Andor: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Andor: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 5, 2024

To purloin a phrase that specifically refers to a trope in the genre I'm about to mention, if we simply "cut to the chase", Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope was in essence a "space western", with a fairly simple good vs. evil plot, albeit this time with the bad guys (as in the Imperial Stormtroopers) in white, offering an "updated" color scheme for villains when compared to westerns from days of yore. While George Lucas' tip o' the space helmet to Joseph Campbell has been widely reported and recognized, it's perhaps salient to note that "deeper" analyses of the original Star Wars trilogy took at least a while to become prevalent, with the franchise's action and humor tending to steal the spotlight in the early going. There's still good vs. evil abounding in Andor, but this miniseries attempts to take a more, well, elevated approach to an overall franchise that has often been called a "space opera". Much as Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series is an "outgrowth" of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Andor is of course inextricably bound to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, pulling an integral if arguably supporting character from that film from the sidelines directly to center stage, examining an "arc" (if some will indulge the use of an often disparaged term) for Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) that includes not just a (no pun intended) radical change as an adult, but a depiction of his childhood that obviously played into his psychological state and ultimate stance as a rebel.

Kind of interestingly given the relatively recent glut of Star Wars adjacent material on Disney+, whereas both the aforementioned Obi- Wan Kenobi as well as The Mandalorian posit a hero attempting to rescue a "child" (a "baby Yoda" in one case), the youngster in peril in Andor is in fact Cassian himself, portrayed by Antonio Viña in a series of flashbacks that help to explicate the character's troubled past. And in fact when a supplement included on these discs alludes to "the plight of the immigrant" (or something similar), I'm sure some sensibilities will clench with the thought that twelve episodes of this series' first season are going to be a thinly veiled political screed meant to stir reactions about what is frequently the lead story on newscasts these days. Commendably, while, yes, there are some parallels to be drawn in terms of what constant displacement means to both "a people" and individuals within that group, Andor is more concerned with character details than making some "point".

Another at least slightly unusual aspect is the whole "McGuffin" that sets at least one major cog of the plot mechanics into motion. On the hunt for his missing sister, Cassian has an unfortunate interaction with two security personnel and ends up inadvertently killing one of them in the resultant scuffle, and then outright murdering the other one when it's apparent Cassian will spend the rest of his life in jail if he allows the guy to live. But while these deaths are "defensible" in that Cassian is accosted by the two victims for basically no reason, and even given the fact that kind of hilariously the chief of security wants his underling Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) to basically cover up the killings and make them seem like an accident (something Karn refuses to do, leading to a number of repercussions for both Cassian and Karn), it still "introduces" Cassian as an obviously troubled and potentially extremely violent man.

If I could momentarily co-opt one of my favorite ripostes from Frances Farmer on her questionable This is Your Life episode, "If you're treated like a patient, you're apt to act like one", in a similar fashion it might be argued that Andor makes a compelling case that if you're treated like a scoundrel and/or ne'er-do-well, you, also, are apt to act like one, but in that regard it's one of this series' strengths that it makes Cassian's decisions "logical", if occasionally disturbing. As with several other Disney+ series that are either Star Wars or Marvel Cinematic Universe properties, there's a deliberately novelistic approach to the overall storytelling that weaves in any number of other characters. If Karn often ends up hogging the spotlight at least in the early going, Cassian's undercover partner Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) might seem to be a major character after a calamitous death, but she actually kind of gets shunted to the sidelines, at least for a while. Instead, Cassian finds himself conscripted more or less by Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), who recognizes something in Cassian that could be of use to the fledgling rebel alliance.

Andor: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Disney / Buena Vista's standalone 1080 release. As tends to be the case with Disney / Buena Vista releases of Disney+ series, this release does not include any 1080 discs, which is why the 2K video score above has been left blank.

