Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2308

MISS PEREGRINE Is Tim Burton’s Most Enjoyable in Years (Review)

For me,  a bit of an impasse has been reached with the work of director Tim Burton. While he’s undoubtedly a master in terms of creating his distinct brand of style, moody palate, and offbeat humor in all of his work, his films have tended to land flat in pretty much all departments since the early 2000s. Even Big Eyes, his re-teaming with the brilliant writing team behind Ed Wood, felt empty despite the many things it had going for it. And maybe it’s because of this let-down, and because he’s working a plot-heavy story, that Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was such a pleasant surprise.

Based on the novel by Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is packed with the kind of young-outcast story that Burton makes his so often, and it’s filled with enough intriguing dark magic and mythology to keep the viewer engaged even when things don’t land entirely well. In truth, this is perhaps the most enjoyable Burton movie in many years, specifically because he allows the the story to guide him, rather than overshadowing it with his sometimes oppressive stylistic choices. (We get it, dude; you like pale people with frizzy black hair, and old houses with long shadows.)

Asa Butterfield plays Jake, the seemingly average Florida teenager who can’t seem to catch a break in life, and whose parents (Chris O’Dowd and Kim Dickens) don’t really get him either. His best friend is his grandfather, Abe (Terence Stamp), but he’s grown senile, hanging on to bedtime stories he told Jake as a child that he swears are true. When Abe is killed mysteriously, and Jake thinks he sees monsters commit the act, he spends the next several months talking to a therapist (Allison Janney) trying to forget it. However, when he finds letters in his grandpa’s belongings pointing him to Miss Peregrine’s orphanage, where the old man grew up, on a tiny island in Wales, his shrink decides Jake and his father should go check it out.

Up to this point, the movie is only passingly interesting, but once Jake gets to Wales, the picture really takes off. He’s shown that the orphanage was destroyed during WWII, but he’s also soon met by kids who lived in said orphanage but are still kids. You see, they’re “peculiar” kids, kids with strange gifts or physical attributes, and they are made to live in loops by their caretakers. These loops allow them to live the same day over and over again, though they retain all the memories and can step out of the loop and in to the present if they need. Their caretaker, Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), has chosen the 24 hours leading up to the Nazi bombing of the house as their “loop.”

Peregrine can turn in to a bird as well as manipulate time, and some of the other children have powers like hands that can set things on fire, super strength, mouths on the back of their heads, eyes that can project dreams like a movie, the ability to create living puppets, and talk to plants. Jake also meets Emma (Ella Purnell), the girl his grandpa loved, who is lighter than air and needs to wear large leaden boots to remain on the ground. While this is nice and everything, Jake doesn’t think he belongs there; however, he soon learns of a plot to kill all Peculiar children by other Peculiars who mutated themselves in to monsters. They’re led by the evil Barron (Samuel L. Jackson) and either look like white-eyed people with sharp teeth, or 8-foot-tall gangling horrors with tentacles on their heads. Nightmare fuel for sure. Jake has to find his inner strength if he is going to save his newfound friends.

There certainly have been a lot of these YA fantasy novels turned into movies in the wake of the Harry Potter films, and while definite comparisons can be made, Miss Peregrine is wholly different in terms of tone and scope. This is a very dark movie, but not one that kids shouldn’t see. It feels right at home in the kind of sinister fairy tales that Disney churned out in the early ’80s. The monsters are scary, the characters are weird, and the jeopardy feels real. Characters die by getting their eyes poked out and eaten. It’s not safe by any means.

And to that end, Burton and his team’s breed of macabre is a perfect marriage. The costumes by Colleen Atwood are particularly wonderful, especially those worn by the 1940s characters. Burton allows the peril to build, and for each of the children to have their moment or two in the spotlight. There’s even an impressive stop-motion sequence where two ambulatory doll monstrosities fight, and a climactic battle between the nasty monsters and reanimated skeletons, evoking Jason and the Argonauts but on an amusement park pier. There’s a lot of backstory, but the story feels very personal, unlike the epicness of something like Potter.

