As the franchise’s very first target audience, Generation X tends to have a complicated relationship with Star Wars. Though an instant classic upon its debut in 1977, George Lucas’ original installment is often dismissed as a children’s film. But that description simply doesn’t bear scrutiny. Sure, its archetypal “hero’s journey” was inspired by Flash Gordon matinee serials, and two of its central characters were intended as bumbling comic relief. But the film’s young protagonist experiences the murder of both his adopted parents and his newfound mentor, even as its female lead endures torture. An entire planet’s worth of innocent living beings are wiped out in a casual but calculated act of genocide, and the film’s anti-hero shoots a man in cold blood in an obvious kill-or-be-killed situation. These are hardly the hijinks of the Apple Dumpling Gang.

Andor was captured digitally by cinematographers Adriano Goldman, Frank Lamm, and Damián García in the X-OCN ST codec (in 16 bits and 6K resolution) using Sony Venice cameras with Panavision C and G-Series anamorphic lenses. It was finished at the 2.39:1 scope ratio for its streaming and physical release, and is presented here on 4K Ultra HD with HDR10 high dynamic range. As you might expect, the image quality is a major improvement over the Disney+ stream. With video data rates consistently in the 80-90 Mbps range (encoded for 100 GB discs), the result is much greater clarity and fine detail, a notably richer color palette, and an image of far more depth and dimensionality. There’s none of the banding and artifacting sometimes visible in the Disney+ stream. Notably, the HDR experience on disc is more of what you expect from this format, with deeply detailed shadows and more naturally bright and eye-reactive highlights. Perhaps best of all—and unlike The Mandalorian and other recent Star Wars series—Andor has actually been shot on large practical sets and out in the real world, so none of the limitations of the StageCraft Volume are in evidence. This is a fantastic 4K image, absolutely rock solid at all times and full of nuance.

Primary audio on these discs is offered in English Dolby Atmos. And unlike the compromised sound experience on the Disney+ stream, the uncompressed Atmos mix really shines. All the dynamics are present, with pleasing LFE and immersive use of the height and surround channels. The soundstage is nicely wide, with subtle atmospherics all around the listener. Dialogue is clean and readily discernible, while movement is smooth and buttery. Stand-out moments include the warehouse firefight at the end of Reckoning, the stunning Eye of Aldhani, Rael’s escape from an Imperial Arrestor Cruiser aboard the Fondor, and of course the Rix Road funeral procession and Maarva’s stirring holographic speech, all of which take full advantage of the overhead channels. This certainly isn’t an aggressive or blustery surround mix, but it serves the visuals well and—again like the imagery—is a nice improvement over the streaming experience. Additional sound options include English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, as well as French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Subtitles are available in English for the Hearing Impaired, French, and Spanish.

  • @ripleyEnglish
    9•7 months ago

    I thought Andor was the best Star Wars content since Empire, but Disney’s prices are too rich for my blood. Getting tougher and tougher to be a thrifty collector.