The Mandalorian Season 3 (2023) Review

With Disney having a mixed reputation for how it has handled Star Wars, The Mandalorian has been universally loved and the third season of the show finished this week and it is about time I reviewed it. The premise of the show sees after the events of The Book Of Boba Fett Din Djarin & Grogu reunited and heading to Mandalore in order for the titular character to be redeemed in the eyes of his clan. 

Main Character

Pedro Pascal is back to voice Din Djarin and does a fantastic job in the role. His character has development this season and Pascal has become iconic in his voice acting role. There are some issues with how his character is presented but I don't think it has anything to do with Pascal and his great job. Credit has to go to Lateef Crowder & Barry Lowin who physically play The Mandalorian the majority of the time and do a seamless job in the role. 

Supporting Characters

Katee Sackhoff reprises her role as Bo-Katan and is fantastic in this season. The show puts way more spotlight on her and Sackhoff nails it, she is the real heart of the this season of the show and she is great at it. The dynamic between her and Din Djarin is really well realised and she also has a great dynamic with other characters on the show. Grogu is back reunited by Din Djarin and though there isn't as much time focused on him, he is till adorable and the more we learn about his character, the more interesting that the character becomes. Carl Weathers is back a Greef Karga and it has been really nice seeing his development over the 3 seasons, he is given more to do here and he is a constantly entertaining part of the show. Emily Swallow reprises her role as The Armourer and she is possibly the most interesting character on the entire show, the mystery behind her provides the intrigue needed to make this character worth the extra screen time she gets here. Giancarlo Esposito is back as Moff Gideon and though he isn't in the season much, his character is really well handled and Esposito is an amazing character that can just bring an aura to this performance. 

Story 

The overall story of The Mandalorians trying to find a home is interesting. We are introduced to different leaders in Mandalorian culture and seeing how these factions are usually enemies being forced to try and work together to save their planet. But there are some big issues with the story here, the main one being that the focus is taken off of Din Djarin & Grogu meaning we have other characters taking the lead which doesn't work as well. It feels like the story is trying to already fill in loads of gaps between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy that it is moving away from where I think the focus should be. 

Script

The script is okay, these characters are mostly ones we have spent time with and have grown to care about. The script keeps with this and they are given some chance to shine. But there is a reason that there are no new interesting characters and there was so much filler that by the time we got to the end it felt a bit rushed. 

Style 

The show looks amazing, it is a legit movie budget style here. The action scenes are also really well handled with all the action scenes being a pure joy to watch, seeing multiple different Star Wars locations is really fun. But the pacing of this season is all off, there is too much focus on other characters that the show that it doesn't quite work or make you care about the main story. Some of the tone also feels a bit out of place, one episode in particular. 

Overall

Overall, The Mandalorian Season 3 is a good series of TV. It is easily the weakest of this show but there is still good things here, this whole universe needs to get a bit more focused and return to the higher levels of previous seasons. 

Rating - 7/10

The Book of Boba Fett (2021) Series Review

After 7 weeks and much hype and discussion we have come to the end of The Book of Boba Fett and I have watched all of the episodes and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees Boba Fett return to Tatooine and take over Jabba The Hutt's thrown, he now has to deal with the issues that come with power and the enemies that brings. 

Main Character 

Temuera Morrison reprises his role as Boba Fett from The Mandalorian and I personally think he is fantastic. He adds some real intensity and ferocity to the role while actually managing to give the former bounty hunter a character. I really like how he portrays the character and he just fits into the role naturally and I enjoyed learning more about what has happened to him that makes him more then just this cool looking guy who had nothing to do in the films. 

Supporting Characters

This show had a huge cast and by now I don't think any of them are spoilers so I will talk about as many as I think are appropriate. Ming-Na Wen is back as Fennec Shand and she is also great, I really like the dynamic between the two of them and exploring the duo is one of the highlights of the show. She is also great in the action scenes and I swear that women will never age as she is clearly doing the majority of her own stunts. Pedro Pascal voices Din Djarin and it is great to see him back and seeing how he has progressed since the end of the Mandalorian season 2. He gets way too much screen time but there is no denying that the show does a great job of showing his character at his best. We also see the debut of Krrsantan, a wookie from the comics and it is really cool to see this guy in action and seeing this fearsome more intense wookie on screen is something we haven't really seen before. The rest of the cast are all solid with many cameos that was enjoyable to watch. 

