I’d put off writing this because I’d put off watching it, but I guess that now’s the best time to be forthright: I don’t think Star Wars: Visions is good.
I should be clear that it’s not bad, either. I like the core idea, having different animation studios put their own spins on Star Wars, and the results look amazing. It’s neat seeing Star Wars ala The Animatrix, and I love how Season 2 included shorts from Western studios too. But that can’t hide my glaring issue with the shorts: that some of them end too abruptly. Since they’re supposed to be self-contained, that’s a bad sign. Let me explain.
I’ll mention the positives upfront. I like the different animation styles. I also appreciate the vibes they carry, as an entry from Trigger looks and sounds different than one from Aardman. This makes sense, they’re from different parts of the world, but the variety makes for interesting possibilities. As the title implies, you get different visions of what Star Wars is and its global impact.
I also like how these shorts feature original characters. As much as I like the Star Wars mythos, I find that it limits its storytelling by constantly coming back to the same characters. Luke, while cool, is overdone. As is Anakin. By frequently reusing them, however, the franchise feels smaller than it should. That’s something these shorts remedy.
Unfortunately, these positives don’t compensate for the problem with Star Wars: Visions. As unique and interesting as these shorts are, they’re handicapped by their lengths. I don’t think several of these shorts should be shorts. They’re too rich in lore and detail that that hurts their quality. If anything, they could stand being longer. A few should even be full-fledged films.
I’ll use two examples from Season 1 to demonstrate what I mean. The first is “Lop and Ochō”, or Episode 8. Lop, a slave, is saved by Ochō and her father and taken in as one of their own. Years pass and The Galactic Empire’s sapping their planet of resources. Desperate to help her people, Ochō cuts her hair and joins The Empire, while Lop’s handed the family lightsaber in order to rescue her. The two fight, whereupon Ochō injures her father and Lop “brands” Ochō. The short ends with Ochō escaping in an Imperial ship.
This is a great idea on its own: two sisters torn apart by political differences duke it out. It’s the eternal struggle of Star Wars, mirroring Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel on Mustafar, and it lends to excellent dramatic writing. This could easily be a compelling movie, and it feels like it should’ve been one. But it’s a short, leaving me disappointed and with unanswered questions. Perhaps too many questions, honestly.
For starters, what’s Lop’s back-story? I know she’s a runaway slave, and slavery’s a common theme in Star Wars, but we’re never told why. We also never see her escaping her captors, only that she did. Even once found by Ochō and her father, we’re given little time for the familial bond to develop. We only get a photograph, followed by a time-skip.
Next, why does Ochō join The Empire? I know the planet’s resources are being sucked dry, and that she was desperate, but this is a stretch. It doesn’t help that Ochō’s personality changes once she turncoats, becoming a cliché antagonist. It’s true that turncoats in Star Wars flip on a dime, but even here it’s drastic. If the point is to show that The Empire corrupts you, it’s a little too effective.
This is a great idea on its own: two sisters torn apart by political differences duke it out. It’s the eternal struggle of Star Wars, mirroring Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel on Mustafar, and it lends to excellent dramatic writing. This could easily be a compelling movie, and it feels like it should’ve been one. But it’s a short, leaving me disappointed and with unanswered questions. Perhaps too many questions, honestly.
For starters, what’s Lop’s back-story? I know she’s a runaway slave, and slavery’s a common theme in Star Wars, but we’re never told why. We also never see her escaping her captors, only that she did. Even once found by Ochō and her father, we’re given little time for the familial bond to develop. We only get a photograph, followed by a time-skip.
Next, why does Ochō join The Empire? I know the planet’s resources are being sucked dry, and that she was desperate, but this is a stretch. It doesn’t help that Ochō’s personality changes once she turncoats, becoming a cliché antagonist. It’s true that turncoats in Star Wars flip on a dime, but even here it’s drastic. If the point is to show that The Empire corrupts you, it’s a little too effective.
Finally, the end battle between Lop and Ochō leaves me unsatisfied. Aside from no explanation of how Lop’s Force sensitive, I guess it happens to anyone now, the duel’s rushed and ends abruptly. I get the symbolism with the branding, but it’s unsatisfying. Couldn’t we have had a few more seconds, maybe a minute or two, to see the impact this fight had? Again, this is a movie condensed into a short.
