Review of The Mandalorian by Chandler Wang

When it came out, The Mandalorian was all the rage and baby Yoda took the internet by storm. I watched it at a friend's recommendation, and at the end of the show, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It was a generally well-done and executed show, but it was horribly cliche, almost to the point of being a parody, and baby Yoda was a horribly cheap and unimaginative plot device. The show has what most of the recent Star Wars movies have had: strong overall execution and delivery, showing the quality that one would expect from a Disney production. The Mandalorian had the typical Star Wars cinematic gusto: the laser battles, the tense standoffs, and the quick twists of the plot. However, especially at the end of the show, The Mandalorian also exhibited a kind of cheapness of plot that many recent Star Wars movies have had. Modern Star Wars films have often had a moment or twist or even entire characters that don't really make sense in the movie, and seeing them getting jammed in despite that makes the plot of the entire film lose some of its integrity. Although The Mandalorian's shenanigans aren't quite as silly as those of the Star Wars movies, they were still disappointing in a show that was otherwise fairly strong. Not to mention, baby Yoda more or less cheapened the entire show for me - revolving an otherwise fairly gritty storyline around a babbling, seemingly all-powerful infant. The Mandalorian was a pretty good show, but it had many shortcomings that held it back. 7/10.