The performances are really 50-50, though. Eva Green is fabulous as Peregrine, a mix of strong, motherly, mysterious, and dangerous. She owns this central role and is a pleasure to watch throughout. (Also, not for nothing, but her name should be thrown in to the list of possible next Doctor Who leads right now.) The other peculiar children are also quite good, and it’s their plights that I found myself clinging to the most. Asa Butterfield, on the other hand, is such a flat and bland lead in this; he’s a plank of wood half the time. Part of me wonders if he was focusing too hard on doing his fairly unconvincing American accent and that’s why he didn’t give much of a performance, but either way, he’s anti-charisma. The other less-great performances have the opposite problem, stemming from Samuel L. Jackson’s excessive scene chewing, which is enjoyable enough for its campiness.

Despite the few duff performances, and some overly earnest dialogue at times, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is thoroughly enjoyable for the bulk of its run time, and Burton proves once again that he can do great things given the proper parameters. I’d gladly watch a few more of these movies. Not perfect, but roundly fun.

3.5 spooky burritos out of 5

Images: 20th Century Fox

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD Recap: Celebrating a “Date of Death”

Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of Fear the Walking Dead! Proceed with caution, survivors. For reals, if you haven’t yet watched the latest episode, “Date of Death”, we highly suggest you do so before proceeding. Okay? We good? Let’s go.

By no means am I a parent, but I have to imagine that “Date of Death” will be traumatic to most every parent who watches it, regardless of how old one’s children might be. Because it depicts, in excruciating detail, something that’s even worse than the death of a chil –their spiritual death.

Picking up where we last left Travis and Chris a couple of weeks ago, this week’s episode see the latter grow increasingly disgusted with his son. And with good reason. For after shooting the farmer on whose land they were trespassing with Chris’ newfound “friends,” Chris exhibits zero remorse. Instead, he tells Travis, in between gulps of beer, that “There is no more good.” As if we didn’t have reason enough to hate them, his bro-dude buddies, hellbent on road tripping back to the States, decide to leave their injured friend James behind despite Travis’ insistence that he could recover. Travis winds up grabbing a gun and locks himself in the barn with James. Then Chris convinces him he’s on his side, only to betray him so his pals can hold a gun to Travis’ head while they shoot James dead. What’s more horrifying than the murder, however, is watching Travis’ expression when he realizes his son is beyond help, that he’s so far gone he too may as well die for all the pain he’s now capable of causing others. I’ve been a little hard on Cliff Curtis’ work on this show, but I understand the challenges he’s faced, because Fear the Walking Dead‘s other grownup characters are so much better defined and given more layers of personality than Travis. But, like Andrew Lincoln on FTWD‘s parent show, Curtis improves as his character’s world becomes more hellish, as madness becomes an increasingly viable option.

As for Madison, she experiences a kind of epiphany this week when Travis finally shows up at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, along with dozens of other refugees seeking shelter. A recurring visual motif of both Walking Dead TV shows is used once more here, as a wall of desperate survivors forms outside the resort’s gate, scarcely distinguishable from the infected they’re fleeing. Madison lets in Travis (and eventually forty-three others), and he explains how he failed his wife and son. It triggers her own fear that she’s driven Alicia away with her worry over Nick. So she takes another step in treating her daughter like an adult, and tells her that her father was not killed in an auto accident, but took his own life. She adds that her preoccupation with Nick stems from her concern that he could follow his father’s path.

It’s enough to make both Madison and Alicia more sympathetic; and their growing bond, thankfully, makes them more than mere figures of pity. Instead, Travis is the one I’m worried about. He looks so forlorn when Madison leaves him on that balcony that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he jumped right off of it. But he’ll be needed next week. In the final scene of “Date of Death,” Chris’ pals show up at the hotel without him. They look distraught, yet I sincerely hope Travis winds up beating the shit out of them. Regardless of the reason they give for his son’s absence.

Undead Afterthoughts

— For longtime fans of this universe, the best–and possibly only–good thing about Chris is that he shows how much worse The Walking Dead‘s Carl Grimes could have turned out. And how much worse his relationship with his dad could be.

— Kudos to writer Brian Buckner for the structure of this week’s episode, which weaves flashbacks into its narrative more smoothly and effectively than any episode I’ve yet seen on this show.

— Those who watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. know that actor Lorenzo James Henrie showed up on its season premiere last week. So even if Chris reappears I wouldn’t expect to see much more of him.

— “I love you all. But enough’s enough.”

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@JMaCabre).

Images: AMC

SON OF ZORN Has Fantastic Potential, but It’s Not Quite There Yet (Review)

Warning: This review contains spoilers for the Sept. 25th episode of Son of Zorn. If you don’t want to know what happens, you have the power to click away right now!

