Another series from a galaxy far, far away
Star Wars rightfully belongs among the most famous and profitable Hollywood brands of all time. However, the final trilogy was a major disappointment for many viewers. The last installment, in particular, concluded the Skywalker saga rather awkwardly.
While young viewers generally had a good time in theaters, more mature Star Wars fans often filled their vomit bags.
The Rise of Skywalker was a great visual spectacle, but its screenplay was an absolute mess. It's no wonder that this negatively impacted its box office performance.
As a result, the Disney executives decided to take a break from films and focus more on producing TV series. This turned out to be a step in the right direction.
The Mandalorian was a success with both critics and viewers, as was the final season of The Clone Wars. Although there were two failures in the form of the Boba Fett and Obi-wan series, it still appears that Star Wars continues to draw interest. This is why Andor was also given the green light.
A Grittier World
While The Mandalorian is a variation on the Wild West, Andor can be easily categorized as a spy thriller. Anyone expecting vibrant colors, witty aliens, or cute robots might be disappointed. These things are either not present or appear only in homeopathic amounts.
The main protagonist of this series is Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), whom we've already seen in the movie Rogue One.
Given how that film ended, it's logical that the series is not a direct continuation but a prequel, mainly telling the story of Andor's beginnings in the Rebel Alliance and his fight against the all-powerful Empire.
We also get a chance to peek into the main character's childhood.
Slow but not boring
Andor doesn't avoid action entirely, but there's significantly less of it compared to The Mandalorian. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The plot moves slowly but makes sense and is interesting.
You want to know how the story will develop further, which is undoubtedly a good thing.
The special effects can be considered outstanding, even by today's high standards. Not everything is created by computers, though.
The creators tried to achieve as many things as possible using practical effects, and it shows in the result.