There's no doubt that Disney's attempts to revive the Star Wars franchise have been laughably embarrassing, with their attempts feeling like rushed, mediocre blockbuster cash grabs that we're all so familiar with in today's high-end film industry. With only a few entries, it's evident that the franchise is already experiencing fatigue as a result of the lack of creativity and innovation the company has introduced into an existing rich history of narrative.
Since every company is bringing back the days of cable television launching their own subscription service catering to the world of streaming content both new and old, the evil mouse has also jumped onto the trend with their own service: Disney+, of which I have not signed up for to view the very show I'm going to be writing about: The Mandalorian.
This show displays the stark contrast between Disney's creatively bankrupt cinema practices and the outcome of hardwork and creative storytelling when shilling endless merchandise isn't the priority of the creation itself. It's almost depressing to see how decent of a show The Mandalorian is compared to the awful trilogy that has a franchise's fanbase so tired and unwilling to trust over the company that owns the product itself. This is a show that effectively all Star Wars fans have wanted since Disney took over the reigns and announced fresh content.
The Mandalorian follows a bounty hunter, much like the famous Boba Fett, tasked with various neutral jobs throughout the galaxy, with one being of significant importance for the Empire: a child, but not any child, the child of Yoda. At the young age of 50, Yoda's child is essentially a baby, but one with incredible powers and opportunity. Thus far, three episodes in, the narrative is simple, and there's not too many characters for one to feel overwhelmed -- again, this is something that the films suffer from.
This narrative simplicity results in the world building and character development to unfold slowly and at a decent enough pace that these snippets of the world stick with you. Comedic elements are done right and don't feel forced, and again the character development and world building take the place of what's usually necessary forced comedic elements. The lack of these forced comedic elements has the show's darker tones hold a significantly larger amount of weight on the screen. Scenes with intense violent acts feel serious and more threatening to the protagonist for obvious reasons. It's certainly refreshing.
Darker tones feel ripe in the Star Wars universe, for sure, and it stems back to the original trilogy in which darker moments featuring gore or not-so-painless deaths are used to highlight key moments or objects: a lightsaber's power to remove a limb easily, or a crashing horrifically in a spaceship. In the case of The Mandalorian, the violence is used to speak on the harsh, dangerous job of being a bounty hunter, where death and killing is simply another part of the job. This works greatly with the fact that our protagonist rarely has a lot to say, nor do they intend on showing their face. This disconnect between gruesome deaths and their refusal to display their most human traits is amplified by the show's more serious tones.
With this approach, the art direction and cinematography feel very, very different to the films. The Mandalorian's locations feel much more real, much more authentic to the Star Wars universe. Costumes look very much like they belong to each character, and define their characteristics, rather than the film's lazy approach to throwing whatever on characters -- and let's be real, the costumes of Star Wars are a huge reason as to why those characters became so significant: they managed to stick out and be remembered. An obvious statement to make is that Darth Vader's helmet is his defining characteristic. In The Mandalorian, we see the protagonist using his earnings to smelt down and create much better armour to be worn, these small elements of narrative expand into character development and allow the audience to feel much more connected to the character throughout their adventurers and improvements.
It's incredibly refreshing to see a show in the Star Wars universe, and one that sticks true to the franchise's core. It even feels strange to admit that Disney has managed to throw out something in the Star Wars universe, that at least thus far, is pretty decent. Is it worth a Disney+ subscription? Certainly not. No single show is worth that. Is it worth torrenting? I mean, I'm not saying no...
The title of this post made me laugh.
I think Disney will NEVER do something good for Star Wars. However, the way you describe this film forces me to see it. Then I tell you if I agree with your arguments.
Thank you for the information of The Mandalorian
A big hello @namiks
I hope you come back and have some good things to say! To me, the show is certainly a step in the right direction. It could easily crumble and become complete trash given it's only three episodes in, but it's promising so far. Probably a pure fluke which will be followed by more trash, haha.
Hello Hello!
Hahahaha I think there are always possibilities in everything, I think your explanation is great
Greetings from Venezuela
Good to know, although I don't like the series very much. (I'm more excited about the movies).
If the series continues, with good acceptance.
Maybe we have in some moment, a great movie.
I want to feel optimistic about the film side of things, but I just feel they're too caught up in the current method of creating big budget films, where the film essentially has to tick off numerous boxes and appeal to the widest possible demographic.
I think recently we've been seeing cases where films that don't do this as much are starting to show some traction; I'd say Joker is somewhat one of those films given the rating and style.
I was super surprised about the general style and atmosphere in the first episode, and eventhough I wasn't sure what to expect from this new approach of Disney, I am SUPER happy with The Mandalorian. I agree with you and I am looking forward seeing the next episodes and most but not last: the rise of skywalker ..
I honestly don't know much about this final film of the current trilogy. I don't really expect it to do well, really. And, I don't think I'm particularly fond of its director. Rian Johnson hasn't really got a particularly strong list of films, and it's always felt strange that Disney handed over the franchise to someone like that, over someone with more experience in not only directing, but science-fiction films.
I think it has everything to do with who is making this show vs. who is making the movie. Dave Filoni is working on this show and it is not his first star wars tv show, he also directed Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and Star Wars Rebels. He is working alongside Jon Favreau who directed the first two Iron Man movies, Jungle Book and the Lion King, so he knows how to create a world.
The head of Star Wars movie is Kathleen Kennedy, a woman who basically hates Star Wars and who hired incompetent and visionless directors who did nothing for the franchise. The best thing that came out under her hands was Rogue One.
I think that is the main difference.
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I'm not a big fan of the Star Wars saga, but I think I'll watch this one because of the hype.
I hope you enjoy it!
I'll watch it as soon as possible.
dear @namiks, you have good analytical skills !! tell the story in a very amusing way that makes me want to see this series :-)) the reality is that these scripts all the same bore me ... congratulations on your work and on the curie vote
Thank you! And yeah, I have to admit I'm really not a big fan of Star Wars or at this point massive budget productions in general, but thus far I've been pleasantly surprised by The Mandalorian. Really hoping it remains decent!
I enjoyed reading your review :) I just caught the first 3 episodes and I like this much more than some of the later movie episodes! And baby Yoda is sooooo cute, hovering around alongside the Mandalorian in his hovercraft like crib.
And this:
I have to agree! It reminds me of the original Star Wars movie. It is definitely refreshing to watch this series so far. I particularly appreciate that they showcase more of some of the older characters like the Jawas.
It was so tempting to just write endlessly about cute Baby Yoda and nothing else. That thing is too good for this world, too pure.
I agree. Happy weekend to you @namiks!
It’s hard to imagine a main character who doesn’t show his face. I know I’ve seen it before....watchmen for one. But I can’t remember hah. Baby Yoda sounds fun but I’ve been disappointed by Star Wars too many times
I quite like the fact that we don't know what he looks like. I feel it maintains that curiosity but also adds to his character and ways.
Baby Yoda is adorable, for sure. And yeah, I had zero expectations going in, and I've been enjoying it way more than the films.