The Mandalorian Series Review (Season 1)

Released: 12th November 2019

Number of Episodes: 8

Certificate: 12A

Where to Watch: Disney+

Created by: Jon Favreau

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Taika Waititi and Werner Herzog

The many stories that have been told in a galaxy far, far away are endless and far-reaching, but over the last four years, output on a smaller scale has been modest when compared to previous expanded universe efforts. With the Star Wars sequel trilogy having burned itself out, it now falls to the smaller projects to pick up the pieces. Created by Iron Man director Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian is the first big-budget, live action series to come out of the franchise, and it’s a brilliant ride.

Taking place shortly after the end of Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian follows the titular bounty hunter and his ship as he takes on a highly lucrative job that turns into a race against rivals, rogues and the remnants of the Galactic Empire. With very few connections to the larger source material, The Mandalorian jets off on a western style trek across the stars as the faceless mercenary seeks to protect a valuable passenger while crossing paths with numerous factions and individuals unconcerned with the greater matters in the galaxy. It’s a premise very much inspired by the lone gunmen that populated older spaghetti westerns, but under the hood there are many different elements at play; mystery, light humour, action and exploration all told across a range of varied scenarios. These are all aspects of previous Star Wars films that got audiences invested and yet The Mandalorian is the first entry in a long while that handles all these ingredients in a sublime manner. Almost every episode is both memorable and well-paced, with the only exception for me being the fourth one. It treads a little too closely to its western inspirations and doesn’t progress the story as well as the other seven.

The Mandalorian employs several talented actors to portray the characters, which despite their position in the grand galactic events, stand out as highly memorable. Pedro Pascal of Game of Thrones fame voices the protagonist, while the physical action is performed by the stuntmen Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder. Placing Pascal’s calm and cool demeanour against the top-notch physical acting of the stunt performers, we have a main performance that is always on point. It’s a great achievement to maintain such strong development for a character whose face remains hidden, something not really seen since 2005’s V for Vendetta. The other characters are just as strong, especially Carl Weathers as the gruff leader of a bounty hunter guild and Gina Carano’s portrayal of a former rebel shock trooper. Even the non-human characters have their own standout characteristics including Nick Nolte as the Ugnaught Kuiil and an IG droid voiced by Taika Waititi. The individual arcs these characters embark on result in some of the more surprising moments in the series and work to keep the audience guessing. All told, there’s hardly a weak link to be found in the show’s cast.

Wearing its more contained setting across the eight episodes, the action in the Mandalorian is also a thrill to watch, even as each episode is helmed by a different director. Driven by the main character’s prowess and planning, watching him outsmart and outmanoeuvre his opponents results in some great moments. Through a healthy balance of both practical and CGI elements, the series never goes overboard with its set pieces, maintaining its unique edge all the way through. Yet despite the Mandalorian’s eagerness to apply his honed skills in battle, there remains a sense of dramatic tension throughout every action scene that shows he’s far from a perfect soldier. At multiple points the characters are placed against some difficult odds, reinforcing the more grounded nature of the story; add to that the use of franchise iconography and you have a show that earns its place in the series. Even the soundtrack composed by Ludwig Göransson succeeds at enhancing the identity of the eight episodes, keeping a sizeable distance away from John Williams’ iconic work. The series is more than capable of standing alongside its big brothers on the silver screen thanks to its stellar presentation.

Outside of a single episode that slows the story down a bit, The Mandalorian is far and away the best contribution to come out of Star Wars in years. It’s always ready to deliver some great action, committed characterisation and most importantly of all, a new and original story that will thrill and entertain you all the way through. If you’ve been feeling a bit let-down by the grand space opera recently, this series is exactly what you’re looking for.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)