The Reel Review
Season Two of the popular Disney+ Star Wars sci-fi series has our rogue bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy trying to protect “The Child” (Baby Yoda) from those who are hunting him. Set in a timeframe just after the original trilogy’s Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and before Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the series is heavily inspired by the spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s and Akira Kurosawa’s iconic samurai films.
The stunning array of visuals makes The Mandalorian great fun for Star Wars fans – be it revisiting the desert planet Tatooine and seeing the Jawas, Sand People and gadgets made popular in the original 1977 film, or even the introduction of new characters and creatures. And whether you view it as good or bad, this season has a much looser vibe than Season One, which, along with LOTS of screen time for cute Baby Yoda, means creator Jon Favreau is giving his target audience exactly what they want – a more cutesy storyline with lots of laughs – some clever, more of them really corny.
The stunt casting is also a bit hit or miss – Amy Sedaris injects a bit too much of her own quirky personality into the character of Peli Motto to make her even remotely believable, but Carl Weathers and Timothy Olyphant play their roles straight enough to make them convincing. But hey, we don’t really watch The Mandalorian for compelling acting or storytelling, do we? Just give us the great visuals and we are happy.
REEL FACTS
• Since we never see star Pablo Pascal (he’s always wearing his helmet), is he ACTUALLY in every scene? No – and in at least one episode (Season One, Episode Four), the on-screen performance is entirely the work of his two credited stunt doubles – Brendan Wayne (grandson of actor John Wayne) and Lateef Crowder (Mile 22).
• Gina Carano initially believed she would be playing the role of a female wookie in The Mandalorian.
• It was Donald Glover (Atlanta, Solo: A Star Wars Story) who inspired The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau to keep Baby Yoda a secret until the first episode of the series debuted in 2019.
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