The following is a spoiler-free review of the second-season premiere.
如果 “Baby Yoda” (a.k.a. “The Child”) was the big surprise when “曼达洛人” made its debut a year ago, the second season arrives amid sky-high expectations that seemed difficult to fulfill. Yet the Disney+ series managed to deliver on them with its premiere, which featured numerous creatures and aliens looping back into the mythology of the original trilogy, 是的, another flourish designed to set the Internet ablaze.
One of the most impressive aspects of the first season involved the show’s ability to tap into “星球大战” nostalgia while charting its own creative path. Another hinged on executive producers Jon Favreau (who wrote and directed the premiere) and Dave Filoni possessing an innate feel for the way those early films mixed cinematic genres, adapting that into a series format imbued with the same combination of old and new.
The second-season opener particularly reflected the franchise’s western roots, with the Mandalorian (voiced by Pedro Pascal) and his young sidekick coming to a remote town on a familiar planet, where he’s forced into an alliance with the local marshal (guest Timothy Olyphant, adding another lawman to his resume) to face a very big threat.
That framework draws upon everything that fans have come to enjoy — and frequently miss and grouse about when it falls short — regarding “星球大战,” including theatrical-quality visual effects, bountiful action and humor.
“曼达洛人” has also proven adept at crafting largely self-contained episodes while gradually advancing the larger story line. The same goes for focusing on these specific characters while delivering references and moments immersed in “星球大战” trivia, in a way that surely would elicit whoops and hollers were it presented to an assembled audience.
目前, with the theatrical business hobbled and the “星球大战” galaxy essentially between movies — waiting to see what director Taika Waititi can conjure after the completion of the most recent trilogy — Disney+ has, practically speaking, 成为 “Star Wars'” 本垒.
“曼达洛人” is already a key asset for the studio, 包含 all the merchandise Baby Yoda appears destined to sell heading into the holidays. Far from resting on its laurels, 虽然, if the balance of Season 2 can match the promise of this first episode, it’s still easy to have a good feeling about this.
“曼达洛人” is currently streaming on Disney+.
