It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.
Read More
SSSW - Andor S2 Finale
After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.
Read More
SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9
When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.
Read More
SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6
I'm sorry to tell you all, but we're already halfway through this final season of 'Andor'. Fortunately, the quality hasn't dipped one bit as we accelerate into the finish. Join Julian and Rachel as they savour every minute of this 3-episode arch that takes us to Ghorman for the first time on screen. Tony Gilroy and the team at Lucasfilm outdid themselves yet again in crafting every detail. The size of the set alone is impressive, but they take it a step further by developing a unique culture and even language different from anything we've seen in Star Wars before. It all fits seamlessly into this next chapter of the story that has a heavy emphasis on spycraft as the pressure ramps up for both the Rebellion and the Empire.
Read More
SSSW - Andor S2 Premiere
It's been a long time since Cassian Andor and his band of Rebel compatriots has graced our TV screens. A long hiatus, no doubt, but when you look into WHY this second season took so long the reason becomes clear - they were dotting every "i" and crossing every "t" (along with dealing with the writers and actors strikes, growing and harvesting ancient grains, hand stitching wedding dresses, the list goes on...) to make sure that this isn't just good Star Wars, but indeed the maybe the BEST Star Wars (I'm partially convinced that it may be the best we may ever get actually). Season 2 roars to life in it's first of four, 3-episode drops (essentially a movie a week for a month), not wasting any time picking up with our characters a year after the events of season 1. The sheer scale, scope, and commitment to its heavy themes is laudable, but when combined with the masterful set design, costuming, writing, and acting, you can't help but to stare, mouth agape, at this singular piece bold storytelling, that will likely go down as Tony Gilroy's largest contribution to popular culture, and deservedly so. Join Julian and Rachel as they unpack it all. It's going to be one hell of a ride!
Read More
SSSW - Skeleton Crew S1E8 "The Real Good Guys"
Well that's all folks! Well possibly anyway. We don't yet have official word on whether Disney and Lucasfilm will bring back 'Skeleton Crew' for another season. So as it stands, this is the story. Overall pretty great, and while we can gripe a bit about the lack of an epilogue to really tie up loose ends, on the whole this finale was satisfying. All four of the kids had an arch that felt complete and inclusion of the parents helped put a bow on that (despite Wendle largely still being an idiot). The episode had strong pacing, as none of the character centric moments felt rushed, though again, it could have maybe done with a few more minutes of run time to make sure that everyone got a fair shake. KB, for instance, got short shrift. The ending itself leaves a lot of story left to be told, and thankfully given it's placement in the timeline, even if we don't get a second season, there should be plenty of opportunity to pick up on some of the loose threads in future Star Wars projects. All in all, 'Skeleton Crew' is one of the strongest outings from Lucasfilm in awhile and it's our sincere hope that it represents a sign of what's to come from the recently maligned studio.
Read More
SSSW - Skeleton Crew S1E6 “Zero Friends Again”
After a very strong outing last week (maybe the best of the season!), which revealed the pirate lair and cracked the mystery wide open, 'Skeleton Crew' follows that up with the shortest episode so far, which provides neither much plot progression nor anything beyond overly simplistic character beats. Despite that, there is at least one extremely interesting reveal, that begs the question, "why wait this long to reveal this?". With now two episodes left to close out the season, and especially with this week really feeling like it was dedicated to setting up a bombastic finale, we can look forward to the kids meeting the pirate hoard back on At Attin very soon!
Read More
SSSW - Skeleton Crew S1E5 "You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates"
After a fairly odd WWII/French resistance inspired episode last week, we turn the page to something almost as weird - a luxury spa built on top of a pirate haven. Starting smartly with some needed character work and lore building, the episode then turns into a fairly wacky romp that draws similarities to the Canto Bight side quest from 'The Last Jedi', complete with alien species and visual easter-eggs aplenty. But what really works here is the humour. They seemed to have nailed a tone that allows for effortless comedy, while when needed, are able to ratchet up the tension effectively. Speaking of which, while we thought last week's heel turn from 33 was good, it doesn't hold a candle to this week's finish, surpassing it in every way. We couldn't be more excited to see what happens next!
Read More
SSSW - Skeleton Crew S1E4 "Can't Say I Remember No At Attin"
Halfway through the season and 'Skeleton Crew' maintains its strong momentum, even if this fourth episode isn't necessarily a home run. The kids find themselves on a dark mirror-like version of At Attin that has been ravaged by generations of war. Unfortunately, this solid story idea is undercut by being executed slightly too simplistically, even for a kids show. That being said, there are some great moments here. The world-building, was interesting and a we get a few satisfying twists in the larger adventure, including a terrifying final moment. Of course we can't forget about Neel, who finally gets the attention he deserves, sieving upon the opportunity and becoming the internets new favourite adorable Star Wars character (at least until Grogu shows up again).
Read More
SSSW - Skeleton Crew S1E3 "Very Interesting, As An Astrogration problem"
With the two-episode premiere out of the way, 'Skeleton Crew' can start finding its groove, and while this episode is enjoyable, the show might need to keep searching for what exactly that groove is for at least another week. Despite getting to spend a full, though somewhat short, episode with Jude Law, it's the kids (and especially Nick Frost's SM 33) that continue to steal the show. It's probably just a matter of time, but Jod (Jude Law) has yet to fully land as a character. A handful of charming scenes gets him going in the right direction though. Overall, this is a relatively safe step along the path for a show that has yet to get into the meaty parts of the adventure. Our prediction? Things really pick up in earnest next week. Stay tuned!
Read More