Members of the press have posted their social media reactions to The Mandalorian, after Disney screened thirty minutes from the upcoming live-action Star Wars series for journalists. In addition to being the first of its kind, The Mandalorian will serve as a litmus test for future live-action shows set in a galaxy far, far away when it premieres on Disney+ next month. Disney and Lucasfilm are already working on two more Star Wars series for the service, in the forms of the Cassian Andor prequel and Obi-Wan Kenobi solo adventure. For that reason, it’s important that The Mandalorian make a strong impression right out of the gate.
Fortunately, for the Mouse House, the outlook is pretty optimistic right now. The Mandalorian trailer footage has been well-received so far, with fans praising its cinematic style and high production values. The show is set five years after Return of the Jedi and takes place in the criminal underworld of the Star Wars galaxy, so it’s expected to be a little darker than other Star Wars-related projects before it. Based on the early footage reactions, it’s very much that and more.
Disney held a press event for The Mandalorian today and screened thirty minutes of footage from the series’ first few episodes. As you can see from these responses posted to Twitter, those in attendance (which included Screen Rant‘s own Mansoor Mithaiwala) were by and large impressed by what they saw.
Saw almost 30 minutes of #TheMandalorian footage this morning. It’s truly incredible. It looks like the films, feels innately Star Wars, introduces new concepts, and adds layers that people have been waiting to see for a long time. pic.twitter.com/4JVB16pMAL
— Mansoor Mithaiwala (@MansoorAYM) October 19, 2019
Just watched 27 minutes of Mandalorian footage and legit cried. Can’t say much but — This is real and it’s happening and it feels SO FREAKING STAR WARS pic.twitter.com/A56KJBc1GH
— Ash Crossan (@AshCrossan) October 19, 2019
This is the Star Wars thing I’ve been waiting for! While I love the Skywalker saga, I’ve wanted to see new characters and places explored in depth which can only be done over multiple episodes in a series format. Cannot wait to see more of @themandalorian. pic.twitter.com/exRmsLTYzU
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) October 19, 2019
One other thing about @themandalorian is I got to see the footage in a screening room on a big screen and it looked like I was watching a movie. While I get the show is to sell subscriptions to @disneyplus, I wish I could watch every episode in a movie theater. pic.twitter.com/pCY9SEeWsd
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) October 19, 2019
Also it looks as expensive as it is — they didn’t skimp with this one. Spaceships, creatures, etc all in full effect. Cannot wait for full episodes. #TheMandalorian
— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) October 19, 2019
The score is awesome. Seeing @dave_filoni do live action Star Wars is everything I’ve wanted. I can’t wait to see more. November 12 is my birthday and Disney+’s launch of this show will be my celebration.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) October 19, 2019
Clarification: apparently the footage we saw went beyond the pilot episode. Unclear on how many episodes it spanned. It was selected scenes.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) October 19, 2019
Y’all know me. Know how I earn a livin’. Know I’m not the biggest STAR WARS guy. But lemme tell ya: THE MANDALORIAN footage looked fucking *awesome*. #SWCC
— Scott Wampler™ 🎄 (@ScottWamplerBMD) April 14, 2019
It’s not surprising to hear The Mandalorian looks and feels like a movie, given its total budget (estimated at $120 million) and the creatives involved. Iron Man filmmaker Jon Favreau served as the showrunner and assembled a top-notch team of directors for the series’ first season, including Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), Deborah Chow (American Gods), and Rick Famuyiwa (Dope). It’s also encouraging to hear the show doesn’t shy away from being grittier than Star Wars movies past. The Mandalorian won’t go so far as to feature TV-MA content, but a show about bounty hunters, gangsters, and renegade Imperial officers should have a bit more edge to it.
Fans have been hoping The Mandalorian would take advantage of the episodic series format and delve deeper into aspects of the Star Wars galaxy that the movies simply don’t have time to focus on. Thankfully, these reactions indicate the show does just that, and will flesh out the franchise’s mythology in creative and exciting ways. Since the clips Disney showed were all taken from different episodes, those in attendance couldn’t really comment on the series’ overarching plot threads. So, hopefully, the story of The Mandalorian will prove to be as compelling as the world-building and aesthetic seemingly are.
The Mandalorian premieres Tuesday, November 12 on Disney+, and will roll-out new episodes on a (typically) weekly basis thereafter.
Source: Various [see the above links]
