Some have said that since Disney bought the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas in 2012, the entertainment giant has produced way too much content based on the beloved universe. If there’s evidence to back that assessment up, “Andor” would be it.
This is not to say that the show is entirely unwatchable, because it has its strong points. Its cinematography, for example, is topnotch and does a great job of capturing the essence of the Star Wars universe.
Another of the show’s strong points is its acting. I wish I could say that Diego Luna who plays the titular character, Cassian Andor, fits into this category, but I can’t. It’s actually the supporting cast that outshines Luna with impressive portrayals of new and not-so-new characters.
“Andor” has its roots in the future, which, if you’re not familiar with how entertainment franchises tell their stories these days, can be very confusing. Stay with me.
We first met Cassian in the 2016 motion picture, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” in which he played a doomed role. No matter how heroic and swashbuckling his character was in that movie, everyone knew that he and his group were going to die by the end. As good as that movie was, knowing the outcome from the beginning tainted the storyline for me.
This applies to “Andor” just as much. No matter Cassian’s predicament in the show, we know he’s going to survive because of the fact that he’s still alive in “Rogue One,” which is set five years in the future.
To recap: “Rogue One” was released six years ago in our world, but in the Star Wars world is five years after the events of “Andor,” which, in our world, is actually six years after the future events of “Rogue One.”
Don’t let that confuse you. OK, let it.
In spite of its drawbacks, there are some entertaining components to “Andor,” like a stuttering droid. How can you not feel for a droid with a speech impediment?
Aside from the shortcomings already mentioned, I found the show’s storyline hard to follow and uninteresting at many points, all the while enjoying the acting. Is that weird to you? It is to me.
Though I didn’t care for the show as a whole, I do appreciate its patching of a big whole in the overarching storyline of the Star Wars universe that has plagued it for a long time. You’ll have to watch the show to find out what it is. No spoilers here!
Apparently, I’m in the minority with my assessment of “Andor” because it’s got an 8.4 out of 10 viewer rating on IMDB (based on more than 76,000 ratings) and has been renewed for a second season.
You be the judge.
All 12 episodes of “Andor” are currently available for streaming on Disney+.
