Disney/Lucasfilm
Over 5 months since it first launched overseas, the House of Mouse’s hotly-anticipated Disney+ has finally arrived in the UK. Whilst it brings a lot of great content with it, the most notable addition is perhaps The Mandalorian – Jon Favreau’s hotly-anticipated Star Wars spin-off – and the first two episodes are available to watch on the new streaming platform now.
The Mandalorian feels ripped right out of a Sergio Leone movie… If Leone did Star Wars, that is. A taciturn gunslinger, we first meet him chasing down a bounty in a remote cantina. He’s quick on the trigger, swiftly eliminating anyone that tries to bother him. Once he collects his bounty, he’s offered another mission – something more challenging, more illicit but more rewarding. With little information about his latest target, he sets out across the galaxy in a bid to get the job done. But it proves to be a more complex bounty than he’s used to.
Swapping out shiny lightsabers for a dirty blaster, The Mandalorian has grit and maturity to it that we’re not used to seeing from the Star Wars world. If Rogue One was a war film and Solo was a heist movie, The Mandalorian is an old-fashioned Western. I’ve already mentioned the echoes of Leone; the show wears its influences on its sleeve, owing a lot to spaghetti Westerns and Akira Kurosawa. The action isn’t flashy and has much darker shades to it than the recent trilogy; this much is made evident early on when The Mando uses a door to chop someone in half. Just as he reinvented the superhero game with 2008’s Iron Man, Favreau blends new with old to put a fresh spin on Star Wars and it makes for some enthralling viewing.
There’s a great use of practicality and the sets and creatures look expectedly stunning. Despite being more tailored for the small screen, the production quality and world-building are just as awe-inspired and technically meticulous as any of the films – if not better. As far as pilots go, the story leaves a little to be desired – not exactly the most nuanced narrative. But part of the show’s appeal is in its simplicity; it feels like a more personal story and a look into the criminal underworld we’ve seen hints of throughout the 11 or so films. Mando isn’t a hero. He’s just looking out for himself and it offers a nice contradiction to most of the protagonists in the Star Wars canon. Whilst he uses his words sparingly, and has a mask covering his expressions, Pedro Pascal makes for an enigmatic leading hero; the film very interestingly peels back the layers of his back-story and it’ll be exciting to see where his story goes. He’s joined by a plethora of wonderful supporting characters in the first episode too and the reveal of a certain character, one whose role in the series is of utmost importance, towards the end of the first episode is sure to have fans immensely excited for more. The Mandalorian starts strong thanks to Favreau and chapter one director Dave Filoni’s reinvention of the Star Wars formula and an enigmatic outlaw at the heart of it all; it’s gritty, stylish and it’s Star Wars like we’ve never seen it. This episode alone is reason to get a Disney+ subscription; let’s hope the season continues strong.
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+ where available.