Fish-out-of-water stories are usually good for a laugh, but Zorn, the lead in Fox‘s new series Son of Zorn, takes the concept to an unusual extreme, in that he barely lives in the same plane of existence as those around him.

For those who aren’t familiar with the series, Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s new show centers around Zorn, a He-Man-like cartoon warrior voiced by Jason Sudeikis,who has returned from the animated land of Zephyria to real-life Orange County in an effort to develop a relationship with his carbon-based son Alangulon (or Alan, played by Johnny Pemberton). The muscle-laden sword-wielder also tries to rekindle the lost love with his ex-wife Edie (Cheryl Hines), who is now engaged to Craig (Tim Meadows), a far more conventional man than he.

The first episode of the show, which aired on September 11, established the basic setting and premise: Zorn initially flies in after a battle for a quick visit, he realizes how damaged his relationship with his family is and makes an effort to correct it by getting an apartment and a job (as a soap salesman) in town. Now that the show has charted its course, it’s time to find out if it can get past its hybrid format gimmick and deliver an entertaining half hour on a regular basis.

Sunday night’s episode, “Defender of Teen Love,” shows potential, but as of yet, much of it is unrealized. Zorn is tasked with getting his boxes of old stuff, like his trusty Game Boy and an assortment of drawn mythical items, out of Edie’s garage, and while over at the house, he embarrassingly ruins Alan’s encounter with love interest Nancy, a classmate who lives down the street. Feeling bad, Zorn uses the Stone of Sight, a magical tablet that allows its user to untraceably spy on whoever it chooses, to gain intel about Nancy for Alan’s benefit. After the supernatural stone causes mishaps between Alan and Nancy and between Zorn and Edie, Zorn experiences some personal growth, realizing that being considerate, a concept he learned from his boss Linda, is a strong tool in his quest to be a better father and person.

It’s still early in the show’s life, but as it stands, it seems like Zorn may be the only character who is set to experience any sort of evolution. Son of Zorn has a variation of the problem that brings down The Last Man on Earth, on which Lord is an executive producer and in which Sudeikis has a role: In The Last Man on Earth, Phil Miller is borderline unlikable as a protagonist because he’s an underdeveloped character, both personally and comedically, while those who inhabit his world are far more appealing and fun to watch than he is.

Inversely, Zorn is an instantly enjoyable figure, far more so than the one-dimensional personalities he’s surrounded by. His quips are actually funny (like his misogynistic insistence that Linda is a man due to her being his superior) and his predicament makes him interesting; He has personality, but nobody else on the show really seems to yet. Alan is recessive and has trouble with girls, Craig is a modern man whose interests and goings-on aren’t “masculine” in the traditional sense, and Edie used to have a wild past, sure, but now there’s not much of note about her.

The supporting characters are well-worn archetypes that provide little for the vibrant personality of Zorn to play off of. Son of Zorn is supposed to be a fish-out-of-water story, yes, but stepping outside of the show’s narrative, Zorn is so far removed from his peers that there’s nobody around him to match his energy and play up to his level of humor.

It’s tough for a program to live up to its potential in the first two episodes, and while Son of Zorn definitely hasn’t done that, it has at least proven that’s it’s capable of more than is currently showing. So long as it’s able to stop relying on the unusual format as its main appeal and give Zorn a more dynamic supporting cast, it should therefore give us a more watchable show.

Featured image: Fox

Rating (for now, at least): 3 out of 5 burritos.

Secret Science Nerds: WESTWORLD Creator Michael Crichton

HBO’s new series Westworld–which takes place in a futuristic theme park populated by android townspeople, bandits, and lawmen–is but the latest adaptation of the work of the late Michael Crichton, whose 1973 film of the same name served as the new show’s inspiration. Even if you weren’t aware that Crichton scripted and directed that film, it’s a safe bet that you’re familiar with his other work, notably the science-fiction franchise that started with Jurassic Park and the long-running medical drama ER. What you might not know is that Crichton didn’t pull these stories from his fantastic imagination alone but was helped immensely by his extensive medical and scientific background, making him the latest of our Secret Science Nerds.

