With the twins gone and Rotta uninterested, seems there is a power vacuum and scrambling over the Hutt area. Could be a decent TV season, but with of Maul: Shadow Lord (different timeframe) not sure another series with a similar theme would be received well.
Brian
I haven’t seen the movie yet (though spoilers don’t bother me, hence my reading this thread), but I have played Star Wars: The Old Republic extensively for years, and I wondered if that was going to be the depiction of Nal Hutta that appeared in the film, as that game isn’t exactly canon ( I’m not sure if the Clone Wars show falls into the actual canon of the original trilogy, or is more a part of the extended canon).
I believe that Clone Wars is, indeed, considered to be canon. SWTOR is now in the “Legends” category, as is pretty much all of the old Expanded Universe content, but — speaking as someone who also played a lot of SWTOR — Nal Hutta, as portrayed in this movie, isn’t inconsistent with how it was in that game.
Good to know. I need to buy a new laptop and start playing the game again.
IIRC, SWTOR is the only Legends content that’s still receiving new content.
I loved this, this is exactly the low to mid stakes the mandalorian show should have kept throughout the entire series. I loved Martin Scorsese playing the little monkey alien. I loved that Zebb and Embo both fought exactly like they did in the cartoons. Also that Embo was actually on Mando’s level. Speaking off, I know he didn’t speak but they credited other people who just did suit work and stunts, was he just CGI? couldn’t find him listed on IMDB.
I loved the gag of Grogu barely fitting in the cabin and Mando’s resigned reaction when they got to the ship, but it kinda bugged me they could fit a FTL drive in that thing. It also bugged me that Mando could get knocked out by gas while wearing his helmet, pretty sure he can go in space in that thing. Most of the time they treat the Mandalorian armor like its an Iron Man suit, when its really just a chest plate, shoulder pauldrons, wristguards and thigh guards. Either way, minor complaints in what was a great movie.
Yep as soon as I read Nar Shadda it all came back to me. Thanks!
Fun fact: one of them, Brendan Wayne, is John Wayne’s grandson!
https://ew.com/mandalorian-and-grogu-brendan-wayne-tears-helmet-filming-near-death-scene-11981678
Just saw this, big The Mandalorian fan and I thought this movie was excellent. The fate of the galaxy wasn’t at stake and I think that’s great, we got a dirty gritty adventure with some really neat fight scenes and creatures, and perhaps a lot of political ramifications for the galaxy as the New Republic bombed the Hutt palace. Gonna create a power vacuum at best, at worst could be a lot of conflict between the New Republic and various criminal factions. Wonder if any of them will be upset the twins are dead and the palace destroyed?
I really liked the aesthetic of this movie too, a lot of 1970s and 1980s influences. Them entering the city where Rotta was a vibe with the hard synth music and all the neon and gritty streets.
Oh, also was psyched to see Zeb but bummed that Chopper wasn’t in the movie.
As shown in the Ahsoka TV series, Chopper hangs out with Hera in this era.
Something very cool I just learned: the two giant robots were not CGI but actual stop motion animation done by none other than Phil Tippett! That’s very cool.
Related side note: although I have never seen this confirmed anywhere I always assumed they purposely made the entrance of the Rhino monster in the arena scene in Attack of the Clones look like stop motion as an homage to the art form because it really does look like stop motion.
I thought they looked like stop-motion but I assumed they’d just been CGIed that way! Between that and Rocky in Project Hail Mary being an elaborate puppet, this has been a good year for practical effects in sci-fi.
i enjoyed the movie. grogu is growing up!
can’t wait for it to stream so i can see the things that i missed the first time around.
Yeah, I played SWTOR extensively, and seeing Nal Hutta on screen really took me back. I was amazed how faithful it was. It was like watching a place I’d been to before portrayed on screen. They nailed it.
I loved seeing Zeb and was hoping to see his staff/rifle in play… And they delivered. He was kicking ass just like he did back in Rebels.
I remembered Rotta from the very first Clone Wars animated film back in 2008 (which also introduced the character of Ahsoka). I loved the callback in this movie. I also liked seeing Embo again; I remembered him from the Clone Wars series, and kept waiting for him to throw his hat. And he did!
Those dumb little references kept me entertained from start to finish. The whole film felt like one giant Easter egg. I loved it. I consider it my second favorite Star Wars film after Rogue One.
I loved this as well. No more leaving him with a babysitter any more. Grogu is a mandalorian intern now and he is expected to handle his shit.
I’m obviously in the minority here, but this film bored the Hell out of me. A very thin story with set pieces and fights I have already seen in previous Star Wars films. The only character development is that Grogu is now allowed to push (some) buttons. After nearly 50 years, I think I have finally outgrown the franchise.
You’re not alone. There was just nothing there - no plot, no dialog, no characters, no personality. I forgot most of it by the time I left the theater.
But I don’t think I’ve outgrown Star Wars. SW can still be great. This just wasn’t.
The main plot was about the Mandalorian’s relationship to the New Republic. I think the film could be summed up by the moment when he thanks Sigourney Weaver’s character for coming to help, she says they don’t abandon their people, and he insists that he’s just an independent contractor. She replies, skeptically, “Sure you are.”
Everybody in the galaxy and all of the viewers knew this was the case from the first season. The show’s conceit has always been that Mando just refuses to acknowledge it.
Some financial news out:
This weekend was one for the box office history books.
Movie theaters across the nation were jamming with Gen Z crowds, who showed up en masse for not one but two buzzy horror films. A24’s “Backrooms” collected a jaw-dropping, record-breaking $81 million from 3,442 North American theaters in its opening weekend. That’s as ticket sales for the Focus Features breakout “Obsession” jumped again in its third frame with $26.4 million from 2,781 cinemas — and crossed the $100 million mark domestically. Both movies were directed by YouTube stars and cost nearly nothing to produce, upending conventional wisdom about the necessary components for a hit.
While at the same time:
Yet Disney’s “Star Wars” spinoff, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” suffered a catastrophic 70% drop in its second weekend, signaling the property isn’t catering beyond an aging group of core fans. Despite playing on far more screens, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” landed in third place on weekend charts behind “Backrooms” and “Obsession.”