Andor [Disney+]

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119646521#Comment_119646521

Also as you say - it could be taking a 3hour film - adding 3 hours of padding - and then dividing into 12 portions to make a TV show - where a 3 hour long mini series, or film would have sufficed -

Disney are milking star wars really - IMHO - and i think looking back, i was quite content with EP1-6 -not sure anything disney has offered was really worth much

gmisk

Only watched episode 1 but thankfully it is a lot closer in tone etc to rogue one than the bloody awful obi wan or boba fett shows. It also looks fantastic.

It is slow (so far) and I could do without the flashbacks, but bags of potential.

sekiro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119646673#Comment_119646673

I agree that Star Wars was fine with episodes 1 to 6.

The only thing the Disney stuff has done is to redeem George Lucas by showing the world that making these things work really isn't as easy as RedLetterMedia's Mr Plinkett would have you believe.

The lowest point of all was showing how Han Solo came to be called "Solo". What a joke. Not every thing needs to be explained and not every new show and movie needs to be crammed full of callbacks and easter eggs.

Disney paid so much money for the rights but honestly it feels like the only good things they've managed to make are Mandalorian season one and, to a lesser extent, Rogue One. Everything else just feels off.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647146#Comment_119647146

Disney did make some good Star Wars.

They made episodes 1-3 good 🤣

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647146#Comment_119647146

I mean i agree - I dont want to spin this thread into a critique of all disney star wars but look my take - from best to worst

5, 4, 6, 3, Rogue One, 2, 1, 7, 9, Solo, 8 - And to be honest Rogue One sometimes seems like it should be further up - possibly between the Original Trilogy, and the Prequels -

I stand by my decision to have the prequels ahead of the sequels - really Rogue one is the best Disney had to offer - And lets be frank we didnt NEED rogue one -

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647181#Comment_119647181

EXACTLY -

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647282#Comment_119647282

I'de definitely have Rogue One after 4-6 and I think Luna is great so I am looking forward to this.

Best thing about Solo is it's so forgettable I forget it exists 🤣

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647305#Comment_119647305

you know i laughed out loud there - i ACTUALLY FORGOT IT when i was ranking the films - and when i thought about it i realized it, and slid it in second to last

My reason for that is i feel that despite it being TERRIBLE - it didnt actually damage Star wars - its easy to forget -

Where as 8, for me, is responsible for sinking the sequels - by which i mean, it was dire, and led directly to 9 (a frankenstinian Star Wars film with bits of other episodes jammed in, uncomfortably)

But IMHO - the last three on my list are irredeemably bad - so its more of a tie for last place - i almost feel there should be a gap between the rest of Star Wars and Rogue one - Like they are in a different league - and then two leagues down lie the rest of Star wars

gmisk

Watched the 3 episodes. Really enjoyable stuff, things really picked up pace wise in episode 3, it made sense to drop those to start. It looks really excellent, terrific sets and special effects.

Spoiler Warning

A proper shoot out as well, loved it. The part in the engine shed (or whatever) terrific fun.

It helps that Fiona Shaw and Stellan Skarsgård were in it!

Hopefully that is the end of the flashbacks they filled in the story well but I had enough of those in TV shows.

Will be interested to see where it goes plenty of episodes to come.

Obviously so far not at the mandalorian levels of enjoyment but a massive improvement on the pretty dire obi wan and boba fett series.

Slydice

1: Hold on! That was the first episode?!?! 40 mins and it just breezed past!

Feels solid so far. Mystery built, and characters introduced.

Spoiler Warning

I get the feeling the season.. maybe the series.. will hinge on the fate of the sister.

If I was to guess the one place where some savings were made, it's that maybe they kept the extras budget trim. Still felt immersive enough so they worked it fine.

Slydice

2: Damn, that just flew by as well. I looked at the time when it ended though and it was only around 30 minutes.

Events are moving fast but it all connects and makes sense.

Spoiler Warning

This cop is in big trouble with his boss if things don't go well.

Stellan Skarsgård.. I'm not sure what to make of his buyer character. I'm half leaning towards him being something to do with the Rebels

I'm guessing Kenari is either:

- the empire did something bad and covered it up

- the locals actually got rid of the empire and somehow covered it up.. could be the makings of a rebel base

Slydice

Oh! and the Droid!

I swear the voice of the Droid, Dave Chapman, and it's behaviour.. it all kind of reminds me of Tars from Interstellar.. though Tars was voiced by a different actor, Bill Irwin.

johnny_ultimate

Gave the first episode a look (more ~30-35 min shows please!) and eh not really invested in it. I’m not a fan of Rogue One, so I’m coming from a place of ambivalence, but yeah not much to set my curiosity racing.

