---
title: "The Mandalorian"
year: 2019
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-mandalorian"
fi1m_score: 76
critics_score: 66
critics_reviews: 7
published: "2026-09-17T16:48:55.657765+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-17T16:48:56.208694+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Mandalorian (2019)

Created by Jon Favreau · MPA TV-14 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure

**Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 66 from 7 reviews

*In a sentence:* The bounty hunter takes himself seriously enough for everyone; thankfully, the Jawas do not

> Jon Favreau’s space western makes good television out of bounty hunting, brisk action and a welcome sense of humour. The masked lead remains underwritten, but these frontier adventures have enough character elsewhere to earn their place in an evening.

## Synopsis

The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) works as a bounty hunter in a lawless corner of the *Star Wars* galaxy after *Return of the Jedi*. His working world includes The Client (Werner Herzog) and Speeder Pilot (Brian Posehn), with employers and transport both part of getting a job done. He wants to complete his assignments, navigating a guild system and the customs of Mandalorian culture along the way. He keeps his face covered and gives little of himself away. The opening adventures follow the practical business of bounty hunting, where accepting work means accepting the dangers attached to it.

## Review

Jon Favreau’s *The Mandalorian* is a good space western with a frustratingly elusive leading man. Its opening adventures keep the business of bounty hunting straightforward enough to follow without extensive preparation. A hunter, a guild and a succession of assignments give the series a useful shape, while its western and samurai influences supply an immediately recognisable rhythm. We recommend it for that directness, with reservations about how much there is to discover beneath the mask.

Pedro Pascal makes the Mandalorian engaging through restraint, although the role gives him limited opportunities to suggest much beyond professional competence. Keeping the protagonist masked is an effective way of encouraging curiosity; it also means the writing has to work harder to make his decisions revealing. Too often, being difficult to read seems to count as sufficient characterisation. Werner Herzog, as The Client, brings a severity that suits this business of employing people to do dangerous work.

The action benefits from an emphasis on clarity, which matters more here than the scale of the surroundings. The cinematography team includes Greig Fraser and Baz Idoine, and the images give the western influence enough weight without making every encounter feel ceremonial. Production designers Doug Chiang and Andrew L. Jones help make the guild system and Mandalorian culture feel established beyond the immediate assignment. There is pleasure in encountering a place whose inhabitants seem to understand how it works. The series is persuasive when it lets that familiarity go unexplained.

The editing, with Andrew S. Eisen and Dana E. Glauberman among those credited, gives the early adventures a briskness that suits their limited objectives. An assignment can hold our attention without requiring the fate of everything to depend on it. Ludwig Göransson’s music is particularly useful in making this approach feel distinctive within [*Star Wars*](https://film.one/film/star-wars). Its inventiveness gives the hunter’s progress an atmosphere of its own. The score contributes to the adventure rather than merely reminding us which franchise we are watching.

We laughed at the Jawas, whose comic business makes the bounty hunter’s solemnity seem rather excessive. Their presence allows the series to be playful without making its protagonist suddenly become a comedian. That is a useful distinction in an adventure built around such a guarded figure. The humour gives the action some variety and makes the surrounding population worth noticing, rather than treating everyone as another obstacle to the next assignment.

The weakness is that a well-staged assignment does not always leave much to think about afterwards. Favreau’s writing establishes a workable profession and an intriguing culture, but those achievements cannot indefinitely substitute for a more particular person doing the work. In the thinner passages, technical competence carries scenes whose dramatic purpose barely extends beyond keeping the hunter occupied. Enjoyable action is a reasonable ambition, though the emphasis on customs and belonging encourages expectations that the characterisation does not consistently meet.

Against the westerns and samurai adventures it draws upon, the series understands the appeal of watching a capable stranger enter unfamiliar territory. It is less assured about making that stranger’s choices tell us something unexpected about him. There is enough humour and practical storytelling here to keep that shortcoming from exhausting our patience. Choose it for compact frontier adventures; allow rather longer to become attached to the man doing the travelling.

*Fi1m score 76, published 17 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond positively to The Mandalorian’s opening adventures, praising the brisk western-style storytelling and its balance of familiar Star Wars details with a fresh setting. The action direction, episodic approach and world-building attract particular approval, especially the attention to Mandalorian culture and the guild system. Ludwig Göransson’s music also earns praise, while Collider singles out Pedro Pascal’s performance for finding charisma beneath the armour.

