I plunked down some cash this morning and subscribed to the Disney+/Hulu bundle because I’m a huge nerd and I love Disney, but my secondary motivation could be summed up in one word: The Mandalorian!
Okay, that’s two words, but still…
Taking place sometime after Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian follows a Mandalorian bounty hunter named The Mandalorian who, low on cash and with an nearly empty tank of gas, takes a job to track down a mysterious bounty on a far off world.
Given the slow-burning nature of the story, that’s about all I know but, lemme tell you, this series looks amazing. More akin to a western about a hired gun than any Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian takes the classic Western trope of the man with no name and throws in aliens, droids, and laser blasters and it’s amazing that no one has never done this kind of thing before.
Okay… there’s Firefly, but still…
While it’s a little hard to judge the story on its own merits as the story is just starting, I will say that the show has gotten me instantaneously interested in the titular Mandalorian character, a man who never removes his helmet and has a tragic past.
The show has some pretty great action, mostly showcased in a brief bar fight and a prolonged and very exciting shootout near the end with a very awesome bounty hunter droid.
If anything else, The Mandalorian is a triumph of atmosphere alone. This is a series that looks like no other series on television and you can tell that a lot of money was thrown at it and ever cent can be seen on screen.
It’s hard to judge this series on its own merits because the story is only getting started, but it’s got enough of a promise and an interesting story hook at the very end of the first episode to guarantee that I’ll be watching the next episode.
Jason Gaston 