The Mandalorian first impression: Pedro Pascal starrer underwhelms

First, a confession: I was never a huge fan of Boba Fett or Jango Fett, who I believe is vastly overrated in a franchise boasting of many well-rounded, fully developed characters. The droid-hating Mandalorian, played by Pedro Pascal (who is not seen, only heard — and not often enough), is a singularly uninteresting protagonist.

At least Tom Hardy had his eyes exposed as Bane and Max Rockatansky in The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road, respectively. The eyes can emote quite a lot and can go a long way in revealing the emotional state.

Pascal has only his voice to do all the work, and it does not happen often and is not nearly enough.

There is a reveal in the end which is set up to be huge, but leaves little impact — on me, anyway. Your reaction may vary.

When it comes to positives, the production value is downright magnificent. This series can go head-to-head with the ongoing Star Wars trilogy in terms of visual effects, set design, costumes and stunt work. The cinematography is pleasing too.

I just wish more work was done on the writing, and perhaps a better decision about the Mandalorian’s helmet could have been taken to make the character more interesting.