TV Show Review - The Mandalorian, Episodes 1 and 2

I am a huge Star Wars fan and always wanted more adventures beyond the movies. I've read the books, comic books, watched the tv shows, and sat thru the four Disney-made movies, but none of them have satisfied me or felt like Star Wars. But when I hear Jon Favreau was behind this new series, I thought there might be a chance for it to be good.

The Mandalorian an 8-episode 2019 Disney+ original series based on Star Wars by George Lucas. It takes place five years after Return of the Jedi. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Storytelling. The storytelling is the strongest aspect of this show. The way the story is told is masterfully done and is what makes this such a great show.

Characters. The characters are all instantly likable even though we know so little about them, especially the Mandalorian himself. The way the show is shot, we feel like we are inside his head experiencing what he is experiencing. And I love how minor characters from previous Star Wars films have been included with a larger role instead of invention new, uninteresting aliens.

Feels Like Star Wars. This series feels like Star Wars, which is really rare for anything George Lucas wasn't directly involved in.

Story. The story is really strong and tight and holds your attention.

Action. There isn't a lot of action, but what little there is is very enjoyable.

The Bad

Pacing. The show moves at a very slow and deliberate pace and provides a lot of "quiet time" and "white space".

Content. The episodes feel a little sparse when it comes to content. They are 30-40 minutes each, but only contain about 18-22 minutes of actual story.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish more happened in each episode. The shows are very decompressed with a lot of "quiet time" and "white space".

Overall

The Mandalorian Episodes 1 and 2 are masterfully done with incredibly strong storytelling, great characters, pretty decent action, a great story, and--best of all--it feels like Star Wars, something none of the four movies Disney have put out has managed to do. The pacing is a little slow with too much "quiet time" and "white space", and the first two episodes were a little thin on content. But overall the first two episodes have been great, and I can't wait to see the rest of the series. I highly recommend this show and give it 4.5 out of 5 remotes.

    

  

 

Book Review - Star Wars: Master & Apprentice by Claudia Grey

Unlike a lot of people, I really enjoyed The Phantom Menace. Qui-Gon Jinn quickly became one of my favorite characters, and I've really wanted to see more about him.

Star Wars: Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray tells the story of an early adventure of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and one of those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. This book had a solid story that felt like Star Wars. The mystery was intriguing, the action exciting, and the politics not tired.

Characters. The characters felt very true to the films. The new characters felt like they belonged in the Star Wars Universe.

Twist. This book had quite a twist at the end that I did not see coming.

The Bad

Jedi Council Angle. This novel has an offer from the Jedi Council to Qui-gon to join it. This really doesn't fit in with the comment from The Phantom Menace about Qui-gon being on the council if he weren't so rebellious.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I with the narrator had put a little more excitement in his voice.

Overall

Star Wars: Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray is a great novel I couldn't put down. The novel tells an early adventure of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi and explores their relationship. The story was solid. The characters were true to the film. The new characters felt like they belonged in the Star Wars Universe. There was a twist at the end I didn't see coming. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Book Review - Star Wars Adventures (Free Comic Book Day 2019)

I've been a huge Star Wars fan my whole life, (although the latest trilogy is making me rethink that). I've bought Star Wars comics in the past, but have almost always been disappointed (with the exception of the brilliant Star Wars: Clone Wars in the Genndy Tartakovsky style).

Star Wars Adventures (Free Comic Book Day 2019) is an all-ages comic published by IDW that focuses on an early adventure of Han Solo and Chewbacca.

The Good

Story. This comic contained a complete story that felt the right length--long enough to tell the complete story without any filler.

Fun. This comic was so much fun to read from the first panel to the last. I didn't experience a single moment or boredom or wanting to do something else.

All Ages. This comic was truly for all ages. I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult and would change nothing and felt like I was missing nothing, and yet I'd have no qualms about giving this to a youngster and I'm positive he would enjoy it as much as I did.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

More comics like this!!!

Overall

Star Wars Adventures (Free Comic Book Day 2019) is everything a comic book should be: a complete story that is fun from page one to the end and is enjoyable and appropriate for ages 5 to 500. I was thoroughly entertained from page one to the last and didn't feel it lacked anything. I give this book 5 out of 5 eReaders.

   

Book Review - Thrawn: Alliances (Star Wars) by Timothy Zahn

I enjoyed Timothy Zahn's original Thrawn Trilogy, but I thought it could have been better. The classic Star Wars characters were close, but not quite right. His first Thrawn book in the new series corrected that by getting the Emperor's character right and showing us new sides to Thrawn's character. I was curious to see how he would follow up that story.

Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn is a science fiction, action, adventure Star Wars story. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and one of those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Darth Vader. I find it rare for anyone but George Lucas to get his classic characters right. I've read a lot of Star Wars novels, comic books, comic strips, and even watched those awful new Star Wars films, and no one seems to really capture the original characters. Even Timothy Zahn in his first series of Star Wars novels couldn't pull it off. Until now. Darth Vader felt like Darth Vader, spoke like Darth Vader, and acted like Darth Vader.

Interesting Stories that Parallel. This latest novel is actually two stories that take place in a similar part of space with the earlier story affecting the latter one. While the story wasn't as good as the first Thrawn novel in the series, is was still interesting and added to the Star Wars mythos.

The Bad

Small Scope. When I think of Star Wars, I think of Galactic Opera that contrasts the big galactic events against the everyday lives of ordinary people. This story forgot the galactic events.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish more had happened. I wish the aliens had been more interesting.

