Brandon’s Review:
At the time of this review, there are now two new episodes of the first original Star Wars series to be featured on the widely popular Disney+. It seems to be what everyone is talking about. Between the doses of nostalgia, the controversial edits and technical glitches, lies The Mandalorian, a gem among the drama. Created by the now Disney “golden boy”, Jon Favreau, drawing inspiration from old Samurai movies or heroes operating in a lawless world, brings an original story that takes place between the end of The Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens. That’s between episodes 6 & 7, for those keeping track. In fact, Favreau has said that The Mandalorian is set 3 years after the fall of the Empire in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) and 25 years before the rise of the First Order, the authoritarian regime that is firmly in control of the galaxy when Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) begins.
Not much has been revealed in the first two episodes available at the time of this review. We are slowly introduced to the mysterious bounty hunter, one of the few left of the Mandalorian race. The first episode follows the titular character who is assigned to multiple bounties, showing his resilience and stellar fighting skills… eh? We are introduced to new characters in a familiar setting, but the music and dialogue really does give this series the feel of an old western filled with mystery behind each of the characters. Werner Herzog plays a former Empire leader who hires the Mandalorian for a job to bring a subject back alive. What this subject turns out to be, will likely be the next big toy this Christmas, and will melt the hearts of anyone who watches. Think Yoda… Think baby Yoda. If you’ve seen the first two episodes, you’ll understand. Carl Weathers plays a character that gives the Mandalorian a job, the bounty hunter eventually teams up with a droid called IG-11 voiced by the hilarious Tiaki Watiti, and Giancarlo Esposito (Gustavo from Breaking Bad) plays an Empire loyalist who leads a group of Storm Troopers. Even Behind all of the Star Wars imagery we know and love, there is another story to be told, and I’m loving every minute of it. I give The Mandalorian a big thumbs up, and look forward to a new episode every Friday.
