Star Wars: Visions

It’s a beautifully animated and smartly written homage to everything that fans love about “Star Wars,” as well as the rare kind of installment in a multi-billion dollar IP that doesn’t feel like it was created by committee or focus-tested until all the artistry has been stripped away.

Watching Star Wars: Visions sparks a kind of endless wonder that hasn’t been present in the franchise for some time now. By tying itself to the Skywalker Saga or even exploring adjacent stories, the anime series allows its creators to craft some genuinely groundbreaking stories, many of which are deserving of their own extended universes.

Visions, in its wild swings and vivid reconceptualizing of the universe, is freed from the obligations of canon, and in so doing becomes one of the most exciting pieces of Star Wars media we’ve seen in years.

Every short has something to offer, and something to distinguish itself. From start to finish, it’s a totally remarkable series, and an undeniable argument that taking big risks can result in some of the most interesting art.

Star Wars: Visions is something new that also feels as if Star Wars has been reunited with an older part of itself, finally.

In other words, if this collection of stories is a vision of the future, it’s a good one – Jabba’s favourite rock band and all.

Star Wars: Visions has something for every Star Wars fan.

Star Wars: Visions consists of nine stand-alone shorts, with the best providing a fascinating wedding of that far-away galaxy to imagery and themes rooted in Kurosawa's films.

The galaxy far, far away has never looked more stunning in animation, and at its best Visions folds core Star Wars tenets into compelling stories with characters you instantly want to see more of. Here’s hoping this isn’t the only season we get.

The series is Star Wars projected through a kaleidoscope, a vivid re-imagining reflecting the colors of new galaxies.

For an anthology, Star Wars: Visions is remarkably consistent in its quality. There are no flat-out bad episodes in the bunch, though some are stronger than others. The weakest tend to rely too heavily on a prior investment in the ongoing battle between the light side and the dark side.

That “Star Wars: Visions” is, finally, more of a pleasant diversion than a really fulfilling experience isn’t a factor of running time or talent. It’s because all of the films — and you may realize this with a sinking sensation as you watch — play like auditions for continuing series rather than organic wholes; none feel really self-contained, and some even end with obvious cliffhangers.

There’s beauty here, a moment or two across the nine episodes that are genuinely stunning. But ... Each of them seems to be explicit pastiches of anime films and styles rather than wholly original constructions.