There's an interesting theory that the original Star Wars film was greatly inspired by Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress, down to comic relief peasants/robots, evil lord and princess to rescue....
There's an interesting theory that the original Star Wars film was greatly inspired by Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress, down to comic relief peasants/robots, evil lord and princess to rescue.
Mandalorian circling back to these origins is yet another nod to the originals, IMHO.
Yojimbo is great and is often my recommendation for where to start with Kurosawa too. Either that or Seven Samurai (for obvious reasons), Hidden Fortress (for the action/adventure aspects), or...
Yojimbo is great and is often my recommendation for where to start with Kurosawa too. Either that or Seven Samurai (for obvious reasons), Hidden Fortress (for the action/adventure aspects), or Kagemusha (for the epic battles)... but honestly, IMO you can't really go wrong with any Kurosawa. Even his Samurai-less movies are great. E.g. Dreams is my absolute favorite film of his. It's an anthology and every single scene in it is wonderfully crafted, shot and executed. The Weeping Demon scenes (terrible quality but it's the best I could find, sorry!) even still occasionally haunt my dreams...
Yeah, I only recommend Seven Samurai to people that I know enjoy slow paced, character-driven films. It's a masterpiece of cinema IMO, but it's definitely not for everyone.
Yeah, I only recommend Seven Samurai to people that I know enjoy slow paced, character-driven films. It's a masterpiece of cinema IMO, but it's definitely not for everyone.
Rashomon is my favorite Kurasawa film. I like how focused it is on the story it's trying to tell, and by the end it feels like you've learned a lesson in humanity.
Rashomon is my favorite Kurasawa film. I like how focused it is on the story it's trying to tell, and by the end it feels like you've learned a lesson in humanity.
This show looks REALLY good, visually. I was excited to start watching it. The first episode is great, except for the "ET phone home" scene at the end. And I hoped that didn't set the "feel" for...
This show looks REALLY good, visually. I was excited to start watching it. The first episode is great, except for the "ET phone home" scene at the end. And I hoped that didn't set the "feel" for the show.
But I'm much less impressed with the second episode. I felt like I was watching a Disney show, not a Star Wars show. Episodes are very short, even shorter than the "no commercials" 42 minute standard. I came away from Ep02 wanting more.
So far I've been really enjoying it! The aesthetics are very high quality and really help to set the tone. I also really like how they reference but also expand on things we already know about the...
So far I've been really enjoying it! The aesthetics are very high quality and really help to set the tone. I also really like how they reference but also expand on things we already know about the Star Wars universe. The Force Awakens felt so copycat and The Last Jedi, like The Phantom Menace, seemed to break some of the pre-established lore. But I really like the direction The Mandalorian is going, because it expands on existing lore, bringing in new concepts, but without overwriting anything. At least, so far.
There are a few things I am either confused about, or didn't like. On the confusion side, I'd be interested in the backstory to the female Mandalorian. Because, my understanding was that Boba Fett and the clones in the Prequels were all clones of Jengo Fett. But, I'm opticimistic that there will be an interesting backstory here, since it seems like the Mandalorians have developed a sort of group identity and "religion". Honestly, I was confused that there was anyone more than just Boba Fett!
In terms of dislike, I don't like how easily the baby Yoda could use the Force. They make a big fuss in all the movies about how important and difficult it is to train, and that prior to training the Force shows itself in subtler, harder to control ways. Like, I get that Yoda was a super masterful jedi, but I always assumed that was through centuries of training and self-discipline. But, I digress.
All in all, I am very excited to see where this goes!
EDIT: Jengo and Boba Fett were not Mandalorians, they just wore Mandalorian armor [1]
I don't think Boba Fett is related to the Mandalorians, aside from the armor he wears. At least that's how it was in the old canon, I don't know if they changed it. I agree with you on the baby...
I don't think Boba Fett is related to the Mandalorians, aside from the armor he wears. At least that's how it was in the old canon, I don't know if they changed it.
I agree with you on the baby yoda. They keep making the force less and less special.
I'm actually digging the score for this, so far. I do think the color grading swings a bit too far into that modern, low-contrast look, though.
There's an interesting theory that the original Star Wars film was greatly inspired by Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress, down to comic relief peasants/robots, evil lord and princess to rescue.
Mandalorian circling back to these origins is yet another nod to the originals, IMHO.
Yojimbo is great and is often my recommendation for where to start with Kurosawa too. Either that or Seven Samurai (for obvious reasons), Hidden Fortress (for the action/adventure aspects), or Kagemusha (for the epic battles)... but honestly, IMO you can't really go wrong with any Kurosawa. Even his Samurai-less movies are great. E.g. Dreams is my absolute favorite film of his. It's an anthology and every single scene in it is wonderfully crafted, shot and executed. The Weeping Demon scenes (terrible quality but it's the best I could find, sorry!) even still occasionally haunt my dreams...
Yeah, I only recommend Seven Samurai to people that I know enjoy slow paced, character-driven films. It's a masterpiece of cinema IMO, but it's definitely not for everyone.
Rashomon is my favorite Kurasawa film. I like how focused it is on the story it's trying to tell, and by the end it feels like you've learned a lesson in humanity.
This show looks REALLY good, visually. I was excited to start watching it. The first episode is great, except for the "ET phone home" scene at the end. And I hoped that didn't set the "feel" for the show.
But I'm much less impressed with the second episode. I felt like I was watching a Disney show, not a Star Wars show. Episodes are very short, even shorter than the "no commercials" 42 minute standard. I came away from Ep02 wanting more.
So far I've been really enjoying it! The aesthetics are very high quality and really help to set the tone. I also really like how they reference but also expand on things we already know about the Star Wars universe. The Force Awakens felt so copycat and The Last Jedi, like The Phantom Menace, seemed to break some of the pre-established lore. But I really like the direction The Mandalorian is going, because it expands on existing lore, bringing in new concepts, but without overwriting anything. At least, so far.
There are a few things I am either confused about, or didn't like. On the confusion side, I'd be interested in the backstory to the female Mandalorian. Because, my understanding was that Boba Fett and the clones in the Prequels were all clones of Jengo Fett. But, I'm opticimistic that there will be an interesting backstory here, since it seems like the Mandalorians have developed a sort of group identity and "religion". Honestly, I was confused that there was anyone more than just Boba Fett!In terms of dislike, I don't like how easily the baby Yoda could use the Force. They make a big fuss in all the movies about how important and difficult it is to train, and that prior to training the Force shows itself in subtler, harder to control ways. Like, I get that Yoda was a super masterful jedi, but I always assumed that was through centuries of training and self-discipline. But, I digress.
All in all, I am very excited to see where this goes!
EDIT: Jengo and Boba Fett were not Mandalorians, they just wore Mandalorian armor [1]
I don't think Boba Fett is related to the Mandalorians, aside from the armor he wears. At least that's how it was in the old canon, I don't know if they changed it.
I agree with you on the baby yoda. They keep making the force less and less special.
You're right! I thought he was a Mandalorian, but according to the fan wikis, he is not. My bad!
Canon says that neither Jango nor Boba are Mandalorians.
[Offtopic] Should a new thread be made for the rest of the episodes or should the title of this topic be changed?