Perhaps the biggest offender is Episode 9 of Season 1, “Akakiri”. This had the most potential to be a film, yet chickened out as a short. The premise revolves around a Jedi, Tsubaki, who helps a princess/lost lover, Misa, reclaim her throne from a royal-turned-Sith named Masago. The journey’s long and difficult, made challenging by Tsubaki having visions of a fight that doesn’t end well. He’s unsure why he’s having them, only that he’s predicting the future.
When Misa and Tsubaki confront Masago, Masago states that it’s Tsubaki’s destiny to join The Sith. The two fight when he refuses, with Tsubaki engaging and killing some of her goons. Unfortunately, one of the goons is Misa, for some reason, and her death devastates him. Masago offers to teach him how to revive Misa, but only if he becomes her apprentice. And he does. The short then ends.
I get the point here: to show that love in Star Wars is doomed, and that Jedi embracing it leads to their downfalls. We saw this with Anakin in Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith, so there’s potential in reusing that plot device. But here it feels rushed. Say what you will about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship, but there were three movies of buildup. It had time to develop naturally.
Perhaps the biggest offender is Episode 9 of Season 1, “Akakiri”. This had the most potential to be a film, yet chickened out as a short. The premise revolves around a Jedi, Tsubaki, who helps a princess/lost lover, Misa, reclaim her throne from a royal-turned-Sith named Masago. The journey’s long and difficult, made challenging by Tsubaki having visions of a fight that doesn’t end well. He’s unsure why he’s having them, only that he’s predicting the future.
When Misa and Tsubaki confront Masago, Masago states that it’s Tsubaki’s destiny to join The Sith. The two fight when he refuses, with Tsubaki engaging and killing some of her goons. Unfortunately, one of the goons is Misa, for some reason, and her death devastates him. Masago offers to teach him how to revive Misa, but only if he becomes her apprentice. And he does. The short then ends.
I get the point here: to show that love in Star Wars is doomed, and that Jedi embracing it leads to their downfalls. We saw this with Anakin in Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith, so there’s potential in reusing that plot device. But here it feels rushed. Say what you will about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship, but there were three movies of buildup. It had time to develop naturally.
It doesn’t help that, again, this short ends abruptly. Like the fight between Lop and Ochō, we’re not given time to let Tsubaki and Masago’s battle sink in. And while I get using Misa at bait, because love makes you behave irrationally, the way she brainwashes her is never explained. We don’t even realize she’s been brainwashed until after Tsubaki strikes her down, which is confusing. It’s not great writing when your big reveal’s a head-scratcher.
The issue, once again, is length. It’s not that I don’t care about Misa and Tsubaki’s romance, as two-thirds of the short are dedicated to that. The problem’s that not enough time’s spent on the dénouement. Yes, the downer ending makes sense. And yes, I appreciate the short having the audacity to not end happily. But the pacing hampers the experience, making me unsatisfied. That’s a problem when your story’s supposed to be self-contained.
But that’s the issue with these shorts in general: they’re hampered by their length. It’s not like every episode suffers, “Tatooine Rhapsody” is perfectly-paced, but enough do that it takes me out of the experience. I’m hoping that Season 2 doesn’t have this problem, but I’m not getting my hopes up. I want to love it, and Episode 1 of Season 2 has sold me so far, but if Season 1’s any indication, then this issue could repeat itself. And that concerns me greatly.
Then again, maybe it’s only me…
The issue, once again, is length. It’s not that I don’t care about Misa and Tsubaki’s romance, as two-thirds of the short are dedicated to that. The problem’s that not enough time’s spent on the dénouement. Yes, the downer ending makes sense. And yes, I appreciate the short having the audacity to not end happily. But the pacing hampers the experience, making me unsatisfied. That’s a problem when your story’s supposed to be self-contained.
But that’s the issue with these shorts in general: they’re hampered by their length. It’s not like every episode suffers, “Tatooine Rhapsody” is perfectly-paced, but enough do that it takes me out of the experience. I’m hoping that Season 2 doesn’t have this problem, but I’m not getting my hopes up. I want to love it, and Episode 1 of Season 2 has sold me so far, but if Season 1’s any indication, then this issue could repeat itself. And that concerns me greatly.
Then again, maybe it’s only me…
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