Despite being well-known these days for his contemporary science-fiction classics and techno-thrillers, Crichton’s career did not start out with any sort of scientific pursuits in mind. His interest in writing, however, started at an early age with Crichton publishing a travel column in The New York Times at the age of 14. He pursued literature studies during his time as an undergraduate at Harvard; this is where his career took a fateful turn. Disagreements with Harvard’s English department led Crichton to change his area of focus to biological anthropology, a major in which he graduated summa cum laude in 1964. For the year that followed, Crichton acted as a visiting lecturer to the U.K.’s University of Cambridge after receiving a Henry Russell Shaw Traveling Fellowship.

Upon returning to the States, Crichton then enrolled at Harvard Medical School, paying his way through school with the publication of novels under the pseudonyms of John Lange–to the tune of eight novels in six years–and Sir Jeffrey Hudson. Hudson’s medical detective story A Case of Need won Crichton his first Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1969, the same year that he received his medical degree and started his year-long post-doctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. However, 1969 was also the year in which Crichton would write his best-selling breakthrough novel The Andromeda Strain, and by this time his decision to be a writer rather than a doctor was already cemented.

What followed was a storied career full of best-selling books, blockbuster movie adaptations, and groundbreaking television shows. And at the core of all of this success was a rock-solid foundation in science and a life-long interest in technology. Well before the publication and subsequent big-screen adaptation of Jurassic Park, the biotechnological thriller that made Crichton a household name, he also wrote The Great Train Robbery, Congo, and Sphere, each of which were also adapted as feature films. Crichton saw, arguably, the height of his career in 1994 when his works held the #1 chart positions for TV (ER), film (Jurassic Park), and book sales, with Disclosure.

The core traits of Crichton’s published work throughout his career were very descriptive and detailed explanations of the technology at work in each respective story, which were balanced by a cautionary tale warning against misuse or outright dangers of said technology. This outlook anchored a number of speeches and editorials made by Crichton over the years, including a 1993 delivery to Washington, D.C.’s National Press Club that predicted the decline of traditional media; a 1999 article about the misunderstandings among scientists, media, and the general public; a 2005 argument on the side of skepticism over Global Warming; and a 2005 address to Congress on the politicization of science, which you can watch below:

Like many of our other Secret Science Nerds, Crichton was a very bright individual with a background in science that helped to inform his art. That doesn’t mean that his words were gospel or that his opinions should be your opinions, but rather than an analytical and curious mind will attempt to view a given topic–cloning, computer viruses, sentient androids, climate change, etc.–from all conceivable angles, eventually settling on the one best supported by available evidence, if their commitment to the scientific method is an earnest one. If only Crichton had won his battle with lymphoma in 2008, we may well have been treated to some of the author’s best work yet, but the bright side is that his wealth of publications and adaptations exist for current and future generations to enjoy.

And if you enjoyed this installment of Secret Science Nerds, be sure to suggest another celebrity for us to profile in the future!

Images: Jon Chase photo/Harvard News Office, MGM

It really was easy picking Westworld as a potential 2016 TV highlight. How’d we do on our other picks so far?

How the GHOST RIDER Effects Were Created for AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Last week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. formally introduced us to Gabriel Luna‘s Robbie Reyes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Ghost Rider, and we wouldn’t be too shocked if he eventually ends up with his own television series on ABC. Ghost Rider is also one of the more challenging special effects in the show’s history to date, which is demonstrated in a new video released by Marvel TV.

Via Comic Book Movie, Marvel’s official social accounts dropped the following video in which Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Kolpack briefly explains some of the steps that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. special effects team have taken to bring Robbie’s supernatural alter ego to life. Unsurprisingly, Luna’s performance as Ghost Rider was motion captured with a specially designed helmet for his facial expressions.

Go inside the the making of #GhostRider with VFX supervisor @MarkKolpack in the debut of our new series “Forging Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.”! pic.twitter.com/gJZBl0b1Cf

— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) September 22, 2016

“I designed a hood that has L.E.D.s on it,” says Kolpack in the clip. “It can actually adjust different color temperatures, so we have something yellow that actually works very nicely and gives a flicker so the jacket is lit up. Because it would be lit up if he [were] a light source.” Kolpack went on to describe the subtle touches that were used to convey Luna’s expressions to let the audience emotionally relate to Ghost Rider.

Marvel also released a preview scene from next Tuesday’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which finds Daisy Johnson lightly taunting Robbie at his day job and he’s just not having it. In response, Robbie not-so-subtly threatens to unleash the Ghost Rider on her.

