Spartan_1_1_7

"Power doesn't panic."

As a fan of Star Wars since childhood, it was painful to lose that love after experiencing the nonsense Disney has been churning out over the years. Granted, I was in the camp of those who bought into the hype when Disney acquired the IP, foolishly hoping that with massive resources at their disposal, they'd be able to provide high-quality experiences in a myriad of creative outings. After the failures of main-line films due to them altogether dropping the ball when it comes to writing and continuing on that pattern with most of their Live-Action Disney+ series, I was apathetic and pretty much gave up, with the last two outings in the form of The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi - two projects that should have been an easy hit out of the park - being abysmally written and haphazardly produced furthering the trend of milking nostalgia for every single drop cementing that apathetic sentiment. In retrospect, the only outings from Disney Star Wars that have stood the test of time without rose-tinted glasses and being removed from the hype machine are Rogue One and, to a lesser extent, The Mandalorian; the former fulfilling a personal wish of mine of having a gritty rebellion tale in the vein of Halo: Reach and the latter being a simplistic entertaining western-style tale of a bounty hunter. Yet, even those two have their faults with The Mandalorian, in particular, relying far too much on dangling keychains in Season 2 and having muddled world-building.

So imagine my state of disbelief when I hesitantly gave Andor a try after reading praise about it related to its writing and tone, as well as the fact that it's tied to Rogue One and is helmed by Tony Gilroy - someone with proper writing credits under his belt - and it turns out to not only be the best thing Disney Star Wars has put out by a significant margin but some of the best Star Wars material all around. Man, what kind of timeline am I living in? I'm flabbergasted that this prequel series to a prequel spin-off about a secondary lead received such a high-quality filmmaking treatment that it hammered the cemented apathy for the franchise and shattered it effortlessly.

Andor focuses on the character Cassian Andor from Rogue One and details the beginnings of the rebellion in the Star Wars universe and does so in such a strong storytelling manner that it not only ticks my need for quality Star Wars entertainment but for fictional rebellion in general. It also spends a considerable amount of time on the Empire's side too with resounding success depicting them as competent and ruthless but with unchecked hubris that will eventually lead to their downfall while simultaneously populated by people who are actual characters.

From the first scene, something felt different and the series kept on cranking it up episode after episode. The story is divided into several chunks each building on the last with meticulous weaving of plot threads and characterization and a consistent sense of desperation as the characters are faced with oppression under the Empire. That tension and despair rack up and up until it pops in a magnificent manner and this season does that several times successfully. I was in awe of how much I enjoyed every episode comprised mostly of dialogue. The rebellion and the Empire plotlines both worked in tandem to deliver a captivating experience.

One of my major complaints with Disney Star Wars has been that the Empire (or the First Order) never truly felt like a legitimate threat because it was often too stupid and riddled with cheap humour. Not in Andor; the fascist regime had a proper weight to it that circled back to the feeling of insurmountable odds for the rebellion side. On the opposite end, I have an affinity for rebellions in storytelling and Andor delivers on that superbly by showing the initial sparks that lead to a full flame and how both everyday citizens and people in positions of power are waking up and actively sacrificing for the cause. Even in general, this was some of the best rebellion storylines I've experienced in a long time and had my blood pumping on numerous occasions.

The investment was further made possible by amazing performances from all of the cast. It didn't matter whether the character had a few lines or was amongst one of the main lineups, the actors and actresses were delivering it at full steam. My favourites are Stellan Skarsgard (Luthen) as the man behind the curtains pulling all the strings exuding a combined aura of cold and calculated, authority from experience, and just plain badassery with the best monologue in all of Star Wars; Genevieve O'Reilly reprising her role as Mon Mothma for her best performance yet as a Senator stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea - understated and complex; Denise Gough as the Imperial Security Bureau officer Dedra Meera going an extra step for her Imperial cause that you love to hate soon enough; Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia from HP of all people) as the mother of Cassian and a beloved member of the community almost bringing me to tears; Deigo Luna, Cassian Andor himself, conveying so much with his eyes alone with bursts if energetic moments and making him one of my favourites lead characters in Star Wars - just awesome; B2EMO voiced by Dave Chapman, one of the best droids now despite limited screentime.

Couple the all-around strong performances with consistently strong writing and characterization and I cared deeply about the characters even if they were present only for a couple of episodes. The writing was also solid in the world-building department where the universe actually felt vast with various elements and mythos in it. It also speaks for the quality, effort and care for this story that a new location to the franchise - Ferrix - managed to be fleshed out, lived in, have a proper culture and community, and feel REAL so much more than a classic place like Tattooine that has been milked to death in various previous Disney Star Wars outings and never coming close to this level.

