‘Andor’ Made Me Love ‘Rogue One’ Even More

 

You’ve heard it from everyone else, so now you’ll hear it from me: Andor is the best Star Wars streaming series yet. It’s beautiful, it’s tragic, it’s powerful, it’s poignant, it’s real. Those same words could be used to describe Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the incredible 2016 film that first introduced us to Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and a ragtag group of rebels who stole the Death Star plans and set the stage for the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. The Star Wars fandom is divided about most things, but we can all pretty much agree that Rogue One is up there with The Empire Strikes Back as one of the franchise’s best films.

The first-ever Star Wars Story – one of only two live-action Star Wars films released so far that are not part of the Skywalker Saga – Rogue One was penned by Tony Gilroy, who is admittedly not a massive Star Wars fan but is nevertheless a craftsman in that galaxy far, far away. In the aftermath of that film’s success, Gilroy clearly had unfinished business with Cassian, serving as showrunner for the critically acclaimed Disney+ series that ended its second and final season this week. Like Rogue One, Andor is a grittier take on George Lucas’ galaxy, showing us the flawed architects of rebellion who sometimes have to do less-than-heroic things to conquer unchecked evil. And yes, it’s really, really good.

We all loved the first season way back in 2022 – the amazing costumes, the brutal combat, the cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, and that prison escape – but It was Andor’s second season that cemented it as a classic. Over four weeks, Andor Season 2’s 12 episodes were broken into three-episode arcs, each of which were set one year apart – so it was like getting a new feature-length movie every week. The season’s final moments take us right into Cassian’s mission at the beginning of Rogue One which, in turn, takes us right into the earliest moments of the original 1977 Star Wars film. It’s wonderfully done, and I can’t wait to incorporate both of those films into my first Andor full-series rewatch, which might be coming sooner than later.

Although I’m not quite up to that days-long task just yet, I just finished rewatching Rogue One moments ago, and I’ve never enjoyed it more. Knowing what Cassian sacrificed, seeing how Mon Mothma’s bravery in the Imperial Senate gave rise to the Rebel Alliance, where the line “rebellions are built on hope” first surfaced and what an evil bastard Orson Krennic truly is made me see large chunks of the film in a whole new light. And yes, I still tear up at the end.

‘Hey, Buddy! Eyes Up Here!’ New ‘Superman’ Trailer Showcases Heart and Heroics

There’s really no reason why Superman shouldn’t be one of the biggest movie franchises on the planet. He’s instantly recognizable, he’s charismatic, his powers are fantastic and he represents humanity at its best. In short, he’s hope personified. Unfortunately, it’s that “golly gee” Silver Age optimism that’s been largely absent from the Man of Steel’s cinematic outings since Christopher Reeve donned the cape decades ago.

James Gunn aims to change all that with this summer’s Superman, which flies into theaters July 11. A new three-minute trailer dropped today, featuring Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane doing her first interview with David Corenswet’s Man of Steel. She grills The Big Blue Boy Scout on intervening – and stopping – an overseas war, which has sparked criticism about using his abilities unchecked and outside the law. Superman’s place in the geopolitical landscape is complicated, but the Smallville farmboy simplifies it. He did what he did because “people were going to die.”

We’re then treated to shots of Superman battling a giant monster, an assortment of friends and foes – including Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho, Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, María Gabriela de Faría’s Engineer and, of course, Krypto the Superdog.

There’s a lot to love in this trailer, and I’m fairly certain that Fillion’s Guy Gardner is going to be a lot of fun – the shot of him nonchalantly flipping over a military vehicle with a flick of his wrist tells me everything I need to know about him. There’s a lot of energy here, and I just can’t get over how vibrant it all is. This is a comic book brought to life … and that’s kind of the point.

Check out which action figures I’m going to buy this summer by watching the full trailer below! 

Marvel Gets its Mojo Back with Witty, Fun ‘Thunderbolts*’

 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was pretty untouchable in the years leading up to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame but, unfortunately, the fervor over the franchise has cooled a bit in the years since. Save for pop-culture highlights like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine, the films have felt obligatory. “We go to Marvel movies because they’re Marvel movies” has been the overall vibe.

Thunderbolts* kicked off this year’s summer movie season in earnest this weekend, and I would be lying if I said my expectations were exceedingly high. And yet, the same could have been said about a certain 2014 film about C-list misfits coming together to form a surprisingly effective superteam – the first Guardians of the Galaxy – and that wound up being one of my favorite MCU films to this day. Thunderbolts* doesn’t quite hit the highs of James Gunn’s first Guardians, but it delivers a charming, funny, action-packed and surprisingly heartwarming story with characters I can’t wait to spend more time with.

Directed by Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank, Paper Towns), Thunderbolts* features a group of broken heroes brought together by fate (and the machinations of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) in a mission that forces them to confront their dark sides and find a path forward together. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova gives the film its emotional core, and her incredible performance provides some of the film’s most heart-wrenching moments – a story about her decision to become the goalie for her childhood soccer team in particular – but everyone gets a chance to shine here. David Harbour ably balances comedy and tragedy as has-been hero Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker hides familial and professional pain behind a tough exterior, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes finds his footing as a leader and Ghost, who’s been absent from the MCU since Ant-Man & The Wasp seven years ago, shows off new sides of her personality that we didn’t see in her last outing.

The film’s biggest surprise is Will Pullman as the enigmatic Bob, whose unexpected emergence as Valentina’s cast-aside test subject presents some unique challenges for our heroes and villains alike. His struggle with The Void – metaphorical emptiness that becomes terrifyingly literal – presents the film’s primary conflict, and I’m interested to see how Bob plays into Avengers: Doomsday, since he’s very much a game changer in the MCU.

Speaking of game changers, I’ll come out and say it: If you’re tired of MCU’s quippy humor, Thunderbolts* might not be for you. The punchlines are nearly constant – especially whenever Red Guardian is around – so if you’re of the mind that Marvel movies should be more serious, you probably won’t have as much fun with Thunderbolts* as I did. Speaking for myself, though, I had a blast. This is exactly the type of escapist entertainment I look for in my superhero movies, and I left the theater with a big, stupid grin on my face.

There is a mid-credit sequence as well as a post-credit scene, but I would advise you to avoid reading the credits too closely. There’s a song credit that spoils the surprise of the post-credit scene, which hints at something major for Avengers: Doomsday. Consider yourself warned.