What did you think about the Ghost Rider-themed clips from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Marvel TV

Chesney Hawkes Sings in a Lost Cameo From WARCRAFT

British singer Chesney Hawkes filmed a cameo for director Duncan Jones‘ live-action Warcraft movie that didn’t quite make the final cut when it was released earlier this year. But now Hawkes’ lost moment has resurfaced, and he’s apparently a singer in the Warcraft universe as well.

CraveOnline debuted an exclusive lost scene from Warcraft that features Hawkes’ very brief cameo as he performs a medieval-themed cover of his own 1991 hit, “The One and Only.” It starts at about the 33-second mark, after Callan Lothar (Burkely Duffield) leads his soldiers past a tamed griffin, which wasn’t a finished special effect.

Jones teased Hawkes’ appearance last month when he posted a longer audio sample of Hawkes’ “The One and Only” from the film.

Now, without further ado… The lovely @ChesneyHawkes & that never heard rendition of One & Only cut from Warcraft!https://t.co/mMmlCvfkjn — Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) August 12, 2016

Jones previously used the same song in Moon and Source Code, so it’s become a recurring thing in his movies. The new take on the song actually works quite well and it’s a fun moment. But Jones’ original cut of the film was reportedly 40 minutes longer than the theatrically released version. That means that a lot of scenes like this one had to go, but hopefully Jones can eventually release a true director’s cut of the movie.

In meantime, this is one of the deleted scenes from the upcoming Warcraft Blu-ray and DVD release, which will hit on Tuesday, September 27.

What did you think about Hawkes’ cover of his own song from Warcraft? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Legendary Pictures

Editor’s Note: Nerdist Industries is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

While we’re asking questions, what would a good Warcraft sequel have to have?

These Camera Glasses Record Your POV Straight to Snapchat

Snapchat, which recently rebranded itself as Snap Inc.—“a camera company”—is launching its first piece of hardware this fall: Spectacles. The glasses have a beachy vibe, come in three colors (black, teal, or coral), and take us one step closer to “The Entire History of You” episode of Black Mirror where literally all of your life is captured on camera.

A first glimpse at the video glasses is shown in the teaser above, which comes via Laughing Squid, demonstrating the glasses’ click-to-record activation and some totally rad bowl thrashing (is that skater lingo?!).

According to Snap, the glasses—which will record 10-second videos at a time—will allow users to go back and experience memories via a visceral, first-person point of view, rather than the relatively less personal point of view provided by holding out your phone or camera. To this end, Snap has made the videos that the camera takes circular to achieve a “human perspective…”

The Spectacles will be able to record a full day’s worth of memories on a single charge, and will wirelessly deliver them via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi directly to your Snapchat account. Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snap, described how the glasses transformed his latest vacation videos in a recent Wall Street Journal article: “‘[W]hen I got the footage back and watched it, I could see my own memory, through my own eyes—it was unbelievable. It’s one thing to see images of an experience you had, but it’s another thing to have an experience of the experience.'”

What do you think about Snap’s new Spectacles? Are you excited to watch your life flash before your very eyes? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: Snap Inc.

Here’s Everything We Learned at Minecon 2016

Minecon 2016 is rocking the Anaheim convention center in sunny California this weekend, with tons of fans celebrating their love of Minecraft. Amidst the festivities, Mojang and Microsoft made some pretty big announcements, including the Minecraft: Console Edition Chinese Mythology Mash-Up, and the boss update that’ll also include the Add-Ons update. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dig right into the news.

Come October 4, owners of Minecraft: Console Edition will be able to download the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up pack for $4.99. The pack will include a pre-made world that features an ancient city with dragons dwelling in the high mountains. It will also include 41 new skins, 13 themed music tracks for your world, and a special map for the Battle mini game. With this new mash-up you’ll get a free update that’ll introduce polar bears and their babies roaming through the frozen biomes, new items, blocks, banners, and terrain generation (say hello to igloos!). Feast your eyes on the trailer above!

The next big update coming to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Minecraft: Gear VR Edition, is set to release on October 18. The exciting news is that boss battles are being introduced for the first time with these versions! Tweaks were made to the Wither boss battle, and the Elder guardian (along with its Ocean Monument) will be introduced. This update will also bring along the first iteration of Add-Ons. These Add-Ons will let you edit simple text files to tweak the world of Minecraft. Making chickens cause huge explosions is a quick edit away from becoming a reality. If that sounds too complicated, free downloadable examples will be made available on Minecraft.net.

