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[REVIEW] 'The Mandalorian' (Disney+)

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Your Name

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Nov 12, 2019, 11:43:18 PM11/12/19
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From Variety.com ...


TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
-------------------------------------------
'The Mandalorian' is a grim Western of a show that's less
concerned with capturing the magic of 'Star Wars' than
roughing it up a bit.


*SPOILER ALERT:*
This review discusses some spoilers for the first episode
of Disney Plus' "The Mandalorian."







A vicious killer with a tragic past and the faint glimmers
of a beating heart is no stranger to television, a medium
particularly suited to telling winding stories about rises,
falls and redemptions. And yet it's still something of a
jarring trope to center "The Mandalorian," the first
live-action "Star Wars" TV show and the marquee original
series for Disney Plus, which launched in the witching
hours of Nov. 12 in an explosion of Technicolor classics,
obscure childhood favorites and blockbusting properties.

Every other Disney Plus original to debut, including reality
shows like "Marvel's Hero Project" and the aggressively meta
comedy "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," run
on optimism, selling the Disney brand as unfailingly
aspirational. In introducing a "Star Wars" series along with
it all, it would have been completely understandable if it
were a romp that leaned more into a popcorn-ready "Return of
the Jedi" vibe than the sinister politicking of "The Empire
Strikes Back." (Or, in new trilogy parlance, more of a
"Force Awakens" tone than "The Last Jedi.") If Disney Plus
had kicked off its inaugural wave of "Star Wars" content
with a "Muppets"-style sitcom about bored Cantina bartenders,
I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised (or, for that
matter, disappointed, because that actually sounds awesome).
But at least in its first episode, "The Mandalorian" is a
grim Western of a show that's less concerned with capturing
the magic of "Star Wars" than roughing it up a bit. Even when
"The Mandalorian" lags, its swerve from a more expected route
makes it more intriguing as an entryway into a galaxy far,
far away.

Jon Favreau's new swing at the "Star Wars" universe picks up
sometime after the fall of the First Galactic Empire in
"Return of the Jedi" and before the events of "The Force
Awakens," at which point the hot new fascist power of the
First Order has already taken back over. (As for how much a
viewer needs to know or remember about the details of the
original trilogy, I watched "Empire" and "Return of the Jedi"
as a quick refresher course, but upon watching the first
episode of "The Mandalorian," even that wasn't completely
necessary.) With its blessedly brisk 40-minute runtime, the
glimpse the "The Mandalorian" pilot gives us of this
heretofore unknown in-between period is slight, but revealing.
With no one in charge, the rules of law barely exist, meaning
that underground dealings and individual firepower are even
more powerful commodities than before. The first episode
doesn't give away much in the way of world-building logistics
beyond some basic discussion of currency - but the
possibilities, as they say, are endless. 

One point in the show's favor is that it homes in on a single
story, the better to keep it grounded. It follows a seemingly
tireless bounty hunter from the planet Mandalore (i.e. "The
Mandalorian"), who spends his days scraping together
low-paying assignments that have him ricocheting around the
galaxy to scoop up bail-jumpers and preserve them in carbonite
before they can wriggle away again. To the tune of Ludwig
Goransson's richly textured score of sparse Western motifs and
melodramatic tone shifts, the Mandalorian stalks silently
through crowds, drawing wary attention wherever he goes despite
his stoicism.

That resolute lack of emoting makes the Mandalorian both a bold
choice as an anchoring character and a frustrating one,
especially since he's played by the endlessly charismatic actor
Pedro Pascal. That holds doubly true as it becomes clear that
the Mandalorian, like Boba Fett before him, never takes off his
helmet - not for his boss (Carl Weathers), nor his mysterious
ally (Gina Carano), nor his most intimidating client (Werner
Herzog). We never even see him reveal himself for himself. And
his world, no matter which world he's on, is monochromatic.

Over the span of the first forty minutes, we see the
Mandalorian staring down endless frozen white tundras, sweeping
terracotta deserts, dingy brown bars. (To give credit where its
due: the cinematography and production design of these scenes
are fittingly gorgeous for a series with such a high budget,
especially with Dave Filoni's directing providing a steady hand
throughout.) In fact, until the very end of the first episode,
the Mandalorian remains as monochrome as his surroundings,
making moments when he finally betrays some semblance of
personality - most especially when he's frustrated with Taika
Waititi's matter-of-fact bounty hunter droid - even more
precious.

