TV Show Review: The Acolyte - Season 1

Stars: 1 out of 5

Pros: Lightsaber battles are cool

Cons: The writing makes no sense

The Bottom Line:

Disastrous show

Missing good story telling

Avoid at all costs

Yes, It Really Is That Bad

I haven’t been a big fan of most of the Star Wars series on Disney+, but I decided to go ahead and watch The Acolyte.  Mainly, it was because it was on in the summer, and I don’t have much else to watch at the moment.  It quickly became apparent that it was bad, but I kept watching it anyway.

If you’ve heard all the controversy surrounding it, let me confirm, yes, it is as bad as you have heard.  For the record, I watched all eight episodes.  This is based completely on what we got in season one.  Not what I read elsewhere.  Not what I think after the first five minutes.  I watched the entire first season.

The story is set roughly 100 years before the prequels and revolves around Osha (Amandla Stenberg), a mechanic on the farthest reaches of space.  She gets into trouble when someone who looks exactly like her kills a Jedi master across the galaxy.  Despite the fact that she wasn’t anywhere near the murder, the Jedi bring her in to face the consequences.  Of course, it turns out that it wasn’t her, but her identical twin sister Mae (also Amandla Stenberg).  And it all ties into what happened to Osha and Mae when they were kids sixteen years ago.

And in case you are worried I just spoiled a big plot twist, rest assured.  What I just teased all is explained in the first episode.

Yes, that’s part of the problem.  The show sets itself up as a mystery.  But it reveals too much of the big twists early on.  If we’d spent episodes watching Osha jump from planet to planet before learning that Mae was behind things, it would have worked.  Instead, we get that pesky detail out of the way early on.

Then, in episode three, we get a flashback to what happened sixteen years ago.  So even the mystery of the past is given away early.  Well, most of it.  Episode seven gives us another perspective on what happened sixteen years ago and has a few revelations in it.  But not enough to justify its forty-minute run time.  We could have seen those five minutes of new information as a flashback in another episode as one character confesses to another what happened from their perspective.

The idea behind the show was apparently to introduce some gray into the world of Star Wars, which has always said the Jedi are good and the Sith are bad.  Honestly, I’m of two minds about this.  I love seeing something as more complex than we originally were told.  And, any organization is going to get corrupted, especially as it grows bureaucratic.  However, do we need that in Star Wars?  Couldn’t we have a new story/universe/creation of some kind where that happened?  Either way, this show wasn’t the show to do it.  What drives everything?  A misunderstanding.  Yes, the result is tragic, but what we see happen isn’t truly evil.  In fact, what happened is understandable given what the characters knew and didn’t know.  So the premise itself, Jedi are evil, doesn’t work.  To pull off something like this, we would need to see something truly evil done by the Jedi.  Instead, we see the Sith taking revenge for something they don’t fully understand, and going above and beyond the true call for justice.  In other words, they are still pure evil.

This is a plot driven show.  What do I mean by that?  The characters will say and do anything needed to move the plot forward even if it contradicts what they said two minutes ago.  This is a real conversation that was had in an episode.

Leader: I don’t think we should all go in because it will be seen as a threat.

Subordinate: I think it will be better if we all go in together.

Leader: Okay.

Seriously?  That’s the best you can come up with?  Characters change their motivation from moment to moment as well, based on what best works for the story at that particular time.  Nothing shows this better than the final few moments that left me scratching my head.  How does any of that flow from what we’ve seen before?  Oh wait, it doesn’t matter.  It’s all about getting to the ending the creator wanted to get to.  Never mind if it makes any sense.  And there was such an easy way to not have that ending that anyone could have seen.  I certainly did.

The episodes range from a little over 30 minutes to just under 50 minutes.  Even then, this should have been a movie instead of a show.  There is that little story to tell.  I mean, one episode spends a lot of time with characters walking through woods talking.

Not to mention we get suspense from the infamous “I have something important to tell you later” or the dramatic screen cut.

And let’s not forget characters that have awesome powers in one episode lose them by the next episode.  Or even five minutes later.  And the stone fortress that catches fire.

Mind you, I’ll gladly go along with almost anything when I’m reading or watching something.  So if I’m nitpicking the show this much, you know it has that many issues.

I’m not enough of a Star Wars fan that I would have caught the timeline issues if they hadn’t been blown up all over social media.  So I’ll just note that the Sith should have been extinct at this point according to The Phantom Menace among other inconsistencies with the established lore.  And no, that plot hole is never addressed, at least here.

I also found the moral of the story to be very ironic coming from the left leaning people who created the series.  The entire thing could have been avoided if Osha’s mothers were just willing to let her go and be trained as a Jedi (which we learn in episode 3).  Something Osha wants.  But that’s not what her mothers want, which leads to the misunderstandings.  And we are supposed to think the Jedi are bad for pushing for it and encouraging Osha.  Yet today, we have the government in the US, mostly left leaning people, who are saying that parents shouldn’t have any rights over their kids, and kids know what is best for them when they are really too young to know any better.  In other words, the exact opposite of what this show demonstrates. 

And yes, you read that right, Osha and Mae have two mothers.  Honestly, the “woke” elements are the least of this show’s issues.  Although the show’s attempts to insert pronouns into an episode give us a hilariously poorly written 5 seconds.  If only that were the only example of poor writing in the show.  There’s one scene I am impressed the ensemble was able to get through without cracking up.  Or cringing.

There are a couple of stand outs in the cast who do the best they have with the material they are given.  The rest of the cast is adequate at best.  Although I am wondering if one of the performances was done the way it was on purpose given what we learn near the end.  Even so, it was still hard to watch and was bad acting overall.

I will give the show this – the lightsaber battles are epic.  Go on a little too long at times and filmed so that they are hidden at other times.  But when we get a good action scene, they are fun to watch.  Sadly, there aren’t nearly enough of them to justify watching the show.

If you haven’t watched The Acolyte yet, don’t waste your time.  If you’ve started, no, it doesn’t get any better.  This show was a waste of time and money.  The ending of season one sets things up for another season.  If we are given more, I won’t be back to watch it.

TV Show Review: Ahsoka - Season 1

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Good acting, pacing, and visuals

Cons: Story stops with no resolution

The Bottom Line:

New Star Wars story

Meeting characters went well

But then it just stops

“We Almost Died.”  “Multiple Times.”  “Ah, Yes.  Standard Operating Procedure.”

There are a lot of Star Wars shows I haven’t watched.  As a result, I wasn’t familiar with the characters of Ahsoka until she popped up in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett.  Without any of that background, I jumped into the Disney+ series.  Despite not having the background on the character, I mostly enjoyed it until the final episode.

The series is set during the time period of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.  Ahsoka is a Jedi Knight who had apprenticed under Anakin Skywalker before he turned to the dark side.  As this story starts, Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) is searching for a hidden map.  She wants to find it since it could lead to the place where her friend Ezra has been stranded.  But it’s a race to find it since the map might also hold the key to finding where Grand Admiral Thrawn was banished.  That is, if rumors that he is still alive are to be believed.  Can she find the map?  Will it fall into the wrong hands?

I was actually excited that they were bring Thrawn into the shows since the few Star Wars novels I read revolved around him.  Granted, that was over twenty-five years ago, so I remember nothing about them, but I still found it very fun to have a character from the extended Star Wars universe pop up that I’d at least heard of.

Based on how some of the characters interacted, I’m guessing if I were more familiar with Ahsoka from her previous appearances, I’d probably know them.  Like her former apprentice Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) or Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).  I’m definitely interested in their backstory, but I don’t feel like I missed too much not knowing it going in.

I’ve complained in the past that many Disney+ series have pacing issues.  I sat down for this show prepared for that.  However, that wasn’t the case.  Each episode moved the story forward in some way.  We had action to keep us entertained, too.  I never felt like we were just marking time.

However, I’m still scratching my head over the point of the series.  As of my typing this, they haven’t announced a season two or how these events might play into some of the other Star Wars shows.  Given that, the eight episodes we have just…ended.  While they didn’t actually say it, you could definitely feel the “To be continued…” on the final scene.

And until we know more about what is to come for the threads introduced here, it’s extremely unsatisfying.  In fact, I’m wondering what the point of these eight episodes was.  While the episodes were entertaining, what we had wasn’t a story.  It was a set up for something that ended extremely abruptly.  The writers blew it.

Which is a shame since I enjoyed the acting.  Everyone brought their characters to life perfectly.  In addition to those I’ve already mentioned, I have to give a shout out to David Tennant who voiced Ahsoka’s droid Huyang.

And the show looked spectacular.  The visuals were fantastic, which is something the Star Wars shows seem to have going for them.

I’ll reserve the right to revise my opinion of Ahsoka’s first season if we ever get more of the story.  For now, know that it will leave you hanging, and therefore, unsatisfied story wise.

TV Show Review: The Mandalorian - Season 3

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Some good episodes, visuals

Cons: Some slow episodes, lots of Katee Sackoff

The Bottom Line:

A redemption quest

Kicks off uneven season

Still looks wonderful

“You Had Me at Battle Droids.”

It had been over two years since we had any official episodes of The Mandalorian.  Of course, in that time, I subscribed to Disney+ and watched the first two seasons, so I was finally ready to watch a season live.  Unfortunately, this season was weaker than the seasons we’ve had before.

