ANDOR (2022) MOVIE REVIEW

 


Andor is a prequel to 2016’s Rogue One, a movie I believed struck a balance between hardcore fans of the Star Wars franchise and newcomers like myself.

Although, you will still find some hardcore fans who will say they don’t consider Rogue One to be a good Star Wars movie because there weren’t lightsabers, Jedis, Siths, and the rest the franchise is popularly known for.

You see, Rogue One is a movie that explores a different side of the Star Wars story. It is more serious and grounded.

It tells the story of people who are just regular humans with no superpowers taking a stand against the empire as part of the rebellion.

In addition, you can watch the movie without any previous knowledge of Star Wars.

Hence, it’s not heavily burdened by the movies that came before it for you to understand what's going on. It could make you want to go watch the other movies. Andor, being a prequel, follows this same direction.

Andor brings to light the story of Cassian Andor, a thief who eventually becomes a part of the rebellion against the empire. While this sounds like a simple plot on the surface.

This TV show is loaded with solid content throughout its twelve episodes and runtime. I found the storytelling to be brilliant, and it’s divided into two story arcs.

I just have to mention this. The ending of the first arc contains one of the most beautiful scenes I've seen in a TV series since the star bridge explosion scene in the first episode of Foundation.

The visuals, cinematography, and costumes in this series are really good. Each of the locations is distinct from the others.

A scene at the beginning of the series shows that each worker on Ferrix has their customized work gloves, demonstrating how the people behind this series care about extra detailing that seems like little but adds to world-building.

You will also see the clock tower that serves different purposes throughout the series, and some of these details make the familiarity unique and make the world feel lived in.

Now back to the storytelling, the opening scene of Andor wastes no time establishing the type of story the audience is about to witness and it carries a mature and serious tone. The story also puts the audience behind the perspective of the "bad guys" to see that they’re also humans.

The people working for the empire are the "bad guys," but they have reasons for why they do what they do: ambition, serving a purpose, and proving their worth to a cause they believe in wholeheartedly. What else can we expect from Andor's narrative? Politics, espionage, action, a heist, a prison break, and an origin story

The character of Andor is still played by the same actor from Rogue One, Diego Luna, and the other familiar face is Saw Gerera, played by Forest Whitaker. The other characters are new introductions to the story and are good characters that help build or move the plot forward in a meaningful way.

Without getting into the territory of spoilers, I highly recommend this series if you're a fan of sci-fi, and if you’re yet to see Rogue One, now is the time to watch Andor and follow it up with Rogue One.

Lastly, If you’re one of those people who don’t like to sit around during the end credit scene. Make sure you wait and see the reveal at the end of the credits for this one because it is very important if you’re going to watch Rogue One. The end credits also tie nicely to a part of the story arc that you might have questions about.

 

                                                                   About the Author


Olayinka Ajayi is a writer, creative director, and movie blogger from Nigeria. Having been involved in the entertainment circle since childhood, his interests range from comics, movies, and animations to video games. He has consistently developed his interest in the entertainment field which led to the creation of his movie review blog, 'Review Krunch', the blog is distinct for its engaging reviews and analysis. 

When he is not analyzing the latest movies or working on some creative designs and stories, he's helping out as a contributor in mobile game communities.




 

 

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