Of the Star Wars announcements so far at D23, nothing sticks out as new. We felt the tremors in the force for Kenobi’s return. Clone Wars season 7 may be a bit later than we had hoped, but nothing else new, and we get The Mandalorian trailer reaction. There is no better feeling than getting nothing new, yet having your mind totally blown! Let’s breakdown the Mando trailer.
Mandalorian Trailer Breakdown: Opening Shot
No need to go any further than the opening shot to jump with giddiness and scrape your jaw off the floor. There are so many things to say about the opening shot I think i could stick with just that. Stormtrooper party zone! The shot sets the tone screaming that Imperials are not welcome on this planet. Not only that, the denizens here can take out those they don’t like. The number of helmets equals an Imperial massacre.
Secondly, did that scene look eerily familiar to any one? A bit of Deja Vu perhaps, like you’d seen it before? Perhaps here?
This is the cover to the only horror book ever written for Star Wars. The decimated Stormtrooper helmets hung out for display from the trailer, instantly made me think back to this book. While I doubt there are any connections, just the vibe alone chills the blood.
Rumor tried to say this show might be ‘kid friendly’ in the vein of Clone Wars or the movies. This opening scene, along with a couple others, makes me think Sith spit! This opening scene alone sets an ominously awesome tone for what follows.
The Mandalorian Trailer Breakdown: The Visuals Boggle the Mind
For movies costing upwards of $200 million, the visuals for this trailer seem on par, but this is NOT a $200 million budget. The Mandalorian ran $120 million for 10 hours of footage, not 2 hours. The ships, the creatures, the machine movement, the sets all exceeds any expectation I had.
Jon Favreau talked frequently about the ground breaking technology he used that essentially let him see the final shot while filming instead of later, back in the cutting room. The detail and movement leaves little to the imagination and even less to nit pick. For such a smaller budget the visuals all go toe to toe with any movie in theaters right now (pay attention Star Trek).
Take the shot of the Mando ship flying over the mud flats. Honestly, it looks like someone just zoomed in on a dry, cracked lake bed in the Mojave somewhere, yet when the ship flies over it, it looks incredible.
The Side Characters Look Amazing
I love seeing Carl Weathers in his one shot. He may not do anything other than pay a bounty (possibly), but to have him just sitting there smirking makes me giddy to see what he does in the rest of the film.
We get a quick shot of Gina Carano. We don’t see much now, but wait til she lets loose! The next couple shots are characters we do not know, but I love them. We see Puppy-Monkey-Baby’s dad riding a very realistic lizard. Not only that, this lizard has been used before. (Leave a comment below if you remember where its shown up previously)
Then there’s the Twi’lek. A sassy, nasty little piece of work as she walks away from the camera. Again I am struck with a sense of Deja Vu. Any ideas where?
While i know the colors and characters are very different, the vibe from this Twi’lek really reminded me of Eleena Daru from the KoToR MMO game. She served Darth Malgus, the main Sith of the time.
Mom and Daughter Go Swimming
This scene came and went very quickly, but I cannot help but feel these two will have some major role to play in the series. If they do not that shot means nothing. Are they the bounty being hunted? Or the distraction that will take our hero down his true path?
The Mandalorian Trailer Breakdown: DEATHTROOPERS!?!
Sweeeet. You cannot go wrong bringing these guys back. First used in Rogue One, they keep popping up, and every time they do, the stakes seem to rise. Notice the Imperial officer with a squad or two of Deathtroopers at his back still looks scared as shit when facing off with our beloved gunslinger.
Fighting. Fighting. and oh yes – More Fighting!
The end of the trailer closes out with lots of action. We see the IG droid in full assault mode as is our gunslinger. His blaster and his fish rifle (see Holiday Special) versus a squad of Stormtroopers surrounding him. One would think the Stormtroopers could catch a break one of these days.
We see our Mando hero fighting several people in the ‘bar’. He uses some nice moves, and when we see his presumed quarry attempt to escape he uses the trademark gauntlet lasso both Jango and Boba used. Then he pulls…oh WAIT! Did he just?! Tell me he didn’t cut that dude in half when he blasted the door shut!? Dayum! If that does not scream that this show will be legit I don’t know what does.
Final Thoughts
Does anything scream job complete better than seeing the prize frozen in a block of carbonite? I do not know how much was intentional and what was accidental, but this trailer feels like throw backs and nods to so many things through out the Star Wars universe. This feels like Star Wars perhaps better than anything so far. This trailer exceeded every expectation and has me chomping at the bit til November!