"The Mandalorian" bears the burden of heightened expectations
and salivating anticipation from the millions of diehard fans
who have made the "Star Wars" franchise so inescapable over the
years. As such, the show has to justify its existence in a
different way than most new series do, at which the first
episode does a decent job. Someone who doesn't care for "Star
Wars" likely won't care for "The Mandalorian," but the setup is
rooted in enough tropes that its story remains accessible
enough to anyone who might be interested. The Mandalorian's
newest, most dangerous mission also brings him face to face
with a recognizable and truly unexpected character, one whom
should make even the most casual "Star Wars" fan will raise an
"oh really?" eyebrow. It's the kind of reveal that indicates
that the Mandalorian could have played a crucial role leading
up to the events of present-day trilogy, particularly the
concluding "Rise of the Skywalker" chapter that hits theaters
this December.

And yet: It also could just mean that the Mandalorian found
himself in an extraordinary position that nonetheless may
relegate him to the footnotes of history - which, all things
told, is exactly the kind of character that should be driving
"Star Wars" TV series. Sure, origin stories for characters we
already know and love can be fun. But learning more about the
extended universe through characters who aren't lauded as the
greatest heroes and villains of their time - even characters
determined to slide somewhere unnoticed in between - could be a
much more fascinating and fulfilling use of the TV branch's
time. 

"The Mandalorian" premiered Nov. 12 on Disney Plus, with new
episodes dropping every Friday. 


<https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/mandalorian-star-wars-review-disney-plus-1203401712/>




Ed Stasiak

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Nov 13, 2019, 6:26:22 AM11/13/19
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> Your Name
>
> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus

I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out of Disney Wars,
other then Rogue One.

trotsky

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Nov 13, 2019, 7:59:12 AM11/13/19
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Does the Mandalorian stay at Mandalay Bay when in Vegas?

Ian J. Ball

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Nov 13, 2019, 8:42:26 AM11/13/19
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Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...


--
"Three light sabers? Is that overkill? Or just the right amount
of "kill"?" - M-OC, "A Perilous Rescue" (ep. #2.9), LSW:TFA (08-10-2017)

Ed Stasiak

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Nov 13, 2019, 1:45:32 PM11/13/19
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> Ian J. Ball
> > Ed Stasiak
> >
> > I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out
> > of Disney Wars, other then Rogue One.
>
> Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...

It might have been half way good if they had cast Chris Pratt
as Han-Solo, and gotten competent writers.

https://i.postimg.cc/vB0fNhpD/Chris-Pratt-Star-Wars-Han-Solo.jpg

Your Name

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Nov 13, 2019, 3:46:24 PM11/13/19
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Yep, but he stays in his room all day playing the mandolin and eating
mandarins. ;-)


Rhino

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Nov 14, 2019, 4:40:10 PM11/14/19
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And reading books by (or about) Nelson Mandela.

--
Rhino

moviePig

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Nov 14, 2019, 5:22:27 PM11/14/19
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Is that mandatory?



A Friend

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Nov 14, 2019, 5:37:26 PM11/14/19
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In article <qqkhjl$opq$1...@dont-email.me>, Rhino
And listening to "Mandy" by Barry Manilow on eternal repeat.

Your Name

unread,
Nov 14, 2019, 9:29:40 PM11/14/19
to
Thanks to 'Politically Correct' morons, using "man" is illegal these
days, so the show's title will have to be changed to "Persondalorian".
;-)


Your Name

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Nov 14, 2019, 9:30:24 PM11/14/19
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On 2019-11-14 22:22:22 +0000, moviePig said:
Only when also speaking Mandarin. ;-)

RichA

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Nov 14, 2019, 9:42:38 PM11/14/19
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On Tuesday, 12 November 2019 23:43:18 UTC-5, Your Name wrote:
> From Variety.com ...
>
>
> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
> -------------------------------------------
> 'The Mandalorian' is a grim Western of a show that's less
> concerned with capturing the magic of 'Star Wars' than
> roughing it up a bit.

Star Wars sissies wouldn't know real terror if it bit them in their fantasy faces.

Jim G.

unread,
Nov 15, 2019, 12:42:42 AM11/15/19
to
Ian J. Ball sent the following on 11/13/19 at 7:42 AM:
> On 2019-11-13 11:26:19 +0000, Ed Stasiak said:
>
>>>
>>> Your Name
>>>
>>> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
>>
>> I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out of
>> Disney Wars, other then Rogue One.
>
> Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...

Pardon me while I look around for the broken clock that I know has to be
here somewhere. :)

--
Jim G. | A fan of the good and the bad, but not the mediocre
"I'm really glad we're at this place in our relationship where we can
dig up graves together without having to talk." -- Major Lillywhite, iZOMBIE

Dimensional Traveler

unread,
Nov 15, 2019, 2:14:58 AM11/15/19
to
On 11/14/2019 9:42 PM, Jim G. wrote:
> Ian J. Ball sent the following on 11/13/19 at 7:42 AM:
>> On 2019-11-13 11:26:19 +0000, Ed Stasiak said:
>>
>>>>
>>>> Your Name
>>>>
>>>> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
>>>
>>> I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out of
>>> Disney Wars, other then Rogue One.
>>
>> Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...
>
> Pardon me while I look around for the broken clock that I know has to be
> here somewhere. :)
>
I thought it wasn't too bad either. :D Its just not a huge blockbuster
type movie which everyone assumes a Star Wars movie has to be. Like
'Rogue One' its a more "personal" story/movie.