Andor: The Complete First Season is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Unlike some of the Disney+ series captured with Arri cameras, this was captured with Sony Venice cameras and finished at 4K. I'm know I'm probably sounding like a broken record by now about this latest quartet of Disney+ offerings on disc, but in this particular case that may be a (relatively) good thing, since this is another gorgeous and often stunning looking presentation as with virtually all of its recent Disney+ 4K UHD siblings. Quite interestingly in that regard, though, of the several other Disney+ series and/or miniseries I've reviewed lately, including the ones that were released day and date with this release, the palette of this series is kind of subtly less overtly vivid than in some other productions. That perhaps only makes it all the more eye opening when a virtual explosion of white starts occurring later in the episodes when those nasty Imperial types start assuming more of a presence. The earlier episodes tend to ping pong between some evocative if still kind of slightly tamped down blues and yellows. The flashback scenes documenting Cassian's childhood offer more of a tropical jungle ambience that in fact is maybe just a little reminiscent of the planetary look of a certain James Cameron enterprise (no spaceship name pun intended). That said, both flashbacks and "contemporary" timeframes can offer some real pops in primaries, as in the bright (if after a decade or two, battered) red of Cassian's sweet little droid. Fine detail is exceptional throughout every episode on all of the practical sets and costumes, and this story's emphasis on what might be termed the indigent poor can offer some really good examples of textural precision in some of the roughhewn fabrics some characters wear. Kind of interestingly according to the supplements all of the droid material was achieved practically, but there is of course CGI aplenty throughout the twelve episodes, and for the most part once again as with several other Disney+ properties, there's generally artful knitting together of real and animated elements.

Andor: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Andor: The Complete First Season offers a sweepingly immersive Dolby Atmos track (as with the other recent Disney+ releases, their 1080 release of this series features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track). There is clear if at times rather subtle engagement of the Atmos speakers in all of the episodes, sometimes but not always related to flying scenes or other overhead material like drone establishing shots. But even in less "showy" moments, as in a storm depicted early in episode 1, at least some of the surround spill emanates from the Atmos speakers. Surround activity is consistent is the side and rear channels, including everything from ships erupting into hyperspace to some of the at times pretty bombastic scoring choices. The story does a nice job balancing some almost sylvan ambient environmental effects, notably in both the flashback sequences as well as some of the "secret renegade" mountain material with an adult Cassian, against more cacophonous battle sequences, resulting in some enjoyable dynamic range. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Andor: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the following supplements are on Disc One of this three disc set. Discs Two and Three do not offer any supplements.

• Ferrix Part 1: Imperial Occupation (HD; 8:18) begins with some premiere footage from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story while mentioning how important preserving the legacy of that film and fans' attachment to it was for the series. Several talking heads including Kathleen Kennedy further emphasize how important the tethers between this project and Rogue One are.


• Aldhani: Rebel Heist (HD; 7:51) looks at some of the epochal developments offered in the series' fourth episode.


• Coruscant: Whispers of Rebellion (HD; 8:44) focuses on some of the challenges in bringing Coruscant to life.


• Narkina 5: One Way Out (HD; 7:30) gets into the "character building" situation Cassian encounters when imprisoned.


• Ferrix Part 2: Fight the Empire (HD; 7:35) offers some fun soundstage scoring footage as well as other information on the twelfth episode.

Additionally the SteelBook packaging features a nice array of yellows and just slight hints of orange, with a central image of Cassian on the front panel and a recreation of an exciting escape featuring Cassian and Luthen on the back panel. This release bucks the trend of kind of boring interior panels by offering a nice photo of Cassian in his "rebel mountaineer" phase. The SteelBook also encloses art cards.

Andor: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The latest quartet of Disney+ offerings in 4K UHD are all hugely enjoyable in their own ways, but I have to rate Andor as my personal favorite. Yes, there are going to be some probably either excited by or put off by some allusions to, as mentioned in the supplements, "the plight of the immigrant", but anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, not necessarily "displaced" in the familiar sense, will probably have at least some connection to what Cassian experiences. Once again production values are stellar and receive superb support via these discs' excellent video and audio. The supplements are enjoyable and the SteelBook packaging very nicely designed. Highly recommended.