It’s that time. We finally have our first addition to the
Star Wars canon in the Disney-owned Lucasfilm era, with the
animated series Star Wars Rebels. The premiere episode,
“Spark of Rebellion,” recently debuted, and it’s a damn good time, setting the
stage for a series that looks to be a ton of fun. Definitely aimed at kids, but
never in the cheap, cloying way that George Lucas’ prequels were, kids are
absolutely going to flip their wigs over this, but at the same time there’s
more than enough here to keep you interested and watching right along with
them. It isn’t the movies we’ve been waiting for, but it just might tide you
over until Episode VII drops next December.
Rebels is far more in line with the
original trilogy than the much maligned Episodes I, II, and
III, thankfully. More than anything else, this has the look and feel
that you love so much about Star Wars in the first place.
There’s that sense of the swashbuckling action that Lucas originally lifted from
the movie serials of his youth, and high adventure is definitely the order of
the day. It’s hard not to grin like an idiot as the characters battle with
dimwitted stormtroopers and dodge Imperial forces. There are TIE Fighters, Star
Destroyers, lightsabers, and the fact that they use John Williams’ trademark
score only drives home the fact that you’re watching NEW FREAKIN’ STAR
WARS.
Set in between the events of Revenge of the
Sith and A New Hopes, Rebels
shows a world where the Galactic Empire is tightening its oppressive grip on
the galaxy, specifically the outer rim planets, like the small, backwater world
of Lothal. In this tyrannical environment, pockets of rebellion flourish, and
you see the seeds of what will ultimately become the Rebel Alliance.
“Spark” starts off with a big action scene, most of which
we’ve already seen courtesy of an extended clip released a while back, but that
doesn’t make it any less of a blast. Ezra Bridger is an orphan, a loner, a
smalltime con artist who, though he has no love for the Empire and is fond of
ripping them off when the opportunity arises, only cares about his own
survival. When he tries to jack a mystery shipment from some Imperial goons, he
crosses paths with another group trying to do the same thing, but with
drastically different motives. This crew includes the Jedi leader Kanan;
explosives expert Mandalorian Sabine, who also has an artistic side; gruff,
tough muscle Zeb; nerves-of-steel pilot Hera; and sassy little astromech
Chopper. They’re on a mission of more overt rebellion and resistance, and as
Ezra gradually gets absorbed into the group, this band forms the center of
Rebels.
I’m still not a big fan of the character design, though the
rest of the world they’ve created looks fantastic and spot on. Kanan comes
across as a little bland (to be honest, Obi-Wan comes across much the same
way), but Ezra has the makings of a strong lead, mixing the best qualities of
both Luke and Han. He’s a small town (planet) Skywalker type who dreams of
something much grander—he’s also strong, but untrained in the ways of the
Force—but he’s got a serious Solo swagger. When he first shows up, he’s got
that veneer of out-for-number-one, but you can tell right away that his tough
exterior, a survival tool he’s developed, hides something nobler, something
that may even surprise himself. And as he accompanies the rebels on their
missions, including delivering food to the starving residents of a shantytown/refugee
camp, you can tell the selfless outweighs the selfish, and his reluctant hero
bit won’t be reluctant for long.
At the advanced screening I saw, every child in the audience
was dead quiet, leaning forward in their seats, totally engrossed by what they
saw on screen. Given the obvious target audience, you know better than to
expect anything particularly sophisticated or subtle—this is the kind of thing
where the dialogue is very obvious and everything is spelled out in explicit
terms—but it is never dull or boring. While there are some overly hokey bits,
like overt references to the titles of multiple Star Wars
movies, you’re never far removed from a fast, exciting action scene, and any
bumps are easily forgiven. A zero gravity sequence is an especially fun moment.
“Spark of Rebellion” is very much the first chapter, very
much setting the stage for the episodes to follow. You learn about the state of
the world, meet the main characters, and see how things are going to operate
moving forward. Cameos and references connect the material to the larger
Star Wars universe, and you get to meet the two main villains.
Imperial lackey Agent Kallus will be the more week-to-week enemy they face off
with on a regular basis, while you get he impression that the Inquisitor, who
only shows up briefly here, will serve more as a larger, big picture enemy,
kind of like Thanos in the Marvel movies. He may not show up in every episode,
but his presence and shadow loom over everything else.
Not perfect by any means, there is certainly more than
enough in Star Wars Rebels to keep you tuning in from week
to week, especially knowing in advance that things we see and experience here
will continue to show up in the new movies as the universe expands. Fun and
action packed, Rebels captures the spirit of the original
trilogy and reminds you of just why you love those movies so damn much in the first
place. After watching “Spark of Rebellion” I was subsequently bummed out to
learn that I don’t get Disney XD at home, so I’m going to have to find another
way to tune in and watch these episodes, and it’ll be worth the effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment