STAR WARS FANS REJOICE: THE MANDALORIAN IS HERE

Disney Plus is finally available for all to purchase and along with the release of this new streaming service comes the Disney Plus exclusive, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian.” And the show seems worth the wait. 

As a general rule, the Star Wars property is a license to print money, but just because it’s profitable doesn’t mean it’s an indicator of quality, as the Star Wars fanbase is ever so eager to point out. Most fans, and even critics, have had very mixed opinions of the new Star Wars films that have been released over the past few years. Though most still find the recent movies entertaining, they still seem to lack that certain spark which audiences have been craving from the series.

The Mandalorian is an episodic sci-fi Western about an elite bounty hunter living on the edge of the galaxy, searching for his fortune. With the release of the feature comes a promise of a truly new adventure in the Star Wars universe, one that does not rely on characters and major events of the main series, a breath of fresh air away from the drama of Jedis and lightsaber fights.

While this claim proves very exciting indeed, the reality is that the story of the Mandalorian is only a few steps removed from the events of the original trilogy, taking place only a few years after “Return of The Jedi.”

Series creators Jon Favreau, famous for his work with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and director Dave Filoni have teamed up to create the first episode of the season, and a very entertaining first episode it is.

If you had any doubts about the scope of the Star Wars universe being able to work on a TV budget, then you’ll be more than pleased to hear that the quality of the physical sets and wardrobe live up to the aesthetic of the films. When CGI is used, it tends to stand out as somewhat budget-driven and particularly noticeable as mediocre. But aside from the occasional poorly implemented CGI animal, the show is gorgeous, bursting with practical effects and epic wide shots of alien desert badlands, echoing the shows overt Spaghetti Western themes.

The protagonist himself, The Mandalorian, is both a mix between Boba Fett from the original trilogy and the classic Clint Eastwood western character, The Man With No Name. And much like Eastwood’s character, Pedro Pascal’s interpretation of The Mandalorian is also a man of very few words. Though his dialogue is sparse, by the end of the first episode, a lot of real character begins to shine through that shiny silver helmet of his.

However, when there is dialogue it usually proves to be a little too on-the-nose. To tell the truth, there really isn’t enough dialogue or plot laid out during the surprisingly short 40-0minute runtime to be able to give a fair judgment of the series, going forward. While the first episode is very promising, the short length of this first episode seems to have proved somewhat detrimental to the pacing, as the first 15 minutes or so feel a little choppy and disjointed.

Thankfully, things smooth out as the episode continues, with Filoni delivering some truly fantastic action sequences and fun character interactions. The banter between the Mandalorian and an IG bounty hunting android, played by Taika Waititi, stands out as particularly charming.

So far, The Mandalorian is looking to be a wonderful addition to the Star Wars canon and may just prove to be the refreshing new take on the franchise audiences have been looking for. Although the cliffhanger at the end of this first episode does suspiciously leave some potential for some prequel trilogy level of nonsense to occur, with any luck the writing team behind this new series will know what pitfalls to avoid. And, with such a star studded cast of professionals both on- and off-screen, my hopes remain high for the future of this streaming series.

If you’re a fan of Star Wars, or if you like Westerns, then this is definitely something you’ll want to check out. The only real question is whether or not you want to spend $6.99 a month to see the show.