I've waited 6 episodes to give this beloved franchise a chance. Sadly it hasn't paid off. It's just ok. I would rather watch an old spaghetti western. I don't really care for any of the characters and am not swayed by the Mandalorians ethical code. Even the mini Yoda could get light sabered and I wouldn't care. Though I will keep watching just to keep up with pop culture.
Star Wars is my favourite thing ever. The announcement of this show came with a lot of promises and built up expectations on my part. It's so nice to be able to say that the show lived up to and surpassed all of them.
This first season of The Mandalorian feels mostly like an introduction, setting up the world and the characters and making use of a storytelling technique that falls somewhere in between episodic and serialised. It works. The main plot follows the rescue and protection of a small creature that appears to belong to Yoda's species, and this story flows through all the episodes even though it sometimes takes a backseat. Even when Mando is dealing with a side issue, we continue to learn more about Baby Yoda (for want of a better name) and the relationship between the two characters develops.
It's such a satisfying and easy thing to watch. Opting to use more puppetry over CGI for Baby Yoda was a smart move, and he/she is such a cute and adorable creation that it's impossible not to find yourself deeply caring about what happens to him/her. The episodes which deal with more self-contained stories are surprisingly welcome, giving us a slice-of-life in the Star Wars universe feel and allowing the show to deal introduce different genres and styles. While the show often presents a slightly more violent and darker angle than we're used to in Star Wars, it's also the funniest thing produced for the franchise yet (although the X-Wing novels from the 1990s are close in the running).
Visually the show is incredible. A new technology referred to as Stagecraft has been used extensively. It's essentially an evolved form of blue screen/green screen which allows the actors to actually see the environment they're in and reacts in real time to camera movements to allow the background to dynamically adjust. The results are impressive and lend the show an epic quality. Not to mention the fantastic set and costume design which fits in very nicely with the world set up in the original trilogy. If was to criticise then I would say some of the alien make-up fell flat (notably in the prison ship episode), but not to a distracting degree.
The music is also a highlight, diverting sharply from what we would consider standard Star Wars music but really working within the style of the show. It took a couple of episodes to get used to but now feels like an integral part.
Most of all, the show has a real emotional impact. Baby Yoda contributes to a big part of that, but Pedro Pascal in the lead role of the Mandalorian manages to do a lot while being behind a mask. His body language and voice performance are simply fantastic. Other characters leave an impression too and we feel like we get to know them even with a fairly small amount of screen time. They are all well written. The deaths of IG-11 and Kuill had an impact, the reveal of Cara Dune being from Alderaan gave us a sudden clear insight into her character. And the moment when Mando finally took off his helmet was brilliantly executed, with a genuine build up and then the reveal of a battered man who seemed slightly frightened that he may be about to die humanised him a lot.
The ending set up a very clear and exciting direction for season 2, plus we had the Dark Saber reveal, which ties into the Clone Wars and Rebels TV shows. It's clearly made by people who understand and love Star Wars. Finishing each episode of this left me in such a good mood and there's no other show this year that has brought me so much joy. Honestly, I can't wait for more.
I guess I‘m reaching the depths of Unpopular Opinion Territory here. But give me a chance to explain.
I appreciate a lot about the show. The directing is fantastic, the special effects and CGI are mostly great, amazing production design with great love for details, the cinematography often feels more like it’s meant to be on the big screen than the small one and yes, Baby Yoda is adorable and his and Din Djarin‘s relationship a highlight in the Star Wars franchise.
I get all the aspects people love here. I also think the Season 1 finale is pretty great and hints towards a way stronger second outing.
But, and that’s a big but, so far I don’t see the brilliance everyone is praising.
I get that the show takes it time to build its post-Empire world and introduces Din Djarin and his supporting characters and I appreciate that, it’s just, the show has 8 episodes, most of them under 40 minutes and a lot of it just feels like filler. And with "filler" I don’t mean that it’s not trying to build the world further or develop characters, it just doesn’t really do that.