Story 

I really enjoyed the flashback story of seeing how Boba escaped the Sarlaac and made his way to finding Din Djarin in The Mandalorian. I also liked seeing Boba trying to establish a new rule in Mos Espa with this more honourable mentality. I then liked all the stuff involving Din Djarin and some of the wider Star Wars stuff. But the issue is that it doesn't quite work together, all this stuff is good but it feels like 3 different shows at time and I think they took on way too much for the show and it ended up leaving me a little confused as to why the show was called The Book of Boba Fett. The finale delivers though and ends up on a positive note. 

Script

The script is good, I feel like Boba is a character that doesn't need to talk that much and he still doesn't really but when he does it feels effective. The drama worked for me and the bits of humour is a nice addition. It just feels like Star Wars and that is the job that is required for sure. 

Style 

The show looks fantastic, the budget is huge and the effects are top of the range. Seeing Boba and the other characters in full flight is really fun and I love watching this Star Wars adventure. But there are a few issues, the first one is that after all these years I am a bit fed up of Tatooine and this show is mostly set there and it becomes a bit dull. The other issue is the overall pacing of the show, it links to the story and that so much is packed into the show that at times it loses focus on the story that it is trying to tell. 

Overall

Overall, The Book of Boba Fett is a great show that has some great Star Wars fun. It has some issues but if you are a fan of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian and Star Wars then this is a must watch for sure. 

Rating - 8/10

The Mandalorian Season 2 (2020) Review

So 2020 has been a terrible year, no doubt about it but at least the 2nd season of The Mandalorian has come to Disney+ and after 8 brilliant weeks the season has come to end and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees Mando on the hunt for more Mandalorians that can hopefully lead him to more of The Child's people - The Jedi. 

Main Character

In my Wonder Woman 1984 review I was gushing over Pedro Pascal and that continues here as he is superb as Mando. For a character who's face you don't see he adds so much depth and emotion to the role by just changing the cadence of his voice. You truly buy that the relationship between him and The Child has developed and it is the thing that carries this show and really makes you care about him and this story and real credit has to go to Pascal for that. 

Supporting Characters

The Child was the standout from the first season and he is great again here, it always amazes me that this puppet can be so adorable and make me care so much but it does it. Like I said above the relationship between those two is what carries this show and is really well done this season and that is a great thing to see. Gina Carano is back as Cara Dune and despite her social media issues I think she is a good addition to the cast. I really like her dynamic with Mando and Carano manages to add some layers to the character and she is great in the action scenes as you would expect. Carl Weathers is back as Greef Karga, though he is a much smaller part of the show he is just such a fun addition to the crew and he also directed a great episode so credit has to go to him for that. Giancarlo Espositio is back as Moff Gideon and given a bit more to do and what would you expect is what you get he is revelling his role as the villain and you learn a bit more about him and Esposito is just great. Now there are plenty of new supporting characters, some on the poster above but I don't want to really talk about them as they are something you should experience yourself all I will say is that they are handled really well and it adds more layers and quality to the show. 

Story

The story is better this season, the relationship between Mando and The Child is further expanded and developed and I really felt that connection and that it had been a natural development from the first season. One of the things I criticised from the first season was the lack of overall story but I feel like that was sorted this season. Yes it still has a bit of an episodic feel but pretty much every episode has a point to it involving the main story and it definitely develops at a better rate and has way more meat to it leading to one of the best season finales you will ever see. 

Script 

The script is great, I mean when your main character has his face covered it has to be a great script to make you care and this show does that. It does a great job of advancing the drama and also have that nice addition of humour too. Is their fan service this season? yeah but I am a huge fan so I am serviced and it never felt out of place for me and never took away from the show and actually added to it. 

Style 

The action scenes are fantastic, they are all so fast in pace and feel very unique depending on the episode that you are watching. Also what I love about The Mandalorian is the fact that every episode has a different run time, there is very little filler the shorter stories feel the right length and the longer episodes feel the right length. Usually I complain when shows are streamed weekly but The Mandalorian is the exception to rule as I loved the hype each week and I am just a bit sad that the season is over. 

Overall

Overall, this season is amazing. If you are a Star Wars fan at any level you owe it to yourself to watch this show because you will love it. The show hits all the high levels and is worth every minute of screen time and is a must watch and one of the best of the year for sure. 