I will say though that it’s a very welcome step-up from Obi-Wan Kenobi in the atmosphere and design departments. This feels physically grounded and tangible where that dire show felt like it existed purely on green screens and cheapo backlots. Even just the rain in the opening scenes or the almost too bright lights along the ‘marina’ ground you in the world immediately in a way that last SW production completely failed to manage.

Not sure about the design of the security corps staff though… they look like they dropped out of Captain Scarlet more than Star Wars 😅

Slydice

Wow these episodes just fly!

Though saying that, it switches from writer/director combo 1-3 of Tony Gilroy/Toby Haynes over to 4-6 with Dan Gilroy (Tonys brother)/Susanna White  

3: So.. that concludes the introduction I think. The atmosphere was build up well. The music and sound effects really brought in the tension.

I did like how the story in these first three went about starting with..

Spoiler Warning

cops who picked the wrong person to have a go at.. over to cops who ended up facing against the wrong pair to have a go at.

The surprise take down of the cops ship from being anchored.. I think then there'll have to be more of Cassians friend Brasso in the show.

If I was to guess at what's next.. I think it'll be an introduction to the early form of the rebels

So the next episode. From a quick glance at the wiki, Dan Gilroys first combo writer/director film looks like it was Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal. Susanna White .. I can't say I recognise much of her work.. though she did an episode of boardwalk empire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dangerous_Maid_(Boardwalk_Empire)

Critical reception

IGN gave the episode a score of 7.5 out of 10, saying that it had "... a very slow burn of a narrative that spends more time filling in backstory of certain female characters than it did pushing the Nucky vs. Commodore conflict forward." The A.V. Club rated the episode a "B+".

peteeeed

loved it , slow burn but great pay off in episode 3

ohnonotgmail

A slow burn for the first 2 episodes but burst into life in the third. Always fun to spot actors you know from other things. The guy who played Jez in Coronation St as one of the two guys killed at the start and the Chief Inspector played by someone from Game of Thrones. I swear I know the guy who played the sargeant from somewhere but I can't place him.

ETA: figured it out. He played the head miner who worked in the nude in Chernobyl.

AMKC

I too that episodes 1 and 2 were very dull but episode 3 was much better but as for the show its still not anywhere near as good as Obi-Wan or The Mandolorian. Both were much better shows.

I too think the episodes were very short a dissappointment that.

I did like the back story on Andor do it was very well done. So this is his second time having to be rescued then lol.

I would say Kenari is a Rebel Base.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119649596#Comment_119649596

The Sergeant was also 'evil' Trevor Morgan on Eastenders.

There was a few Scottish accents aboot for some reason, including minor roles.

Perrin is played by Alastair Mackenzie, aka Monarch of the Glen.

And Syril Karn was in Poldark, although they could have let the actor keep his real name... Kyle Soller.

CastorTroy

Was wondering why the guy talking to Stellan Skarsgard on the transporter looked familiar. I know him as Parker in the Thunderbirds movie even though I've seen him in other things.

pixelburp

Only watched episode 1 and I liked it, a lot. Finally after the nostalgic messes of BobaFett and Obi-Wan, we get something with a better sense of itself. Even though ironically it's yet another prequel.

Yes slow paced, but more like that of a first Chapter; some local flavour and character intros, a slight mystery to pad out a table setting. All together a refreshingly mundane, ground level perspective of the Star Wars universe with the "inciting incident" a tense, ugly murder in an alley. All grubby, ugly in an engaging way.

It's the most openly "adult" the universe has been, without pushing the envelope entirely away from its melodramatic roots. I'm glad we're finally getting something not immediately wedded to entertaining the wee 'uns - even the cutesy droid wasn't too adorable.

Mr.Nice Guy

Finished the third episode and I'm enjoying it so far. It's a bit different to the other shows and I like that.

Relikk

This already wipes the floor with Boba Fett and Obi-Wan on almost every level. Characters/writing, environments, acting and pacing are all on point. I really like what I'm seeing, so far.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119649596#Comment_119649596

Yeah I had to rack my brains to figure out who the old guy on the Sky Luas thing was until it hit me

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119652437#Comment_119652437

It's the most openly "adult" the universe has been,

Yep, first proper 'sexy' scene I can remember in any Star Wars thing. I mean totally harmless by the standards of any other non-kids TV show but still...

johnny_ultimate

Through the three episodes now and yeah it definitely picks up.

