With Prime Minister Boris Johnson putting Britain in ‘lockdown’ to anyone or anything deemed non-essential – it was fortuitous that the launch of Disney’s new streaming service Disney+ took place on the first ‘proper’ day of isolation last week.
So myself and my six year-old son Joshua, gave the service – which boasts movie back catalogues and original TV series for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic – the quick ‘once over’ on its Tuesday launch day.
With it being rated 12+ it was only me that (obviously) watched THE stand-out TV series that was the main launch attraction – the live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian.
There were only two episodes at launch – with a new one added weekly – and even though there wasn’t enough to make a calculated analysis after watching just two short chapters (they are only 39 and 32 minutes respectively), it seemed to have all the tools and elements to make it a solid entry in Star Wars lore.
Set five years after the events of The Return of the Jedi with the Empire fallen, it chronicles the travels of lone bounty hunter The Mandalorian (The Equalizer 2’s Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.
After receiving a mysterious bounty, the first episode ends with what every Star Wars fan in the universe is talking about, the introduction of ‘Baby Yoda’ – which then led into an episode with iconic fan favourite Jawas for the second helping. Rating (after two episodes): 3.5/5
During the day, Joshua and myself sampled some of the variation that Disney+ had to offer for families and little ‘uns, and with several National Geographic series proving tempting to assist as a ‘home schooling’ aid during these trying times – an introduction to the very first 1928 classic Mickey Mouse cartoon Steamboat Willie, Marvel TV series Hulk (Joshua’s favourite super hero) and the Agents of SMASH, and then the orchestral tranquillity of Fantasia sequel Fantasia 2000, showcased the variation of what the Netflix-competing service (a one off fee of £59.99 per year or £5.99 a month) expertly has to offer.
It proved to be a ‘Hulk Smash’.
Gavin Miller
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