--
"You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?"

Jim G.

unread,
Nov 15, 2019, 3:28:25 PM11/15/19
to
Dimensional Traveler sent the following on 11/15/19 at 1:14 AM:
> On 11/14/2019 9:42 PM, Jim G. wrote:
>> Ian J. Ball sent the following on 11/13/19 at 7:42 AM:
>>> On 2019-11-13 11:26:19 +0000, Ed Stasiak said:
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Your Name
>>>>>
>>>>> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
>>>>
>>>> I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out of
>>>> Disney Wars, other then Rogue One.
>>>
>>> Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...
>>
>> Pardon me while I look around for the broken clock that I know has to be
>> here somewhere. :)
>>
> I thought it wasn't too bad either. :D

Well, yeah, but you're not always mostly wrong. Unless I'm mistaken.

> Its just not a huge blockbuster
> type movie which everyone assumes a Star Wars movie has to be. Like
> 'Rogue One' its a more "personal" story/movie.

Bad press over the original directors and a fair amount of Star Wars
burnout killed it at the box office. I'm surprised that Kathleen Kennedy
survived it, actually. I don't know if she threw someone else under the
bus or if she has skilz that Weinstein would have appreciated, but this
one was all on her, IMO, and she should have been toast.

Dimensional Traveler

unread,
Nov 15, 2019, 4:11:36 PM11/15/19
to
On 11/15/2019 12:28 PM, Jim G. wrote:
> Dimensional Traveler sent the following on 11/15/19 at 1:14 AM:
>> On 11/14/2019 9:42 PM, Jim G. wrote:
>>> Ian J. Ball sent the following on 11/13/19 at 7:42 AM:
>>>> On 2019-11-13 11:26:19 +0000, Ed Stasiak said:
>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Your Name
>>>>>>
>>>>>> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
>>>>>
>>>>> I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out of
>>>>> Disney Wars, other then Rogue One.
>>>>
>>>> Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...
>>>
>>> Pardon me while I look around for the broken clock that I know has to be
>>> here somewhere. :)
>>>
>> I thought it wasn't too bad either.  :D
>
> Well, yeah, but you're not always mostly wrong. Unless I'm mistaken.
>
>> Its just not a huge blockbuster
>> type movie which everyone assumes a Star Wars movie has to be.  Like
>> 'Rogue One' its a more "personal" story/movie.
>
> Bad press over the original directors and a fair amount of Star Wars
> burnout killed it at the box office. I'm surprised that Kathleen Kennedy
> survived it, actually. I don't know if she threw someone else under the
> bus or if she has skilz that Weinstein would have appreciated, but this
> one was all on her, IMO, and she should have been toast.
>
Was she the one behind the "A Star Wars movie every year" plan?

Your Name

unread,
Nov 15, 2019, 4:15:30 PM11/15/19
to
On 2019-11-15 20:28:21 +0000, Jim G. said:
> Dimensional Traveler sent the following on 11/15/19 at 1:14 AM:
>> On 11/14/2019 9:42 PM, Jim G. wrote:
>>> Ian J. Ball sent the following on 11/13/19 at 7:42 AM:
>>>> On 2019-11-13 11:26:19 +0000, Ed Stasiak said:
>>>>> Your Name
>>>>>>
>>>>>> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
>>>>>
>>>>> I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out of
>>>>> Disney Wars, other then Rogue One.
>>>>
>>>> Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...
>>>
>>> Pardon me while I look around for the broken clock that I know has to be
>>> here somewhere. :)
>>
>> I thought it wasn't too bad either. :D
>
> Well, yeah, but you're not always mostly wrong. Unless I'm mistaken.
>
>> Its just not a huge blockbuster type movie which everyone assumes a
>> Star Wars movie has to be. Like 'Rogue One' its a more "personal"
>> story/movie.
>
> Bad press over the original directors and a fair amount of Star Wars
> burnout killed it at the box office. I'm surprised that Kathleen
> Kennedy survived it, actually. I don't know if she threw someone else
> under the bus or if she has skilz that Weinstein would have
> appreciated, but this one was all on her, IMO, and she should have been
> toast.

Both 'Rogue One' and 'Solo' are MUCH better movies than any of the lazy
copycat drivel JarJar Abrams' is spewing out with his useless 'Sequel
Trilogy'.