Its biggest strength by far is how it shows a different side of the universe, one that’s all manual labour, cruel corporations and worker solidarity. I don’t want to use the word ‘gritty’ necessarily, but there’s at least a light layer of sweat and dirt here that’s usually absent from SW. One of the great thematic decisions of The Last Jedi was to really underline that the SW universe is full of ordinary people fighting for a better world, not just the handful of epic heroes chosen for greatness by their bloodlines or adjacency to said destined heroes (a clever narrative choice so stupidly undone by its horrendous sequel). This feels like something that finally takes that thematic baton to show that less grand, more ‘ordinary’ side of this universe. Naturally we have to see how that plays out, especially as some original trilogy characters are due to appear and once again link everything back to the Skywalker saga. But it’s a good start at least: taking the time to show the smaller battles, how the universe ticks along in its more everyday locales, the messier morals, and of course the ordinary workers united against the cruel corpos.

As I mentioned earlier, it sure looks the part. Killing off the horrendous Epic Games green screen thing was the best decision the showrunners could’ve made. Night and day difference between this and Obi-Wan.

Is this the first time a ‘mainline’ Star Wars production has had scenes that directly acknowledge that people have sex? Baby steps forward for this most chaste of franchises 😅

I hate to say it as I have nothing against Luna as an actor, but I think Andor himself is the biggest problem here. I just think he’s sort of a nothing character. And that doesn’t mean he should be some great epic action hero or anything… just someone with a bit of charisma and personality. I just don’t think that’s there, even with the rougher edges he has compared to the usual SW protagonist. And the supporting cast don’t really soar either… and it has bloody Stellan Skarsgaard and Fiona Shaw on board! Early days yet, but yeah I’ve very little in the way of investment in the character drama or indeed overarching plot at this stage. There’s room for improvement, of course, and there is at least some tension generated by Andor’s desperate efforts to stay under the radar.

Really not sure about those Pre-Mor Authority uniforms still. No problem with them departing from the usual Star Wars design - that’s to be welcomed in theory. But I honestly think it makes those characters look like they’re in a different show entirely, even with the charitable reading that they’re meant to look a bit silly and naff!

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119653329#Comment_119653329

I think that's it. You're a brave man for mentioning Last Jedi and by rights I should ban you for starting trouble 😂 ... but that was the door opened in this world that Andor appears to want to walk through.

It's not all about the Skywalker's.

People toil, struggle and exist in this universe and it was fascinating to watch a collection of small characters just subsist in a universe where people kinda make their own laws and reality. The world's felt more real and lived in than the shallow iconography of Star Wars' many desert planets that defy common sense. Only a single episode to talk about for me, but it was fascinating how the Empire didn't appear - only mentioned as a tedious bit of bureaucracy.

I weirdly loved the jumped up security guy, trying to solve the murder properly. Usually those clichés are driven by pure spirit of justice - but he was a total díck about it. A total àsshole and the customised clothes a silly Character choice but I liked it - because it was so unique, it felt like something someone petty and on the bottom rungs would do

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119653411#Comment_119653411

It's not the character himself I have an issue but rather the actual uniforms the characters wear! The third episode particularly it's so garish it comes across as distracting and clashes with the overall visual design. And yeah that's even with the silliness its meant to imply.

The character himself I don't have much of a problem with. I do think his particular performance is quite unusual stylistically for SW, but since he's portraying a sniveling little corporate dweeb I think it just about works 😅

TheIrishGrover

Have only watched the first episode but REALLY liked that. I actually liked the jumped up security guy. Reminded me of Rimmer in Red Dwarf. (Especially in the early episodes). Disney+ app seems to by a bit tempermental on my TV at the moment. Has hung a couple of times and when I pause I didn't see the progress bar. So were the flashback scenes subtitled or not? I mean you could work it out anyway but just wondering.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119654467#Comment_119654467

no subtitles for me in the flashback scenes. it just said speaking in whatever the name of the language is.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119653177#Comment_119653177

Watched the first 2 and totally agree about the characters/writing environments, acting.

Not a lot has happened yet but it certainly feels like a well put together show/world.

Also are we supposed to not have subtitles for the flashbacks?

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119654555#Comment_119654555

This is my presumption: I didn't subtitles either, but the kids' actions and intent were so physically manifest I never thought it a bug on Disney+, but a style choice.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119654591#Comment_119654591

Ya that's what I was thinking. You didn't really need to know what was being said to follow it.

I once managed to watch the entire Ed Norton Hulk movie in a foreign language and follow it no problem 😁