The Mandalorian first reactions from critics: 'Awesome, amazing...'
Early reactions to The Mandalorian are in. The media got an extended look at the live-action Star Wars drama series at a junket this weekend, and their first-blush responses sound overwhelmingly positive (below).
The first-ever live-action Star Wars series is from director Jon Favreau (The Lion King) and stars Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) as a bounty hunter in the Outer Rim territories after the fall of the Empire. EW got to see most of this footage a couple months ago when researching our deep-dive cover story on the series and can confirm: It’s most impressive — The Mandalorian feels a bit like 1977’s A New Hope, a space-Western throwback to the original trilogy.
Here are some reactions from reporters:
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
Oh wow THE MANDALORIAN footage looks incredible. We saw IG-88 attacking, we saw Salacious Crumb being barbecued for a meal. And Werner Herzog as some sort of galactic gangster who has his own team Stormtroopers
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 14, 2019
Just saw almost 30 minutes of #TheMandalorian’s pilot episode. It feels like a thrilling return to the original trilogy era of Star Wars. It feels like a big scale movie, not a tv series. They are still keeping a lot of mystery with deliberate cuts in the footage.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) October 19, 2019
Just watched close to 25 minutes of footage from #TheMandalorian. It’s very cool and atmospheric - sometimes evoking the vibe of Rogue One (which I adore). The title character is instantly fascinating and there are great action and suspense moments, including some Predator vibes
— Eerie Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) October 19, 2019
THE MANDALORIAN footage was hands-down THE most exciting thing I saw at #SWCC this year. Holy shit. Gobsmacked by it. Stand by for my report on @bmoviesd.
— Scott Wampler™ 🎄 (@ScottWamplerBMD) April 14, 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
Saw ~27 minutes of #TheMandalorian footage this morning. Always difficult to make sense of a bunch of disconnected scenes but it looks intense, surprisingly dark and very expensive.
— Lindsey Bahr (@ldbahr) October 19, 2019
Reliving my childhood Saturday mornings watching Star Wars. The 30 so minutes of #TheMandalorian footage we saw was incredibly cool. The samurai-infused space western you've always wanted with an ice cold lead, a bunch of rad creatures, and a killer score @ludwiggoransson ✨ pic.twitter.com/FBcJf9II6P
— Rosie Knight of The Comet 💥 (@RosieMarx) 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
Saw 27 minutes of @themandalorian. It's as awesome as you want it to be. Can't say anything specific but one scene answered a question that I don't think has ever been explained/shown in any @starwars movie. Love that it opens up the Star Wars universe in a cool new way. pic.twitter.com/vTxC427sVi
— 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
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
The Mandalorian premieres Nov. 12 when Disney+ goes live and new episodes will be rolled out weekly. In addition to Pascal, the series also stars Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers, and Ming-Na Wen.
