The Mandalorian - a review
The Mandalorian
Star Wars as a movie franchise has taken a turn for the worse in the latest movies. Then came the Mandalorian. It was refreshing to see a star wars show that actually felt like Star Wars - full of wonder, excitement, melodious soundtracks and amazing dialogue.
The story follows the adventures of ‘Mando’ , one of the Mandalorians - a group of bounty hunters that will do any mission for the right price. The mission the protagonist goes on is to hunt down a mysterious life form which has powers that people haven’t seen in a long time. He is informed that the creature is fifty years old but when he actually finds it, it’s a tiny green baby of Yoda’s species - a beloved character from the original Star Wars movies. Mando feels bad for the baby and decides to take it with him and not deliver it to the hunters as he was supposed to do. As a result of his action, all Mandalorians turn against him under the leadership of a new Imperial Army. Mando now goes on a run across the galaxy. Each episode describes another one of his adventures with the Baby Yoda and meets funny little characters and visiting locations that are iconic to this series like the Workshop where the Mandalorians get their gear upgraded by a skilled blacksmith, or Tatooine which is a planet where the first Star Wars was set. Finally in the season ending, all the episodes connect in one epic showdown where the Mandalorians double cross the Empire and a brand new antagonist is introduced.
From it’s scenery to its dialogue, The Mandalorian is a wonderful, well crafted story that deserves much more praise and attention than it actually got. The acting is done well and the Computer Graphics look believable and aesthetically pleasing. There is a good character arc in the story where many characters turn on what they believed in for the greater good in a way that isn’t jarring or out of character. For instance, Mando himself is supposed to be ruthless and apathetic, but when he saw Baby Yoda, he empathised with it and even shot the droid that was about to take its life. Another aspect is that he earns every piece of gear that he wears by impressing both the other Mandalorians and the audience.
The only flaw I can find in this show is that the episodes up until the final one seem a bit disconnected. I feel the show could have done a better job transitioning episode to episode. Yes, the point of it was to connect all mini adventures together by the finale, but that could have been executed better in my opinion.
In conclusion, the Mandalorian is a must watch and I highly recommend it to everyone, not only people who are familiar with Star Wars as the story doesn’t depend too much on the rest of lore.