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The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter who’s here to take out the trash… so that’s most of the recent Star Wars movies, then. Rogue One was the only one I really enjoyed, whilst Force Awakens was a disappointment, The Last Jedi was even worse, and Solo was the biggest stinker ever in the canon, especially with the wrong guy in the lead.
This marks one of the first new series for Disney+, and one I’ve been looking forward to, given how I’m hoping it’ll save this stage of the franchise, although the timeline will be messed with a little bit, as it’s actually set five years after Return Of The Jedi.
However, how can I sign up to Disney+? I can’t. It’s not in the UK until March 2020, whereas other countries, including the US, have it from today.
But… mere details. For this series, we’re introduced to The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal – Wonder Woman 1984), himself, sorts out an issue in a bar with a fight that really highlights the health and safety issues of their front door. He’s as cool as a cucumber, and prefers a rust-bucket of an old speeder driven by Kuiil (Nick Nolte), to a brand new one driven by an R2 droid.
Nolte isn’t the only big name in this, though, since Carl Weathers (as Greef Carga) gives him his main job – to capture and terminate a very specific target… which will be revealed before the episode is out; and there’s also Werner Herzog, simply named as The Client. Both are very brief appearances, though, I presume so as not to overshadow the new lead.
Aside from that, as he picks up his first passenger, a big under-sea monster attacks their spacecraft in an attempt to stop them from flying off; he has his scores encased in carbonite, and he doesn’t talk much, so when he’s up against a number of Stormtrooper in a stand-off, they say, “We have you 4-to-1”, and he replies, “I like those odds(!)”, so there’s a few bits of humour in this.
Harking back to the movies, The Mandalorian has the usual transitions between scenes that the original trilogy used as an effect, which was later transferred over to the prequels and beyond.
For an opener, this passes 39 minutes without much complaint, but it’s not in the least bit unique or have anything to make it stand out from the crowd. I can see the series keeping young kids amused for an afternoon, but there’s nothing that will linger in the mind.
At least it’s got more humour than The Last Jedi, which started off fairly amusing, and then gave up with any of that after the first third.
Episode 1: 6/10
Series Directors: Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Taika Waititi
Creator: Jon Favreau
Based on Star Wars by George Lucas
Series Writers: Jon Favreau, George Lucas, Rick Famuyiwa, Christopher L Yost
Music: Ludwig Göransson
Cast:
The Mandalorian: Pedro Pascal
IG-11: Taika Waititi
Greef Carga: Carl Weathers
The Client: Werner Herzog
Kuiil: Nick Nolte
Jawa: Kyle Pacek
Mythrol: Horatio Sanz
Speeder Pilot: Bian Posehn
Armourer: Emily Swallow
Bar Thug: Tait Fletcher
Carga’s Keeper: Tony Taboada
Dr. Pershing: Omid Abtahi
Cara Dune: Gina Carano
Mof Gideon: Giancarlo Esposito
Omera: Julia Jones
Twi’lek: Natalia Tena
Fennec Shand: Ming-Na Wen
Check out the new trailer below:
Previously on DVDfever:
August 25th:
The Mandalorian shows that Disney are quick off the mark to capitalise on their Star Wars acquisition, by getting their first TV series in the saga out of the trap before the final movie (for now), in the current run, is released in cinemas just before Christmas, as Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker comes to the big screen on December 19th.
After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire (so, about five years after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
The Mandalorian, himself, is played by Pedro Pascal and the rest of the cast includes Brendan Wayne, Jamal Antar, Bernard Bullen, Omid Abtahi, Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Nick Nolte, Dominic Pace, Emily Swallow, Taika Waititi, Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog.
Based on this trailer, it does look good, and it does have that Star Wars feel, but if they can make this work, then why are the recent films so ‘meh’?
Series Directors: Dave Filoni, Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, Taika Waititi
Writers: Jon Favreau, George Lucas
Music: Ludwig Göransson
The Mandalorian begins on Disney+ on November 12th, and it has been confirmed that the series will be available in weekly installments and it will NOT be available all in one go.
Check out the trailer below:
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.