To supplement the story and characters, Andor is also an audiovisual treat. Not only are there a lot of practical effects mixed effortlessly with CGI, but the series also boasts some of the most stunning scenes in all of Star Wars (The Eye from Episode 6, for example). The cinematography is relatively creative and gorgeous with a lot of grittiness or rawness associated with relevant locations as well as getting cleaned up and sterile in other applicable areas (kinda like Rogue One).

To wrap it all up in a proper package, the series' soundtrack is wonderful. Composed by Nicholas Britell, it's as impressive as it is different from the usual type of scores you'd see in Star Wars media. Varied and creative with emotional tunes that'll plug at your heartstrings to triumphant tracks that'll make you want to charge at the Empire to electro, synth, drums and hi-hats elements coming out of the left field and yet aptly fitting and carrying on the trend of this series not following the norm.

It saddens me to know the viewership for this series was low but it gladdens me to see the praise it did receive from the majority of the audience that did watch it. I'm ecstatic that it has been renewed for a second season and if the chad team in charge of this project with Tony Gilroy at the helm can deliver a similar quality experience, this entire arc ending with Rogue One could be that addition to Star Wars under Disney that will make the acquisition worth it.

So, all in all, Andor is not only the best Disney Star Wars content, not only some of the best Star Wars content (including the OG trilogy) in general, it's a straight-up great TV series. I adored it and because it is in a fictional Universe I love, the experience was further elevated and I was in bliss. Objectively strong, subjectively outstanding, and relatively excellent, I'm giving the first Season of Andor a 9/10 (might bump it up to a 10 upon rewatch).

I can't exactly pinpoint when but Synthwave music has been one of my favourites for a long time now. Blade Runner (1982), Drive (2011) - and to some extent - The Social Network (2010) certainly pop to mind as the prime earliest examples where I loved it before older teen and childhood memories come into play in a messy labyrinth where I usually struggle to pin-point specific memories. Pop-culture wise, the most popular usage of it in the last half-decade, from what I can gather, is Stranger Things, and one of the main reasons I loved it initially was because the series used this type of music through and through. Somewhere along the line, I came upon The Rise of the Synths, added it to my watchlist, and only now finally got around to watching it. Don't have a lot to say about it since, despite my love for the genre, I'm not well versed in it from an artist/band perspective but I'm gonna be penning (or rather keying) down my thoughts anyway.

This documentary is a great rundown of the modern scene; their drive, their inspirations, their history. It also takes you back in time in decade sized chunks to give an overview of the eras and where it all began. All of it is stitched together and produced in a competent manner with two components standing out above the rest: the music, which was one of the primary reasons I gave this a try as I'd knew there will be some titillating Synthwave in the documentary for the genre; and the narration by the legendary John Carpenter who went over his early life and had some inspiring words for aspiring artists and general motivation for anyone who feels out of place, which I welcomed greatly.

Synthwave always had that 80s nostalgia vibe and for reasons unbeknownst to me - I was born in the 90s - pulled me in strongly while, at the same time, gives a longing for the future and oftentimes a particular form of future that one can relate to something like cyberpunk; this two-sided pull is what I love about it most. As is evident from the artists in the documentary and from the fans in general on Youtube or any other place on the net, it is what attracts all of them too and I find that interesting and beautiful.

I do wish that it was longer and had greater detail when it comes to synthesizing the music as it comes off as an overview rather than an in-depth look but, as a crowd-funded project, this is still a great achievement and props to the team and the backers. If you're a fan of this type of music, I'd highly recommend giving this a try. It's short and sweet. And if I were to rate it, I'd give it a Kavinski/Vangelis.

The Batman (2022) is yet another iteration of the world-famous caped crusader for the big screen this time with Matt Reeves holding the reigns, a director whose filmography I've thoroughly enjoyed so far, and Robert Pattinson donning the cape, an actor who I've grown to appreciate considerably more over the years. Since Batman is one of my favourite superheroes, naturally, I was excited and cautiously optimistic. While the movie has its issues, it executes enough elements strongly and distinctly to be a worthwhile outing for the hero.

