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*according to Clint
I’ve given my opinions on many a movie, television series, and/or video game in my decade-long tenure here at the Ranch, and in the case of the latter two media have often encountered a problem in that I tend to give my opinions before I finish the dang thing. Sometimes that’s fine. Sometimes I end up with very different opinions after eventual completion. Sometimes I get so disenchanted with a thing I was initially excited about that I don’t end up finishing it at all. So… if you believe I’m not to be trusted on account of that, I understand.
But if there was any upside to be had from our last-quarter-of-2019 crises that led us to our longest hiatus ever, it was that I actually managed to watch some things all the way through before getting back and blathering about them in this blog. So for once I can say, having watched it all the way through not just once but twice over…
The Mandalorian is the best Western of 2019.
Oh sure, it’s technically Science Fiction (or Science Fantasy given how the Star Wars franchise has never been much for the fiddly details of its physics). But where the original Star Wars might have cribbed some of its details and ambience from the Western and Samurai genres (who themselves have been long intertwined), The Mandalorian is completely unabashed about wearing its John Ford-Sergio Leone-Akira Kurosawa love upon its Beskar-armored sleeve, with a healthy dose of the famous manga Lone Wolf and Cub infused as well.
Not only do showrunners Dave Filoni and John Favreau display a deep affection and knowledge of the above, they have the same affection for Star Wars, capturing a spirit of that DNA written into my childhood that I’ve felt somehow missing in more recent efforts. They pay respect to the lore and also expand upon it in new and fascinating ways that don’t feel jarring. What kind of nerd do you have to be to visually demonstrate the behind-the-scenes lore that Devaronians are immune to fire? Well, they are those nerds, and nerdy me was giddy about it along with many other moments.
I could go on but there’s no shortage of praise out there. Just gonna say, even if you have to spring for Disney+ for a single month so you can watch, this is well worth the price. Even the music is top notch, and it would have seemed impossible to think that of a Star Wars score that is 100% not John Williams. Instead credit goes to Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, who perhaps made his biggest mark so far with the score for Black Panther but his work on The Mandalorian is just next level. It’s as if Favreau and Filoni came to him and said something impossible execs say like “We want a theme for this show which seamlessly blends Ennio Morricone and John Williams” and instead of that being impossible, he locked himself in his studio for a month and then went, “Here you go.”
Listen to it. Then listen to it again. And again. And reflect that there are still good things in life.