Finally, the October 18 update will also be adding new input options. You’ll be able to use your Xbox Wireless Controller with bluetooth while playing Gear VR and Windows 10 edition. Oculus Touch will also be supported on the Windows 10 edition for VR players.

We’ll update you guys with any more news that comes from Minecon. These updates sound like they’ll be massive. The Add-Ons alone should turn Minecraft into an even more customizable sandbox, and I can’t wait to see what the community comes up with. What do you guys think about the updates? Which are you most excited about? Build your thoughts in the comments section below!

Images: Mojang, Microsoft

New JUDGE DREDD Action Figure is Ready to Sentence You

For nearly 40 years, Judge Dredd has been dispensing justice on the streets of Mega-City One. Now, there’s finally an action figure worthy of the man who can say this without irony: “I am the law.”

ThreeA and 2000 AD have debuted new photos of a Judge Dredd 1/6 collectible figure that is based on the artwork of Brian Bolland, one of the best artists in the comic medium. We’re really impressed by the level of detail on this figure, including Dredd’s famous scowl, his badge, a Daystick, and Lawgivers Mk1 and Mk2. Dredd even comes with an alternate “gritted teeth” expression. But as any true Dredd fan can tell you, his helmet is not removable.

As you can see from this image and the additional pictures in our gallery, this Judge Dredd figure also comes with interchangeable hands and 29 points of articulation which will allow fans to pose Dredd in many different ways. The figure itself measures 12.3 inches and it’s definitely not cheap. The price for this one is $200.

Regardless of the price, we’d love to see more characters from Mega-City One get their own figures from ThreeA. Obviously Psi-Judge Cassandra Anderson, Judge Death, and the Dark Judges would be our top choices. But 2000 AD has a very deep bench of characters, including the Angel gang and the Judge Child, that we’d love to see down the line.

ThreeA will begin taking preorders for Judge Dredd on September 29 through Bambaland, which will include free worldwide shipping with its orders.

What do you think of the new Judge Dredd figure? Render a verdict in the comment section below!

Images: ThreeA Toys/2000 AD

STAR WARS REBELS Season 3 Premiere Recap: Ezra Steps Into Shadow

Warning: This recap contains spoilers for the Star Wars Rebels episode “Steps Into the Shadow.” Jump into hyperspace and away from this page if you haven’t watched the episode yet.

It’s been a minute since the season two finale of Star Wars Rebels, hasn’t it? To be fair, it’s taken six months for me to process what precisely happened to Ahsoka Tano after her duel with Darth Vader. The crew of the Ghost is still wrestling with the repercussions of the fateful trip to Malachor, too. Six months has also passed for them, and the two-part season three premiere, “Steps Into the Shadow,” depicts the changes the crew has undergone in both obvious and subtle ways.

The superficial differences are the most noticeable. Ezra’s obviously hit a growth spurt of some kind; he has a less youthful, more militaristic hairstyle. He also has a new lightsaber since Darth Vader destroyed his first one. Kanan’s come up with a sort of half mask to cover his blind eyes–the shield is a symbol of how he’s added further obstruction to his vision. Zeb has different gear, and Sabine has changed her armor and hair. Note the convor painted on her shoulder armor now–it was the owl-like creature that appeared on Malachor after Ahsoka and Vader fought. A convor also shows up in this episode.

As the episode begins, it’s immediately apparent Ezra has leveled the heck up. Given the ominous tone of the scene with Ezra looking at the Sith holocron in the season two finale, it takes zero time to realize he’s probably been meddling with the Force in unhealthy ways. He’s in a leadership role with Sabine and Zeb deferring to his command, and Ezra is taking charge with confidence. Well, overconfidence, really. I realize he’s probably been proving himself, but I was still surprised to see him running the mission to rescue Hondo Ohnaka from the Empire. As powerful as he might be, he has some youthful tendencies that aren’t ideal leader qualities.