The spread is nevertheless wide, with disagreement centring on how much character and substance accompany the craft. Some reviews find the masked lead intriguing or engaging; others see a figure who remains difficult to read. The Guardian is the clearest dissenter, arguing that the western-in-space premise produces little wonder and leaves its protagonist without nuance. The more moderate reservations concern thematic thinness: the reviews suggest that efficient action and enjoyable franchise details do not always provide enough substance, though the episodes under discussion differ.

### Reviews we read (7)

- **The AV Club**, Katie Rife (B+): The episode is a lively, fun adventure-of-the-week with excellent action direction. It highlights the comedic Jawas and the developing guardian relationship between the Mandalorian and the Child. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/jawas-are-still-a-pain-in-the-ass-as-the-mandalorian-pr-1839894576)
- **The Times**, Ben Hoyle (★★★★☆): Star Wars’ first live-action TV series offers a tantalising, low-key start with inventive music and a fresh episodic approach inspired by samurai movies and westerns, despite its high budget. It feels both familiar and novel in the lawless post-Return of the Jedi era. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-mandalorian-review-a-tantalising-start-to-the-new-disney-star-wars-series-wm2w9r2rq)
- **Vulture** (70/100, inferred): The series premiere delivers high production values and a brisk Western-style story true to the Star Wars franchise. It establishes promise through action and nods to franchise history but leaves the main character as something of a cipher after one episode. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/the-mandalorian-star-wars-disney-plus-review.html)
- **The Guardian** (30/100, inferred): The pilot episode of Jon Favreau’s Star Wars series aims for a spaghetti western in space but falls short, achieving distinctness without much distinction or wonder in execution. The masked protagonist lacks nuance, and concepts that sound intriguing on paper lose their appeal on screen. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/nov/12/the-mandalorian-review-star-wars-jon-favreau)
- **Collider**, Dave Trumbore (★★★★): The critic praises the strong start to the first live-action Star Wars series, highlighting Pedro Pascal's charismatic performance as the Mandalorian and the rich integration of Star Wars lore and mythology. The score by Ludwig Göransson and the overall world-building are singled out for making the show feel authentic and promising. [Read](https://collider.com/the-mandalorian-review/)
- **The Ringer**, Alison Herman (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the series for its wise choice of subject and setting, creating a balance of familiar and new elements in the Star Wars universe. She singles out its effective world-building of the Mandalorian culture and guild system for particular praise. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/11/13/the-mandalorian/the-mandalorian-review-star-wars-disney-plus-series)
- **Den of Geek**, Megan Crouse (3/5): The episode is technically competent as a straightforward action show but feels thematically empty. It succeeds in delivering Star Wars delights like new droids and a cameo but lacks deeper substance. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/star-wars-the-mandalorian-episode-6-review/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Jon Favreau
- **Creator:** Jon Favreau
- **Director:** Rick Famuyiwa, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Deborah Chow, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed, Jon Favreau, Peter Ramsey, Robert Rodriguez, Taika Waititi, Lee Isaac Chung, Rachel Morrison
- **Writer:** Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, Noah Kloor
- **Story:** Christopher Lee Yost
- **Teleplay:** Rick Famuyiwa, Christopher Lee Yost
- **Cinematography:** Baz Idoine, David Klein, Matthew Jensen, Greig Fraser, Dean Cundey, Paul Hughen
- **Editor:** Jeff Seibenick, Andrew S. Eisen, Dylan Firshein, Rachel Goodlett Katz, Dana E. Glauberman, Adam Gerstel, Erik Jessen
- **Music:** Ludwig Göransson, Joseph Shirley
- **Production design:** Andrew L. Jones, Doug Chiang
- **Costume design:** Shawna Trpcic, Joseph A. Porro
- **Producer:** John Bartnicki
- **Cast:** Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin / The Mandalorian; Kyle Pacek as Jawa (uncredited); Werner Herzog as The Client; Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze; John Beasley as Bartender; Dmitrious Bistrevsky as Quarren Trawler; Brian Posehn as Speeder Pilot; Ryan Watson as Beta Trawler
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-14
- **Release (the US):** 12 November 2019
- **Genres:** Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RVnrBLOBcI

## Where to watch in the US

- Disney+: streaming, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-17.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Yojimbo* (1961), Fi1m 88: A watchful stranger, competing employers and humour sharp enough to draw blood. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/yojimbo.md)
- *The Good, the Bad and the Ugly* (1966), Fi1m 92: Mercenary work, suspicious alliances and music that gives every journey its character. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.md)
- *Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance* (1972): A wandering swordsman combines paid violence with the practical demands of fatherhood.
- *Firefly* (2002): More frontier jobs in space, with a crew considerably keener on conversation.
- *Prospect* (2018): An inhospitable frontier makes paid work dangerous and trust an expensive decision.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-mandalorian