‘Andor’ overview: ‘Star Wars’ revives Diego Luna’s character in a slow-moving prequel to ‘Rogue One’

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A prequel to a prequel, “Andor” brings a gritty tone and look to the “Star Wars” universe, as a lot the washed-out panorama of “Blade Runner” as George Lucas’ far-away galaxy. Yet no matter promise that entails is usually misplaced in flabby storytelling, basically stretching what would have been a 10-minute film prologue over the primary three episodes.

Disney+ has correctly determined to launch the 12-episode prequel to “Rogue One,” starring Diego Luna because the spy Cassian Andor, with these three episodes, offering a considerably higher sense of the collection’ framework than the plodding first installment. It takes till the fourth, nevertheless, for this origin story’s plot to return into focus, and by then, “Andor” has already change into a little bit of a snore.

Created by veteran screenwriter Tony Gilroy, who acquired screenplay credit score for “Rogue One” and played a role in its reshoots, “Andor” proudly wears on its sleeve the truth that it’s not one other “Star Wars” collection meant to wow followers with cameos (though there can be a few of these) or promote plush toys. Gilroy appears extra involved in telling a terse spy yarn with a caper part – assume “The Guns of Navarone,” solely with spaceships, droids and the occasional alien.

Following a less-trodden path, although, doesn’t excuse shifting on the tempo of a wounded Bantha, slowed down by flashbacks to the protagonist’s childhood. Nor do these early episodes do sufficient to differentiate the shifting forged of supporting characters, a bunch that doesn’t provoke far more than indifference.

Andor’s eventual destiny is already recognized, so the thrust of the present entails fleshing out how he made the leap from hating the Empire, and its vanity, to partaking within the struggle towards it.

Stellan Skarsgård performs a central half in that regard, at the very least within the early going, and Genevieve O’Reilly makes an look as Mon Mothma, reprising the function she performed in “Rogue One,” though don’t anticipate to see her straight away.

As for the Empire, the group is much less in regards to the Sith on this incarnation than frontline troopers, a bunch characterised by bureaucratic infighting and greater than a bit middle-managerial incompetence. While that conveys an inherent message about totalitarian states, like the great guys, few of the unhealthy guys make a lot of an impression.

The vastness of the “Star Wars” galaxy and the assorted time frames it occupies create a canvas that may accommodate all types of tales, maybe extra readily than its Disney brethren at Marvel given the interconnected nature of its universe. This clearly isn’t “The Mandalorian” or “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” with all these moments designed to make hardcore followers swoon, and in principle, that’s fantastic.

The drawback is there’s little initially to foster a lot enthusiasm about “Andor,” which largely appears like an intriguing take a look at of how and the place Lucasfilm can push these parameters and bend the mould – on this case, by producing what quantities to an anti-“Star Wars” “Star Wars” collection. Unlike the rousing motion in “Rogue One,” the collection doesn’t ship the extent of thrills required to maintain such an prolonged detour because it methodically units up the story.

Charitably, the experiment represents an act of inventive independence that deserves reward only for making an attempt it. Less charitably, “Andor” appears like a collection stricken by a contact of its personal imperial vanity.

“Andor” premieres with its first three episodes September 21 on Disney+.