They go a little overboard commenting on Ezra’s increased abilities since his incredible actions are happening before our eyes. It’s a little scary. Ezra uses the Jedi mind trick on an Imperial walker pilot who is yards away, takes over the controls, and wipes out more than a few stormtroopers. Between those deaths and Hondo’s Ugnaught acquaintance being killed, I don’t know how anyone can insist Rebels isn’t sufficiently “dark.” When Hera collected her crew mates, she didn’t approve of Ezra’s actions but Zeb thought they were “pretty wizard.” Honestly, wizard doesn’t get used often enough.

With the mission over, the story wastes no time letting us know Kanan’s been adrift since they returned from Malachor. He’s distanced himself, and Ezra’s turned to the holocron for help. I get where Ezra’s coming from. He believes he’s controlling it and using the knowledge within the holocron to better himself. It’s an easy trap to fall into as an adult, and he’s an impatient teen. The Presence seemed to sense his vulnerability and from what we saw, it’s been spewing Palpatine level manipulations at Ezra. Unsurprisingly, Kanan was pissed when he found out Ezra was screwing around with the holocron and took it away.

Though he was punished in that regard, Ezra’s actions during the last mission were rewarded. Commander Sato promoted him to lieutenant commander and gave him control of a new assignment to recon an Imperial facility where Y-wings were being held for destruction. The plan was based on intel given to them by Hondo, so in other words, it was a mission destined to go wrong.

Before we discuss the mission, let’s catch up with Kanan. He stayed behind on Atollon. While meditating, he was contacted through the Force. When he traced the voice, he encountered the being known as Bendu, voiced by none other than Tom Baker. This is a wise being reminiscent of Yoda and the Father on Mortis. His name is a call back to George Lucas’ original drafts for Star Wars. The Jedi were known as Bendu. The being mentions the Ashla and Bogan; these were the light and dark sides of the Force in Lucas’ initial worldbuilding. No ideas or concepts go to waste in Star Wars.

The Bendu is something between light and dark. He wasted no time calling Kanan out for being afraid and pushed him to see. I couldn’t help but think of Obi-Wan coaching Luke through fending off blasts from the training remote aboard the Millennium Falcon. The Bendu wasn’t brutal, but he got to the point and pushed Kanan out of his cocoon of blame, anger, and grief. Kanan’s realization came awfully quickly, but then again, he’s not a stubborn kid like Ezra. I believe he knew he wasn’t in tune, so to speak, and it only took a bit of nudging from the Bendu. I doubt this is the last we’ll see of the being over the season, and I look forward to learning from him.

Elsewhere, the Imperials knew precisely what the rebels are up to because they brought in a fresh face to help with the rebel problem: Grand Admiral Thrawn, voiced by Lars Mikkelsen. His screen time in the premiere was brief, but oh boy, did he make his mark. His ability to look at the galactic-sized chess board was remarked upon repeatedly, but I think the most telling moment that made Thrawn stand out from the usual Empire leadership was when he let the rebels get away (I’m getting ahead of myself, bear with me) and the shortsighted Konstantine was utterly perplexed. The rebels have dealt with Tarkin and even Darth Vader, but they won’t see Thrawn coming. Governor Pryce shouldn’t be discounted either.

Kanan’s talk with the Bendu and Thrawn making an Impression (capital I) were the highlights of the episode. The mission to analyze the Y-wing situation was action-packed and featured a handful of key character moments for Ezra, but I was so annoyed with him acting like the super angsty Harry Potter of Order of the Phoenix that I wasn’t invested. I almost wanted him to fail so he could get slapped down a peg. And he failed. Miserably. He disobeyed orders by trying to recover the ships instead of only gathering information, and his arrogance got the crew in deep trouble and resulted in Hondo stealing the Phantom.

Ezra learned from his mistakes. I appreciate how Hera didn’t go easy on him. She told him how he failed and suspended his command. If Kanan wouldn’t have gone with Hera to save Ezra’s skin, who knows what would have happened. Everything shouldn’t be all fine and dandy between master and Padawan, though. They have past trauma and trust and more to work on together, and I hope we see those elements develop across the season. I also don’t think Ezra’s in the clear from the influence of the dark side; he’s walking the line.

I can’t wrap up without saying how much I’ve missed Chopper and his expressive little arms over the past six months. He was possibly more cantankerous than usual. I wonder if AP-5’s been rubbing off on him.

What do you think about Grand Admiral Thrawn’s first appearance? How many dollars do you want to bet on Ezra turning to the dark side? Talk to me in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.

Images: Disney XD

Here’s why Thrawn’s return is such a big deal: