'THE MANDALORIAN' (2019) REVIEW
The Mandalorian Season 2 trailer dropped last week!
The trailer dropped out of the blue which gave me so much anxiety. I should have been prepared but I guess dropping trailers unexpectedly is such a Lucasfilm/Disney thing to do.
The trailer did not disappoint, using dialogues from the first season's finale to introduce the premise of the second season. We got to see more clips of 'The Child' with Mando so hopefully we get to see more scenes; diving into a more developed relationship between Mando and the Child.
What do we know from the trailer?
Not much... it has been established from the last episode of Season 1 that Mando needs to search the galaxy, find an order of sorcerers called 'Jedi' and return the Child to them. However, we did get to see new images of what looks like new planets as well as realising that the Child is still being hunted. The trailer showed old faces and makes us question whether we will know the end to the mystery that is the unknown planet Yoda is from and the name of his species as well as the official name of the Child. So far, Bob Iger, the chairman of Disney, knows the name given to the Child and probably a few others. Does George Lucas know too?
Back to Season 1, I recently watched it as it officially came onto Disney+ in 2020 for the UK. I came in knowing little to nothing about The Mandalorian. All I knew was what shown in the trailers: the events took place years after 'Return of the Jedi' (1983), and the character that went viral in matter of days of its release in the US, the Child or what the majority of the fanbase calls - 'Baby Yoda'.
Before watching the series, I questioned how Jon Favreau, the creator behind the Mandalorian, would go about portraying facial expression and emotions of Mando since he would be wearing a mask for the entirety of the series. However, this was conveyed from the very first episode when Pedro Pascal, an established actor of our time, demonstrates so much emotion through a mask without showing any visible facial expression. This was done by his tone and his stance. We know what Mando is thinking by watching his movement. Most importantly, his care for the Child is present by his unexpected action in every episode, always putting the child before himself.
Season 1 builds up the character of the Mandalorian to become the man that he is now; a caring father figure to the Child.
Every episode has its own story but seamlessly all link together. Apart from the last 2 joined episodes in which the stakes were pretty high, the most memorable episode was 'The Prisoner' - a rescue mission with a hint of betrayal and dishonesty. This episode was surprisingly intriguing as it makes the audience think about who they can trust and who they can't trust. I for sure can say that I was confused to who to trust and whether I should trust anyone.
What can we hope for in Season 2?
More action, more Mando and more of the Child. The visual effects from the trailer already gives hope for another well-done series, but until then, the Mandalorian Season 1 deserves another watch, not just for the story but for the sceneries and breath-taking visual effects.
My rating: 8.9/10
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I don't watch much TV series as much as films but I will try doing reviews on ones that I actually loved watching like 'Anne with an E'.
For the next two films, I will be focusing more on production than narrative:
Sabina 🦁
