When we last left The Madalorian, most of us were surprised to discover that this spin-off show based on the Star Wars movie franchise left an impressive mark on Disney+. Fans both young and old rejoiced at a show that had everything we loved about the franchise and much more. With a new season having been made, can the Mandalorian Season 2 be just as good or even better than the last time?
The second season takes place right after the events from the previous season as The Mandalorian continues to traverse the galaxy to return a baby creature (known to fans as Baby Yoda) to his original habitat. Many unknown imperial forces are searching for the bounty hunter to retrieve the creature for their own plans of use and The Mandalorian must work quickly with allies and sometimes enemies to help him in completing his objective. There might be more than meets the eye as The Mandalorian comes across many different characters both old and new as well as many different inconveniences that complicate his mission further.
Once again most of the episodes are written and sometimes directed by John Favreau. Favreau is the same guy responsible for directing the first two Iron Man movies and his writing style matches the tone and feel of the Star Wars franchise. The writing is just like it was before, In fact, it kinda runs on a formula and a good formula at that. Most episodes see the Mandalorian coming to a new planet, finding out more info on the Baby Yoda creature, and then teaming up with a stranger to fight against a foe that is distributing the balance. The great thing about this is that it never gets stale as there is always something new and unique while still abiding by the world-building rules of the Star Wars universe. There are still many twists and turns that come along into the adventures of the Mandaliorian and along the journey, he’ll come across characters both new to the franchise and old characters from previous star wars stories. Luckily, the characters are implemented with enough personality and complexity without going overboard on either of those fronts.
Much like before, The visual style is great at keeping to the look and feel of Star Wars while adding new locations and sites that have not yet been explored. The practical effects mixed with the CGI is so good that it can sometimes be hard to tell one effect from another. The same technology of filmmaking used for the first season is pretty much used the same way here and the overall look of each scene is beautiful to take in. The painted backgrounds during the credits make a triumphant return and they look like their own pieces of artwork. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if these digital paintings were actual concept art for the series itself. One thing I didn’t talk about last time was the musical score because it too has a lot of value to the overall product. Composer Ludwig Goransson brings his own flare of music to the Star Wars franchise as it is even more impactful to scenes than last time, especially near the end of the season. It’s different, but it keeps true to the spirit of Star Wars in its own unique way.
While I’d argue that the first season was better in its overall narrative, that is in no way a downplay to how well made this season of an already impressively crafted show is. Star Wars fans both old and new are still gonna have a blast with seeing their favorite bounty hunter traversing the galaxy to complete his mission. If one this is for sure, it’s that I, as well as many others, are excited to see what adventures are in store next.
(Final Grade B+)