In fact, a lot of the time it feels more like the outline of a great video game. You have your main goal and jump from level to level to accomplish it.
The fight scenes are great, if the show nails one thing than it’s being "cool" and "very badass." And maybe that’s one of the problems.
It has a certain flair, but feels often like a lot of style over substance.
The characters just fall flat. Even our Mandalorian protagonist. I get having a main character that is mysterious, but you can only play that up for so long before it gets repetitive and boring. Thankfully the finale took a step in the right direction.
But other characters as well. They do stuff and they look cool doing it and deliver some funny one liners, but overall they are just there. Maybe that is just a very personal problem, but I need to care about characters, need to invest in them to enjoy their story.
The show also lacks a compelling antagonist. Rebels had the same problem until using Darth Vader properly and ultimately introducing Grand Admiral Thrawn. I really hope that with Giancarlo Esposito‘s Moff Gideon we get that kind of a villain.
The plot is relatively simple for now, Mando finds child, decides to protect child and they end up being hunted by the Empire. Okay, basic but can work. Except for all the filler and non-developed character and sorta missing direction.
But I‘m starting to sound like a broken record.
I did enjoy parts of the show and just hope season 2 builds on and improves on season 1.
Western spaghetti meets Star Wars. The idea is great and explores the SW world a bit. Familiar and unfamiliar places and people.
It starts kinda slow but gets going with a short season but some really good episodes.
Because it is so short, some filler episodes kinda bum me out but there is always something going on.
Excited for season 2!
I thought season 1 started off slow but got better as each episode went by, looking forward to starting season 2
Typical tv show. I dropped it after chapter 4.
This is a must-watch for Star Wars fans both young and old. It harkens back to Star Wars’ glory days while also pushing the envelope for new ideas for stories and world-building. Jon Favreau along with his amazing crew has done it again and I can tell you that I’m looking forward to viewing the next chapter of what’s to come of this solidly crafted piece of genius.
Not really sure what to comment on this…
I found it was a very average season. It was interesting and Baby Yoda is very cute, but that's about it. Nothing special. Well made and so on, but the storyline was a bit disappointing.
The first 3 episodes are great, then there’s 3 episodes that are badly written and that feel like complete filler and a huge step down. Then the final 2 episodes are alright.
promising intro then starts to drag and lose the plot for a couple eps before coming back with a great finale
Competently made, but it gives you nothing interesting to set your teeth in. The storyline has zero complexity, and all of the characters are highly uninteresting, because none of them are properly developed. Cutting to a cute muppet every now and then doesn’t really distract from that. Just do something interesting for the next season, because this isn’t the way.
Lol I don’t know what everyone’s complaining about. This show is rad! Very adult take on Star Wars, lots of unexpected actors portraying niche rolls, baby Yoda, seeing the badassery of Mandalorian. Can’t wait to see how it ends next week!
Quite enjoyed this take on the Star Wars universe. Nothing wrong with slowing things down and having low stakes stories on a weekly basis.
The mandalorian season 1 is a good. It comes off as fan service, but I still think it is an enjoyable watch. The 1st & second episodes came off a little slow to me, but the plot thickens. 7/10 would recommend.
10/10
All Gold
Outstanding first
season and
sticks the landing
for the finale.
After being let down
again with "Loki"
for a second season
I really needed a show
that delivered on all
it's promises and
The Mandalorian
certainly does that.
With
Sensational performances
and slick/smooth vfx
and solid writing,
this show absolutely
ticks all the boxes for
me.
This Show Is
Frickin Awesome
and I'm super Stoked
for season two.
For the most part, this is a poorly written and dull sci-fi show. Plotholes galore, goofy videogame cutscene delivery from the cast, and dull narrative arcs. How Disney managed to make something as cool as space bounty hunting this drab is a marvel in its own right. Yes, it looks incredible - we have some stellar CGI, detailed props, costumes and puppetry but there's very little else there. Certainly worth a watch if you're a Star Wars fan like myself but I can't imagine people not into the series would gain anything worthwhile from this.
