u/AlphaBladeYiII

"Andor" is by far the best live-action show Star Wars has produced and one of the best pieces of live-action Star Wars period. But as much as I like it, its fanbase does an incredible job at making me want to hate it out of spite, largely because they tear down everything else to elevate it and tolerate no criticism or even personal negative feelings or nitpicks. Which isn't me disagreeing with the fact that some of the criticisms are pretty stupid. (cough the Empire doesn't tolerate this cough)

For some reason, Andor fans get extremely defensive when you point out that Andor bears little resemblance to the Star Wars saga beyond the themes of anti-authoritarianism and persevering with hope against insurmountable odds, even though Andor is a completely different genre from the saga and is made by someone who has openly stated that he doesn't like Star Wars. Star Wars has a complex identity due to the many inspirations George Lucas drew from, but it's very much an epic, larger-than-life space opera, with young knights going on spiritual journeys and wise old wizards and dashing Rogues and Princess Generals and gradiose dark lords and more. It can be dark and have things to say, but it's also unabashedly cheesy, earnest, and sincere, which is a huge part of its charm, whimsy, and fun. Andor is a gritty, grounded espionage thriller about how regular people fare under tyranny, with emphasis on the banality of evil and no interest at all in the spiritual or metaphysical aspects of the saga. They're so different, it's not even funny.

And this is very much NOT a critique of Andor. Star Wars can and absolutely should try new things. The Expanded Universe dipped its toes into so many genres, it's not even funny; from medical dramedies, to military fiction, to zombie horror, high fantasy and more. George Lucas saw the universe he created as a tapestry on which any type of story could be told, and he constantly pushed the various writers to be more original and try new things. He wanted them to grow beyond his own stuff and not just rehash what he did. But Andor stans become offended if you point out that the show barely resembles Star Wars and could be made into an original work without changing much.

And you know what? it's also fair for someone to look at Andor and say "This is well made but not what I come to Star Wars for". It's fair for me to say that while Andor is more consistent and technically better made, I subjectively prefer something like Rebels or maybe the Knights of the Old Republic comics because they're far more fun and Star Wars-y while still being really good. It doesn't mean I lack intelligence or maturity. It's fair to point out the poor handling of aliens and what a missed opportunity it was or how the use of real life curse words rather than in-universe ones is immersion breaking, while acknowledging that these are ultimately nitpicks and don't diminish how good the show is. It's fair to point out that Tony Gilroy doesn't actually like Star Wars and has no interest in the universe beyond how it could service his story, because there's nothing wrong with that. The man did his homework and made a great show that, intentionally or not, reasonably fits well with the themes and universe George established in his saga. Him being able to create a good Star Wars show despite his disinterest in the saga and the universe is an exception, not a rule.

"So you want someone who's more "passionate" about the saga like Filoni who creates slop and cameo fests?"

My brother in christ, Filoni's output post 2020 isn't bad because he's a fan or because it's too Star Wars-y. It's bad because it's bad. And Andor isn't good because it "doesn't have The Force and lightsabers" or because it's oh so serious and "mature", it's good because it's good. It's a good Star Wars show inspite of the lack of traditional Star Wars elements, not because of that absence. The things things that made Star Wars what it is aren't what's holding it back. A lack of direction and poor writing are.

RotJ is where Han really comes into his own as a true rebel. He's no longer a selfish, shady scoundrel out for himself. He's a respectable, trustworthy leader. He's truly dedicated to something bigger than himself, and no longer torn between duty and his own self-interest or even the fear of his past catching up to him.

One of the film's best moments for me was when he told Leia that when Luke returned, he wouldn't get in the way between them. It showed that he truly loved Leia and respected her choices, and he that he didn’t hesitate to place her happiness above his own. Even when he initially gets frustrated at the Ewok village when he thinks there's something between her and Luke, he immediately apologizes​ and comforts her. It's such a great, unintentional parallel to Anakin's unhealthy attachment to Padmé, with how selfless and genuine Han and Leia's love is.

Arcane season 2 is fairly divisive, and definitely more uneven compared to the amazing first season. It especially suffered from a somewhat rushed pacing, especially towards the end. That being said, I still think it's great overall, and delivered a generally satisfying ending. However, most would agree that it could've used more time to properly wrap up the story.

And honestly, I would've settled for even a few more scenes in the epilogue, even five more minutes. I was disappointed with how we didn't see Jayce be mourned beyond a quick shot with his mother in the crowd, and that we barely got any interactions between him and Caitlyn in the season (I might be biased because he's my favorite character). I would've liked to see Ekko and Vi mourn together or even interact at all (it's a crime that they don't speak this season). I would've liked more scenes about the aftermath and the rebuilding process for Zaun and Piltover. I would've liked for the show to establish that other scientists would continue Jayce and Victor's research into hextech, this time with more caution to ensure it remains generally a force for good and prevent another wild rune. Maybe under Heimerdinger's supervision (I know he 'died' but I disagreed with that choice because I felt it didn’t add to the story. And Yordles are immortal and respawn in Bandle City anyway).

