Andor Season 1 (2022) Review

I am a huge Star Wars fan but I can't deny that I didn't have huge expectations when it was announced that their would be a prequel show surrounding the character Cassian Andor. But I have now finished the first season of the show and here is my review for it. The premise of the show is set in the early days of the Empire, it documents the rise of a Rebellion and one of its heroes in Cassian Andor. 

Main Character

We were introduced to Cassian Andor in Rogue One, Diego Luna is back in the role and he is really good in this show. Cassian is one of the more interesting characters in Star Wars currently and this show does a really effective job in showing this characters motivations and developments even though we know where he ends up. Luna sells it well, he really grows across the season and by the end it feels like we are closer to the character that we meet in the film. 

Supporting Characters

This show has a huge cast so I will only have a chance to mention some of them starting with possibly my favourite character Luthen played by the fantastic Stellan Skarsgard. He is the most mysterious character and Skarsgard delivers a brilliant performance to add to this, we see his motivations and the way it links to the other characters is great to see. Genevieve O'Reilly reprises her role as Mon Mothma and this is easily the most development the character has ever seen. We see her struggle in the Imperial Senate and how she is trying to help build this Rebellion while keeping her cover, its a really strong performance and character. Denise Gough plays Dedra Meero and this is another interesting character, she is a head officer in the ISB, basically the intelligence of The Empire. She is great and allows us as the audience to see their side of the war and come to see the way they operate. Fiona Shaw plays Andor's mother and I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two of them, she is clearly having fun and enjoying her role. Also seeing Andy Serkis play Kino Loy for a few episodes was a real highlight and his acting is nothing short of spectacular. 

Story  

The story is really interesting, this is Star Wars without any Jedi or Sith and to make that compelling shows the strength of the storytelling. As I mentioned, the characters are all really well written and their stories add plenty to the show and the world. But my one criticism is that there is so much rammed into this show, it is all interesting but sometimes things just aren't quite given the time to grow. It does feel like this show could have had a different name as there are much bigger things in play then just Cassian Andor. 

Script

The script is really well written, I think this might be the most human and real world that Star Wars has ever been and it adds to the grittiness of this show. It has a bit of humour but is pretty serious, that works for the show so I think it was the right call. 

Style 

The show was filmed all on location, which is a different method then the other Star Wars Disney+ shows but I think it really worked here. It feels like it is in the same universe as Rogue One and feels grimy and gritty. The action scenes are fantastic, they are visually impressive and feel more aggressive then other elements of Star Wars. 

Overall

Overall, Andor is a fantastic show that sees Star Wars at its most interesting. If you are a fan of the franchise then you have to watch it and if not I think this could be a way in. 

Rating - 9/10