The movie wisely does away with retelling the origin story and instead thrusts you into the world of Gotham taking place 2 years into the crime-fighting vigilante career of Bruce Wayne where a new opponent has sprung up killing top officials, leaving clues behind, and playing a mysterious game with the authorities and the Bat going by the name The Riddler. The premise allows this version of Batman to be focused on his detective and crime-solving side of things more so than any other Live-Action iteration I've seen and I appreciated that immensely. It's first and foremost, a noir detective story heavily grounding the Batman world and inspired, it seems, by films such as Se7en and Zodiac which, hey, if you're gonna get inspired by something, David Fincher's best are a way to go.

The inspiration doesn't stop there as it lends its hands to the strongest element of the movie i.e the production quality. Matt Reeves and the team meticulously crafted a Gotham that has its own character; a gritty, dark, crime-ridden, rainy metropolis oozing with a sense of dread and filth. Some areas are developed while many others are decrepit and dystopian complementing the story and the tone perfectly. The action sequences are well-shot and choreographed with fewer cuts and a Batman who loves to Tank hits creating unique thrilling scenes, although, requiring a higher suspension of disbelief where individual scenes mileage may vary. All of it is shown to you with sublime cinematography touching the Every Frame a Painting territory making it probably the best looking Batman movie to date. A visual treat.

Michael Giacchino's score is another strong element where he crafted a theme that's simple yet powerful, blasting in your ears and preparing you for vengeance. It can be argued that it was reused a bit too much but since I loved it, I didn't mind that or any of its variations and you can bet that once the movie is over, you're gonna be humming the theme for a while. It is based on Nirvana's Something in the Way, which is also used perfectly in the movie twice. The sound design, sound editing and other OST tracks were solid too.

Now, as is usually the case whenever an actor is cast for an iconic role, there is a lot of pushback and Robert Pattinson was no exception to this. I, however, was not worried since I've seen enough of his films after The Twilight Saga to know that he has the acting chops and he did not disappoint. This is a recluse Bruce Wayne succumbed with vengeance and Pattinson felt right at home with a subdued take on the character. There are many scenes where he shows a lot of subtlety and I loved it. Performances were solid all-around from the major actors: Zoe Kravitz as Selena Kyle was sexy, badass and a surprisingly good Catwoman; John Turturo as Carmine Falcone also surprised me as an initial jovial dude who can also intimidate and show his true sleazy mob boss colours on the dime; Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, while no Gary Oldman, was a solid companion to Batman; Colin Farrel, who you can't even recognize under all the makeup, as the Penguin was hilarious and awesome; Andy Serkis as Alfred, was a nice iteration of the character, although, I wish he had more screentime as his scene with Bruce had the highest emotional value in the film and could have been even stronger; Paul Danno as The Riddler, for the most part, walked the fine line between intimidating and cringe properly for the realistic take they were going for; I didn't find him amazing but he was good enough.

Where the movie faltered and faltered hard enough to keep it from being great was the mixed bag plot writing. On one hand, The Batman is trying to be the most grounded out of any Live-Action outings and I appreciated that but at the same time, there are contrivances that prop up every now and then and progressively get worse, particularly in the final act, that contradicts the tone and can take you out for a moment whether it is Riddler's plan or Batman's plot armour, the former of which when thought about does become even messier. A lack of consequences is also noticeable after some events that make the world-building a bit iffy. The final act, as a whole, was the weakest part of the movie and it always sucks when a film starts strongly but fumbles at the end instead of fumbling at the start but finishing strongly (as was the case with No Way Home). It's a shame too because the writing isn't poor through and through; there is a strong thematic throughline and has a decent chunk of setups and payoffs that is executed well and I'm sure I'll pick up on more details on a rewatch. Another contention I had, although a small one, was the pacing. It is a 3-hour movie and you feel the length even though it is not boring.

Overall, while being held down a bit by its flaws, it is still a solid iteration of the classic superhero and one that stands on its own feet and has a distinct vision to separate it from the other ones. I respect it for being what it is as a Big-Budget superhero film in the current pop-culture landscape. I loved the fact that there is a lot more Batman than Bruce Wayne (which fits with the story too). I hope we get another outing of this Batman as there is strong potential here after the conclusion of this arc with this cast and crew at the helm. With the last few movies, DC has upped its game tremendously and I hope they keep on this track. A definite recommendation. It is a standalone story so you don't need to have any prior knowledge of previous movies. And if I were to rate it, I'd give it a 7.8/10.

P. S I haven't revisited any of the previous Batman Live-Action films in a while now but if I were to rank the ones I've watched and remember, this is how it will look and can probably change upon rewatching them:

The Dark Knight (2008) Batman Begins (2005) The Batman (2022) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Batman v Superman (2016) Batman Returns (1992) Batman (1989) Batman and Robin (1997)