Overall, I liked the ending. But I wish it gave us more because the epilogue was too short.

Fallen Order is an amazing game. I've played through it twice and loved it. Zero issues for the most part. Now I'm almost done with Survivor and went back to Fallen Order to show it to my cousins. While my opinion hasn't changed, the movement, controls, and combat suddenly feel very clunky, to the point that I briefly wondered if there was something wrong with the game. I'm sure if I leave the game for a year or two and then do a replay that wouldn't be the case, but did anyone else experience this after playing Survivor? Am I just having adjustment issus after playing Survivor for so long?

I have to say I'm surprised by the average/lackluster critical reception. It's not an amazing or exceptional CBM, but it's quite good and definitely above average. I actually liked it a little more than Superman, which I also liked. If Superman is a 7-7.5/10 from me, Supergirl is a 7 5-8/10. There are weaker films with higher RT scores imo.

Milly Alcock is great as Kara, and they got her dynamic with Ruthye quite well. Like the comic, there is a nice exploration of her grief and trauma that balances her inner strength and kindness well. Her scenes with Clark were quite sweet (I love David in the role so much). Jason is amazing as Lobo.

Overall, I'd say Ana definitely did a good job with the script, and Wonder Woman is likely in good hands. The comic was maybe a bit stronger in places, but I think Ana did a good job translating it into screen. I'll say the visuals were the weakest point for me, being rather underwhelming compared to the gorgeous comic.

It's not an amazing or exceptional CBM, but it's quite good and definitely above average. I actually liked it a little more than Superman, which I also liked. If Superman is a 7-7.5/10 from me, Supergirl is a 7.5-8/10. There are weaker films with higher RT scores imo.

Milly Alcock is great as Kara, and they got her dynamic with Ruthye quite well. Like the comic, there is a nice exploration of her grief and trauma that balances her inner strength and kindness well. Her scenes with Clark were quite sweet (I love David in the role so much). Jason is amazing as Lobo.

Overall, I'd say Ana definitely did a good job with the script, and Wonder Woman is likely in good hands. The comic was maybe a bit stronger in places, but I think Ana did a good job translating it into screen. I'll say the visuals were the weakest point for me, being rather underwhelming compared to the gorgeous comic.

And no, I am not talking about criticims or critique here. We can and should criticize media however we see fit. I criticize just about all of my favorite pieces of media and my personal favorite creatives. What I'm referring to is when people straight up hate and attack a creative there were fans of.

As a Star Wars fan, this is something that I see all the time. Now, I've often defended SW fans from the vilification they often deal with and will stand by the claim that they aren't different from any other sufficiently large fanbase. Because any group that large will have nutjobs and extremists. Unfortunately, "the extreme leaves an impression" and those voices are often annoyingly loud. That being said, I'm still confused by the amount of hate that George Lucas, the guy who made the whole thing, recieved in the 2000s. To this day, I've seen people who openly hate and dismiss the man. Don't get me wrong, the special editions were a mixed bag and the prequels were average films overall. It's perfectly fair to criticize them. But the man dealt with some truly awful vitriol, and there are still bullshit narratives to this day that exist to minimize his credit for the Original Trilogy or "explain" why the prequels weren't great e.g the "saved in the edit" myth. And they're usually spread by people who have no idea how the films were made.

And now this is the case for Filoni. Now, I have mixed feelings at best about the Guy and I think he's in over his head these days. I personally think TCW is a mixed bag leaning positive as far as children shows go, and Rebels is actually my favorite Star Wars series. I also believe that people don't understand how those shows were made and just assume Filoni was the end all be all of them when that isn't true. I'm also unimpressed by his solo flights so far. But there's no denying that the guy was worshipped at some point, and now that the cracks are showing, many came to hate him. (Granted, unlike with George, many of those people never liked his work in the first place)

Then you have Jon Favreau. Make no mistake, I think The Mandalorian Season 3, The Book of Boba Fett, and The Mandalorian and Grogu were all mediocre/bad. But I still love the man. He's made good films before, is a massive fan, and I will always appreciate him for the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. Not only were they really fun and fresh, but they brought a certain joy and unity to the Fandom that hasn't been replicated since.

Outside of SW, I've seen a lot of hate towards Kevin Feige post-Endgame, and have even seen people who want him replaced. Make no mistake, post-Endgame MCU is a mess, and has some awful stinkers. And Feige can and should be criticized for some of that, like letting Taika Waititi make an abomination like Love and Thunder. But he's still the guy who oversaw an achievement like the Infinity Saga. Nothing will take that away from him. Not to mention, the MCU has produced many good projects post Endgame, including some great ones. And that's ignoring how stretched thin Feige became after Endgame.

I'm probably focusing more on the online negativity, which is often amplified and not indicative of reality. But it still baffles me how some people can turn so completely against someone they were once fans of. Criticism is fine and good, but some of the dismissal and vitriol are strange to me.