Your Name

unread,
Nov 15, 2019, 8:01:19 PM11/15/19
to
I'm not sure who's idea that was, but it wasn't a bad idea. The problem
is that they keep picking morons like the lazy-ass talentless cretin
JarJar Abrams and the massively over-egoed Rian Johnson to make the
movies. :-(

Of course, the original 'bad idea' was George Lucas selling the
franchise in the first place!


Dimensional Traveler

unread,
Nov 15, 2019, 9:37:38 PM11/15/19
to
And here I was thinking the Prequel Trilogy was the original bad idea. :)

Your Name

unread,
Nov 16, 2019, 1:03:02 AM11/16/19
to
Well, the *original* bad idea was making the Holiday Special. :-p


Next to lazy-ass JarJar Abrams' copy-cat Sequel Trilogy, George Lucas'
Prequel Trilogy is a high art of entertainment. The incompetent cretin
JarJar Abrams has made such a massive mess (as always) that they
reportedly have six different endings for Episode 9, they're still
mucking about with various parts of the movie even though it's due in
cinemas next month, AND they had to call in George Lucas to attempt to
repair the disaster in some way.


Dimensional Traveler

unread,
Nov 16, 2019, 9:27:45 AM11/16/19
to
On 11/15/2019 10:02 PM, Your Name wrote:
> On 2019-11-16 02:37:37 +0000, Dimensional Traveler said:
>> On 11/15/2019 5:01 PM, Your Name wrote:
>>> On 2019-11-15 21:11:33 +0000, Dimensional Traveler said:
>>>> On 11/15/2019 12:28 PM, Jim G. wrote:
>>>>> Dimensional Traveler sent the following on 11/15/19 at 1:14 AM:
>>>>>> On 11/14/2019 9:42 PM, Jim G. wrote:
>>>>>>> Ian J. Ball sent the following on 11/13/19 at 7:42 AM:
>>>>>>>> On 2019-11-13 11:26:19 +0000, Ed Stasiak said:
>>>>>>>>> Your Name
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> TV Review: 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I thought it was pretty good, the only decent thing to come out of
>>>>>>>>> Disney Wars, other then Rogue One.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Again, I actually enjoyed "Solo", and feel it's gotten a bad rap...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Pardon me while I look around for the broken clock that I know
>>>>>>> has to be
>>>>>>> here somewhere. :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I thought it wasn't too bad either.  :D
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, yeah, but you're not always mostly wrong. Unless I'm mistaken.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Its just not a huge blockbuster type movie which everyone assumes
>>>>>> a Star Wars movie has to be.  Like 'Rogue One' its a more
>>>>>> "personal" story/movie.
>>>>>
>>>>> Bad press over the original directors and a fair amount of Star
>>>>> Wars burnout killed it at the box office. I'm surprised that
>>>>> Kathleen Kennedy survived it, actually. I don't know if she threw
>>>>> someone else under the bus or if she has skilz that Weinstein would
>>>>> have appreciated, but this one was all on her, IMO, and she should
>>>>> have been toast.
>>>>
>>>> Was she the one behind the "A Star Wars movie every year" plan?
>>>
>>> I'm not sure who's idea that was, but it wasn't a bad idea. The
>>> problem is that they keep picking morons like the lazy-ass talentless
>>> cretin JarJar Abrams and the massively over-egoed Rian Johnson to
>>> make the movies.  :-(
>>>
>>> Of course, the original 'bad idea' was George Lucas selling the
>>> franchise in the first place!
>>>
>> And here I was thinking the Prequel Trilogy was the original bad
>> idea.  :)
>
> Well, the *original* bad idea was making the Holiday Special.  :-p
>
Okay, I concede that.

>
> Next to lazy-ass JarJar Abrams' copy-cat Sequel Trilogy, George Lucas'
> Prequel Trilogy is a high art of entertainment. The incompetent cretin
> JarJar Abrams has made such a massive mess (as always) that they
> reportedly have six different endings for Episode 9, they're still
> mucking about with various parts of the movie even though it's due in
> cinemas next month, AND they had to call in George Lucas to attempt to
> repair the disaster in some way.
>
Which is so sad and funny because apparently Lucas is like Abrams in
that they both think up good initial ideas but need other, competent,
film makers to make them work.

Jim G.

unread,
Nov 16, 2019, 1:08:29 PM11/16/19
to
Dimensional Traveler sent the following on 11/15/19 at 3:11 PM:
Pretty much. I can't remember if it started with her, but she certainly
supported the concept fully, and it was more or less her call. She
certainly wasn't voicing any concerns over potential overexposure until
AFTER the Solo debacle, and by then it was too late. She should have
seen and addressed the risk long before then.
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