If anything, the season could’ve benefited from having 10 or 13 episodes rather than 8, especially if The Mandalorian was able to strike a better balance between standalone episodes and those that furthered the mythology. You almost get the sense that The Mandalorian was designed to be binge-watched in one sitting rather than released weekly, and in truth, that model would probably have served the season well - it would’ve made the narrative detours of episodes 4-6 more palatable, allowing viewers to breeze through those weaker, more derivative installments without having to think about them too hard.
STAR WARS EPISODE 1 REVIEWS MOVIE
Aside from needing the introduction of Gina Carano’s Cara Dune (a welcome addition who offers a bone-shaking authenticity to her fight sequences) in episode 4, you could easily watch episodes 1-3 and 7-8 as a self-contained and perfectly engaging Star Wars movie without missing anything important. The episodes in the middle of the season where the show leans too hard into Akira Kurosawa or Sergio Leone homages are arguably the weakest, while the episodes that bookend the season and advance the overarching plot have a clear-eyed focus and palpable momentum as “Mando” deals with one challenging, ever-evolving mission that pulls him in far deeper than he bargained for. Play Star Wars has always been a pastiche of various genres and influences, but the franchise (at least since Disney acquired it) tends to come unstuck when it leans too heavily on the story beats and iconography of what’s come before without offering anything fresh, and that’s true of The Mandalorian too.
STAR WARS EPISODE 1 REVIEWS SERIES
That probably explains why the series feels quintessentially Star Wars right from the jump - it’s a world that seems weathered and lived-in, thanks to creator Jon Favreau’s canny decision to utilize practical effects wherever possible, pairing them with subtle CGI that helps the show avoid the sterile qualities of the prequels. Charting the adventures of a stoic bounty hunter operating in the Outer Rim after the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian draws heavily from the classic Western and samurai movie tropes that inspired George Lucas when he created the original films (allowing the show to evoke the best of A New Hope’s desolate desert aesthetics and the atmosphere of unknown danger lurking around every corner), while also incorporating many of Lucas’ other influences - the rollicking, planet-hopping energy of Flash Gordon and other sci-fi serials, and the mythic archetypes popularized by Joseph Campbell. Luckily, The Mandalorian - the first live-action Star Wars series, and the flagship show of the new Disney+ streaming service - has the swagger and ambition to venture off the beaten path and into the uncharted regions of the Star Wars galaxy, delivering a freshman season that - while uneven - still manages to be one of the most surprising and satisfying Star Wars projects in decades. If there’s one thing the Sequel Trilogy has proven, it’s that it’s not easy to tell a Star Wars story - let alone one that has anything new to say.
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