Disney’s The Mandalorian is a shot of old Star Wars wonder for fans new and old alike. It’s everything fans have been hoping for, and may just about justify the Disney+ streaming service all on its own.
By Scuttle Gamez
I’m going to be honest right out the gate here. I am not a fan of new Star Wars media overall. I disliked all of the new movies, am grumpy that the extended universe (EU) that I grew up with has been replaced, and was coming into The Mandalorian fully expecting yet another disappointment.
Thankfully, I was quite wrong in that expectation, but more on that in a bit. On with the review!
The Show:
The Mandalorian released this week as a Disney+ exclusive show. The main focus is on, well, a Mandalorian bounty hunter and his life in that occupation.
The tone advertised in trailers has been a bit darker than what we’ve come to expect from Star Wars, though retaining a TV PG rating. There is death, gun battles, monsters, aliens, and cool spaceships to enjoy.
If any of that sounds good to you, right now Disney+ is offering a 7-day free trial membership. Only the first episode of the Star Wars series is out right now so you’ll not be able to binge it all for free, but hey, you can at least check out the first episode or two at no cost.
The Good:
Tone, style, character, and world building all excel and surprise. We get some great looks at Mandalorians as most have never seen them, and have never been seen outside of the EU, and Disney has quite aptly landed the stoic charm of our bounty hunter protagonist.
This is a spoiler free review, so I’ll keep my rundown on the story basic.
The Mandalorian’s protagonist lives as a bounty hunter, and appears to be fairly young in age and profession. He’s by no means unskilled though, but through a few story hints and scenes we can tell that he has not fully come into his own yet. We get a little bit of his background in this episode, but not much else. Hell, we don’t even know his name.
I kind of love that we know so little going in. The character is a Mandalorian first and foremost in our eyes, and that’s how he should be, at least to start. I am interested in seeing where the show goes from here with the character, but it’s a great start.
Everything on screen in this first episode was of the highest of quality. The monsters we see look amazing, aliens look realistic yet strange, and the locations we venture to have their own distinct feel to them. Note to self, when on ice worlds watch out for giant hippo-croc monsters lurking beneath the ice.
Two standouts for me, beyond the Mandalorians of course, were a guide character we meet toward the mid-end point of the episode and a bounty hunting robot the protagonist meets up with at some point.
Both of these characters exude the lines they’ve been given, and were a treat to behold. Our time with both is fairly short and I’m not sure if either will return for future episodes, but if this is the quality we can expect from one and done characters then I am super excited to see what else comes our way.
The Mixed:
I am a bit worried about some of the directions Star Wars lore is being taken in this episode.
Nothing has gotten my hackles up, yet, but there is a twist ending that has me very concerned. It was a cool twist, don’t get me wrong, and I highly recommend you watch the show now before it’s spoiled, but the nature of said twist is one that hits at a part of Star Wars that has always been intentionally vague in the past.
I am a firm believer that over explaining something is a great way to ruin it. An example that comes to mind is the Alien universe’s Space Jockey. In the original Alien this being was a huge unknown. Enter the movie Prometheus, which delved into that unknown in the worst possible way and essentially ruined it.
That is what I am worried about here. Time will tell, and some of my concern comes from how Disney has handled other aspects of the Star Wars universe to date, but it’s something to watch out for and hope for the best on.
The Bad:
I’ve been spoiled by Streaming services. A lot of shows these days are releasing entire seasons at once, and when I come across one that goes against that it bugs me.
Well, sadly The Mandalorian is a show that I’ll have to wait to see more of. I know that this is a personal issue of mine, and a lot of folks won’t mind, but hey, it’s my review, so there you go.
The Verdict:
I loved this first episode of The Mandalorian. My only bad review was that I can’t see more right away. That should say something. So far the show has treated the lore and characters right, and old fans will find a good time here. New fans might not find as much to connect with as other Disney Star Wars releases, but it should be a fine time regardless.
As said earlier, Disney+ has a free trial going on right now. It’s well worth signing up just to see this show, even if you do cancel right away as soon as it’s finished.
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