“The Mandalorian,” on Disney+, Takes “Star Wars” to Yet Another Level

The Mandalorian follows a yettobespecificallynamed bounty hunter from an ancient race of revered warriors called Mandalorians amp160Thereamp8217s a lot of history there but long story short after a divisive civil war the Empire pretty much wiped them out and took all the precious metal their armor is made from making it priceless in the process amp160In the first episode our hero is offered a large cache of this metal in exchange for his next bounty but spoiler alert his target turns out to be amp8230 wait for it amp8230 a Yoda babyThe second episode picks up right from that reveal and follows our new duo through some dangerous territory amp160In an effort to avoid further spoilers Iamp8217m going to talk around thatFirst off this series looks amazing amp160Our heroamp8217s armor is a joy to look at with its sleek helmet lines and that worn and beaten look that everything seems to have amp160His ship which appears like a repurposed drop ship from the Clone Wars has the same type of amp8220used yet futuristicamp8221 aesthetic as the Millennium Falconamp160 His weapons his clothes everything it all feels like itamp8217s got history to it amp160The same level of care obviously went into rest of the castsamp8217 wardrobe as well because every alien bar patron shopkeeper random droid and stormtrooper is authentic looking enough to be on the set of a featurelength Star Wars filmYes this is an officially licensed Star Wars project but TV budgets are usually miniscule by comparison amp160That said this is Disney weamp8217re talking about so Iamp8217ve no doubt the companyamp8217s deep pockets got put to good use specifically in the VFX department amp160The big monsters in this series the wild creatures our hero encounters are not only mostly new to the Star Wars canvas but are also full CG at times amp160This would normally raise a red flag when considering what the combination of full CG monsters and a TVlevel budget usually bring us but again Mickeyamp8217s pockets amp160This means whenever we see a giant CG creature break through CG ice water and bitegrab a fully CG spaceship all in one shot it not only doesnamp8217t look like trash itamp8217s frikkinamp8217 amazingAnd before we even talk about the amazing helmetcovered performance that Pedro Pascalamp8217s giving we literally never see his face or the topnotch voice work Nick Nolte does as Kuiil in the first two episodes weamp8217ve got to talk about the action and the lack thereof amp160The Mandalorian feels like a spaceaged western which is kind of what the entire SW franchise truly was at its core when those first three films came out several decades ago amp160In that vein there are plenty of moments especially in the second episode where thereamp8217s no dialogue whatsoever amp160In fact I have a feeling that dialogue will be used as sparingly as possible throughout the series much in the same way that most of the main characteramp8217s thoughts and feelings are conveyed through his expressionhiding helmet amp160These dialogueless beats allow things like the score created by musical genius Ludwig Gamp246ransson to take over and let the showamp8217s driven yet mysterious vibes control the sceneWhen there is action and there is plenty of that too especially in that second episode it hits hard amp160The opening scenes of both episodes took all of 30 seconds to get us into a fight and yeah while I definitely watched a guy with a cape beat the space hell out of three or four greenfaced aliens it all felt amp8230 very real amp160There are no lightsabers here so far amp160Itamp8217s all blaster shots and fist fights and the stunt work really sells it on top of the snazzy effects amp160Thatamp8217s the trick with Star Wars that The Mandalorian figured out the suspension of belief is already built into the franchise you just have to not ruin itI know I know amp160What could possibly ruin Star Wars amp160Ever heard of Jar Jar BinksAfter the first episode I knew The Mandalorian was something special amp160It very neatly fit into the franchiseamp8217s aesthetic and I love how it created something Iamp8217ve never seen using elements that weamp8217ve all been familiar with for most of or all of our lives amp160After the second episode I realized just how special this thing could beamp160 amp160It is going to be one of the great flagship television series a la Game of Thrones and if the force stays with us the progenitor of a slew of equally highquality spinoffsAbove all The Mandalorian takes itself seriously which is most probably thanks to its mastermind John Favreau amp160Heamp8217s a true fan on top of being an epic storyteller amp160If anyone is going to make sure that the best possible stories are put on our screens itamp8217s him amp160Just look at what heamp8217s doing with this oneamp160 For those of us who enjoy a good nerdgasm this feels like the television event of the yearClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with 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“The Mandalorian,” on Disney+, Takes “Star Wars” to Yet Another Level

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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“The Mandalorian,” on Disney+, Takes “Star Wars” to Yet Another Level

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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