Rating - 10/10

Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian (2020) Mini Series Review 

 

So over the last couple of months this show has been streaming on Disney+ but I decided to wait and watch all the epiosdes at once and now I have watched all Eight episodes of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian. The premise of the show looks at the hit show The Mandalorian and shows the behind the scenes action from cast, to special effects to the directors. 

This show did a great job in showing just how talented the group of directors for this show were and just how different they were. Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Taika Waittiti, Rick Famuuyiwa & Deborah Chow were the directors here and I think the best part is seeing there utter passion for Star Wars and their work on this show. The different ideas they have shows how good an idea it was for this show to have directors with different experiences and backgrounds to make this feel like a truly unique experience.

Dave Filoni is really the star here, his knowledge of Star Wars is huge and more then anybody else you can just see his passion as it oozes out of him. After this show I have heard people suggest that he should take over Star Wars for the future and I am not sure whether he would want to do that but I would definitley be fine with it.

This show also does a great job of showing just how influentual George Lucas was and still is to Star Wars and technology. Yes I am not a huge fan of the prequel films but you can't deny how important this man has been to film and filmaking and it is great to see that here. 

The show also does a great job of showing how the special effects whether CGI or practical were done and I loved seeing how the score was composed as it is one of my favourites of years gone by.

Overall, this is a fantastic Documentary that if you are a fan of Star Wars and The Mandalorian in particular then this is a must watch and something that will further enhance your love for it. 

Rating - 9/10

The Mandalorian Season 1 (2020) Review

The Mandalorian Season 1 (2020) Review

 When it comes to any film or TV show of 2020 The Mandalorian was the thing that I was looking forward to the most, with it coming to the US last year it built even more and I have now finished the first season of maybe the biggest show in the world and here is my review. The premise of the show sees a Mandalorian bounty hunter track down a package he must protect. 

Main Character

Pedro Pascal plays The Mandalorian on this show and this is one of the most interesting characters in recent memory. I have always had a fondness for the tribe of The Mandalorians and this character is fascinating, you see how his moral code and his actual feelings clash with each other and even though he isn't completely a good person he tries to do the right thing and as you learn more and more you become even more interested by this complex characters. 

Supporting Characters

Carl Weathers is the main supporting character as the head of the bounty hunter guild and I thought he was excellent in this role. I haven't seen him in anything for a long time but he oozes charisma and you are interested by his character and you see how his moral code pairs up and sometimes conflicts with The Mandalorians and it really works. Gina Carano plays an ally of The Mandalorian and I thought she was a good partner for him on the show, they are a beliveable team and it is great seeing them team up and take down enemies together. Nick Nolte and Taika Waititi offers there voices to really interesting roles and Werner Herzog plays a great antagonist. The great Giancarlo Esposito plays a small role but he shines in every scene that he is in and I want to see more of this character and learn more about how interesting he really is. Also obviously we all know about the phenomenon of Baby Yoda, I won't say much about it but this little creature is a real highlight of the show. 

Story

The story is really interesting, I love seeing a post Return Of The Jedi but way before Force Awakens world and how the outlaws are really running the place. The development of The Bounty Hunters Guild was also really interesting and I loved seeing the structure of this organisation. As mentioned the characters are all given interesting arcs and you learn enough but the show doesn't give everything away leaving the door open for even more quality depth being added in future seasons. The ending of the show is fantastic and sets up a really interesting dynamic for the future. 

Script

The script for the show is some of the best writing that has been seen in Star Wars. The drama is really deep and interesting seeing characters dealing in a world that doesn't have too many rules apart from their own. Also the humour is here but unlike other Star Wars films it really works here, it is used in small doses but really works and adds more depth to the characters and the show. 

Style 

The style of the show is amazing, it literally looks like 8 movies, the action scenes are more brutal and hard hitting then the films. It is brilliantly shot and the western style really works in making this an even more interesting show. However, I get to the only thing that I didn't get on board with, the pacing of the show. The first 3 episodes and last two episodes are amazing, some of the more interesting television I have seen in recent years, however, there are episodes 4,5 & 6. While enjoyable they feel very episodic and a bit disconnected to the main story and I felt myself not thinking about them as much as I did the other brilliant episodes.

Overall

Overall, the Star Wars license has led to much conflict in recent years but I think everyone can agree The Mandalorian is a fantastic show and I agree with this opinion. This is a must watch show for not only Star Wars fans but fans of great television, I can't wait to see more from this show and I hope it gets even better in the future.

Rating - 9/10