Overall

Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn wasn't as good as the first Thrawn novel in this series, but was still an enjoyable read and continues the story adding more to Thrawn's backstory and motivation. Zahn did a masterful job of capturing Darth Vader's voice, thoughts, and actions. The parallel stories was handled well and helped make two less interesting stories more impactful. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.

   

Movie Review - Solo: A Star Wars Story

I'm a big Star Wars fan, but I haven't really enjoyed any of the post-Lucas films. They all feel like fan films trying to redo the things the filmmakers love about Star Wars instead of trying to add something new to the mythos that makes feels like it belongs.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is a 2018 science fiction, action, adventure film based on characters created by George Lucas. It is rated PG-13 for violence and deaths but is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Adventure. This was a great, fun, exciting adventure. This is the kind of story I would love to see more of in the comics and TV series. The films hint at previous adventures the characters we all love had, but we never get to see them. Until now.

Story. This film has a solid story. It moves at a great pace, its exciting, it makes sense, and it keeps the audience entertained.

The Bad

L3-37. I'm not sure the purpose of this droid. It sounded like an angry gay protestor shouting for equal rights. I'm not sure if the filmmakers were trying to make fun of such characters or thought they had added a serious portrayal, because it was so annoying, pathetic, and unlikable I actually cheered when it was destroyed.

Doesn't Add Anything. Like all the post-Lucas films, this feels like a fan film that recycles a lot of the previous movies. Nothing new was added to the mythos. If this movie had never been made, the Star Wars Universe wouldn't be any poorer.

Too Many References to Previous Films. There were so many swipes from previous films that the movie felt more like a swipe than an homage.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this movie had added something to the mythos. I also hope they make a sequel exploring more of the universe and the characters introduced, especially Han and Qi'ra's relationship.

Overall

Solo: A Star Wars Story is a fun adventure film that is entertaining from start to finish. This is the kind of adventure I always hope to see when I watch a Star Wars TV show or read a Star Wars comic book. The Lucas films hint at other adventures the characters we all love had, but we never get to see them. This film finally shows one of them. It's little more than a well-made fan film that takes too many swipes from previous films to add to the Star Wars mythos. But as an entertaining adventure, it excels. The story is solid with no real surprises. I give this film 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

   

Book Review: Star Wars - From a Certain Point of View

I'm a huge Star Wars fan and a huge short story anthology fan, so I thought this book would be a masterpiece. I first heard about it at Salt Lake Comic-con when several of the authors sat on various panels promoted it. I couldn't wait to read it.

From a Certain Point of View is an anthology of short stories taking place in the Star Wars Universe around the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and is appropriate for all ages and all audiences.

The Good

Stories Surrounding Princess Leia's Capture. The first few stories cover the Star Destroyer's pursuit and attack on Princess Leia's shuttle, and offer some interesting insights into Princess Leia's character and adventures before Episode IV. They make me want to read an Adventures of Princess Leia series.

The Bad

Everything Else. After you get off the shuttle an on to Tatooine, the story takes a sharp left turn. The characters they pick are so obscure, which would be fine if they had interesting stories to tell, but most of them aren't. They range from trite to strange to self-indulgent.

Characterization of Beloved Characters. I didn't appreciate the changes made to popular characters, especially Yoda. He was never portrayed as a whiney old man in the movies. I'm sure he had low points in his life, but I doubt this was how he handled it. Also the weird trip Obi-Wan goes on at his death is very inconsistent with how the force has been portrayed.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

Anthologies are always a mixed bag with some good, some bad, and a little great. I just wish one hadn't skewed so far towards bad.

Overall

From a Certain Point of View tells stories surround the events in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It starts off strong with a few great tales, but quickly lapses into mediocre science fiction and uninteresting characterization. I give this book 3 out of 5 eReaders.

    

    

Quick Movie Review - Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi

I thought the new Star Wars movie would be a bad remake of Empire Strikes Back. Turns out it's a remake of Empire AND Return of the Jedi. The story is a mess, but there are a lot of cool fan moments that make it fun and exciting to watch. I'm not crazy about the left turn they've taken on the philosophical/religious views. And it still isn't as epic in scale as the first six, but it was a WHOLE LOT better than The Force Awakens. I give this film a 3 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

    

Book Review: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

I love Star Wars and when I was younger I hoped for the longest time they'd make more. When I was in high school I saw a friend reading Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn and got really excited about more Star Wars adventures. I eventually read the trilogy and loved it. Then he followed it up with a duology that wasn't as good. So I wasn't sure what to expect from his latest outing.

Thrawn is a science fiction space opera set in the Star Wars Universe by Timothy Zahn. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Writing. The writing is very crisp and clear. The author cares primarily about telling a story and never lets the words get in the way. Unlike some, he doesn't feel the need to impress the reader with his extensive vocabulary or eloquent locution.

Characters. The characters are all very interesting and fleshed out enough that the reader has pretty strong feelings about all of them.

Strategy. The majority of this story consists of incidents and how Thrawn uses strategy to deal with them. It very fun to read and fascinating to watch.

Movement Thru Time. This book covers several years and does a really good job jumping from one incident to another several months or several years later so the reader never feels bogged down by unnecessary explanation or exposition.

The Bad

Too Short of Time Span. This story covers the period of time when Thrawn meets the Empire to when he becomes a Grand Admiral. I was expecting to find out more about the character. I suppose that means there will have to be a sequel.

Change in Character. The Thrawn presented in this novel feels like a different character from the Thrawn in Heir to the Empire and its sequels.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish we had seem more of Thrawn's early life to better know him as a character.

Overall

Thrawn is a great book that held my attention from page one. It feels like the Star Wars Universe and faithfully adds to the mythology. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.