episode of any series. This episode was not a dynamic or an explosive episode for me, and I'm okay with that.

Beginning with the critical feedback, I'm not entirely sure where this series is heading despite being the first episode. I also was caught off-guard on the shortness of the episode runtime. I seriously didn't realize the episode was concluded until the ending credits rolled.

The first act of the episode was the strongest in my opinion. The suspense in one particular scene really showed Andor's threatening nature very well.

This episode only marks the beginning and I just look forward to more episodes in the future.

So with the long stream of Disney star wars titles and spin offs you start to develop an expectation for these shows. What we have come to expect is on full display in the sequel trilogy:

Fast paced, light on plot. Explosions, light sabres. Useless storm troopers, more explosions. Character development...nah don't need that. More explosions. New light sabre. Floating rocks. Callbacks callbacks callbacks.

With that In mind I set my expectations pretty low for Andor. But wow. This is completely different, in fact it's good, very good...

Andor sets the tone right out the gate. It's gritty and dark, it has a sense of desperation. This is achieved through the visuals but also through the very natural dialogue. (This is a massive step up for star wars) the characters in this show talk like real people. They seem to have real problems and motives. In terms of tone It sits somewhere between the original trilogy and bladerunner. The result of solid dialogue is that it grounds the show in a sense of realism. Real world, real characters, real consequences. This is a recipe for real tension! Which is great for fans. One of the pitfalls here though is we already know the main character survives. Which is difficult to work with as a director when your job is to put the audience on the edge of their seat. It will be interesting to see how they work with this.

In terms of story we get a basic introduction to a few of the characters. (New droid is pretty cool) Some will argue it's "boring" but that's not the case. What the sequel trilogy and many of the spin off shows lack in the extreme is proper character development. And that's what this show is building. It respects the audience's intelligence and it's taking it's time with a more mature approach. It shows a different side to the star wars universe. Something "Solo" touched on but was never fully realised.

Overall I'm very pleased to see them produce something with this level of care. The practical effects, the slick dialog and believable characters sure there are easter eggs mixed in there but it seems for once the characters and the story are front and centre.

It really is a massive step in the right direction. I look forward to more.