I have just finished watching this season again, having watched it when it was released, and also having watched the entire SW saga in universe-chronological order, up to the end of this season. Doing this has helped provide me with a much more comprehensive understanding of SW than I ever got from just watching the live-action films. I would definitely recommend watching the CW and Rebels (and to a lesser extent BB) animated shows in addition to the films, in order to gain better knowledge of the SW galaxy.
Anyway, as for my review of Mandalorian S1: after a fab start, things dragged a little in the middle, then picked up again in time for a fab finale. There are no really bad episodes (as with some of the episodes in all of the aforementioned animated shows) - they are all entertaining enough, and have enough action to maintain the interest. As with "Endor" there is a lot of laying out the backstory and plot context, but I feel that this is necessary to portray the context of the events properly, and why the characters behave the way that they do. I liked (but was also a little frustrated by, on the first viewing) of the unanswered mysteries surrounding the Yoda-species child, as there are a whole Star-Destroyer-load of questions surrounding him, but I daresay at least some of these will be answered in subsequent seasons. There are a few plot shortcomings where characters seem to make completely illogical decisions that are obviously plot devices to ensure survival of protagonists, but then that is a characteristic of all the SW productions.
Whether you're just a casual fan of Star Wars or you're a dedicated fan, you shouldn't be disappointed by watching The Mandalorian.
We need a baby Gungan
Don't give up after watching episodes 4 and 5 just yet, it gets better! Trust me..
This turned out to be way different than what I was expecting. It felt like they experimented with some new stuff but that isn't a bad thing IMO. Sometimes it felt a bit slow and the acting a bit weird but overall it was quite interesting and I liked it (even more so towards the end).
Some memorable moments:
Episode 7: Nooo! How dare you to kill Kuiil :o :D He'll be missed. I have spoken.
Episode 8: The beginning felt like watching a parody (not sure if that's a good or bad thing). And now they've killed IG-11 as well. This isn't the way!
Half way through the first season and I thought to myself that is it going to be like Samurai Jack finale, where everyone comes together. And it did.... As plain and simple as it could be, same 70s show just in Star Wars Universe,
6,62/10 - personal rate for this season
The Mandalorian's first season isn't exactly perfect - it's much safer then the much more ambitious, interesting, and ultimately risky yet fan divisive sequel trilogy, as well as the gritty war epic of Rogue One. Instead, it sits comfortably alongside Solo as an extremely solid, if sometimes predictable affair. This isn't to say it's all simply that. When Mandalorian shines it shines brightly, it's stellar cinematography, score, performances, and visual storytelling pushing the show forward in exciting ways. It's final two episodes in particular are fantastic and Star Wars at it's best and most thrilling.
Still though, it's not hard to see some of the weaker episodes as bad omens of things to come if not fixed. The dialogue is surprisingly weak at points, even for Star Wars, and when there isn't much visual storytelling going on the show ranges from ok at best to mediocre and bad at worst. Still, when it's good it's really good, and if these kinks are ironed out in the next season we could have something really great. Solid stuff!
Fantastic and epic season. Of course the people who love handing out 1-4 ratings here. Found things to hate about a pretty flawless show.
Very well made, precise, with a clear direction, a solid production, a lovely soundtrack and a great cast. This is everything The Rise of Skywalker wasn't. Plus, when it works, it's kinda great: the last three episodes are quite good and I would argue that if you put together the last two episodes they form one of the best Star Wars movies. That being said, at the same time, I found it a bit too much "by the book" and while I love the cinephile approach, it kinda feels like every single good scene is a homage to some movie and after a while it's too much. Great music.
The first Star Wars property I've enjoyed since the original trilogy. Glad I gave it a chance despite being beyond burned out on the franchise by the sequel movies.
Nothing happens. The only good thing is baby yoda.
Honestly, that scene in the last episode with the two stormtroopers was pure comedy gold. Worth watching for that and Baby Yoda alone.
Shout by domainmgrBlockedParent2019-12-16T06:05:38Z
Started ok. Ended up as pile of shit.