This season picks up right where…The Book of Boba Fett left off.  You’ll notice how carefully I worded my opening sentence, I hope.  The back half of that show was really more about these characters than Boba Fett, so if you haven’t watched them, you’ll be a little confused when you sit down to start season 3 of this show.  (And why they did things that way is beyond me.)

When this season opens, Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), is a bit lost.  Yes, he and Grogu have been reunited, but he knows that he has broken Mandalorian code and must atone for his transgression of taking off his helmet.  There is only one way to do that – he must bathe in the living waters on the planet Mandalore.  But is the planet even hospitable to life anymore?  What will he find when he arrives?

Honestly, I rather expected this to be the plot of season 3 before I sat down to watch the premier.  As a result, I wasn’t surprised when that is how they started things off.  However, I was pleasantly surprised that the show actually went off in some other directions for much of the season, and in ways that logically flowed of what came before.

We also got to see plenty of old friends along the way, whether that be for cameos or longer, more important guest parts.  It’s always fun to see them.

The exception to that was Gina Carano’s Cara Dune.  They do mentions where she is as the season starts, so at least we get that much closure.  She was my favorite character in the first two seasons, so I was disappointed knowing she wouldn’t be in this season.  However, given where the plot went, I feel like she would have slowed things down.

And the show, naturally, doesn’t need any help with that.  Honestly, that’s been my complaint all along.  The pacing is just too slow at times.  When the show is on and telling good stories, it is wonderful, but when it isn’t, it plods along.

A perfect example of that is the third episode of the season.  It spends almost the entire episode updating us on a character that, too be honest, I don’t even remember.  We didn’t need that information for the rest of the season to make sense, at least in that much detail.  A few sentences of dialog or a couple of scenes could have covered it.  You could skip the bulk of it and just watch the stuff at the beginning and end and be perfectly informed to move forward.

Then there’s the fact that we spend a lot of time around Mandalorians this season.  Lots and lots of time.  My complaint here is that they almost all wear helmets.  That means there will be entire scenes where we don’t see any one actor’s face.  And their armor isn’t always distinct enough to follow who is who, especially if there are several of them in a shot all talking.  When we just have Din Djarin and one or two others in a scene, it works, but an entire group of them is a bit much.

Finally, there’s the fact that Katee Sackoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze is a major character this season.  I’ve never been a fan of the actress, and her work here does little to change my mind.  I did find it watchable, but that is about all.

The rest of the cast is fantastic, however.

And Grogu continues to steal the show.  He’s getting more powerful, which is fun, but he’s still as mischievous as ever.

The series continues to look amazing.  The special effects are outstanding, and the sets and locations are wonderful.  If you just want to watch the visuals, you will not be disappointed.

I do have to touch on the sixth episode of the season.  It guest stars Christopher Lloyd, Jack Black, and Lizzo, and many fans hated it.  Personally, I thought it was one of the stronger episodes of the season.  It had a standalone plot that was strong and led into scenes that were important for the overall season plot.  But the side quest that our characters had to go on was so much fun.  No, we don’t need the special guest stars, but they didn’t pull me out of the episode.  I just had fun with it from start to finish.

There continues to be enough that I enjoy to draw me to The Mandalorian.  However, I found season 3 to be average overall.

TV Show Review: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong story overall

Cons: Some weaknesses in the first couple of episodes

The Bottom Line:

An untold story

Action filled fun for this fan

After a weak start

"You’re Bleeding All Over My Floor.”  “Well, Everybody Bleeds.”

Of the Star Wars projects that had been announced for Disney+, the one I was most excited about was Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Having mostly watched the movies that hit the big screen, those are the characters I know best, so I wanted to see what they would do with this previously unknown chapter of the saga.

The story starts ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith.  Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) is hiding out on Tatooine while keeping an eye on Luke from a distance.  Keeping who he is, both his name and the fact that he is a Jedi, as secret is of upmost importance since the Empire is hunting the galaxy to kill Jedi.  This effort is led by the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) and Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram).

However, Obi-Wan is drawn out of hiding when someone kidnaps Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair).  Reluctant at first because he fears it is a trap, Obi-Wan soon sets out.  But can he keep who he is a secret while rescuing the ten-year-old?

I will be the first to admit that the show started out a little rough.  And I’m not talking about pacing.  There was so much laughable about the first couple of episodes.  Take, for example, the scene where Leia is kidnapped.  The way it is staged, it looked like someone’s home video movie, not a professional production.

Then there’s the fact that Leia is a brat, at least at the beginning.  Honestly, I would have been tempted to leave her behind a couple of times.  Fortunately, she quickly starts maturing and then I was able to enjoy the show.  In fact, by the end, it was easy to see the character we know and love from the original trilogy.  She’s still got spunk, but she is mature enough to know when to use it.

It was like the writers and the cast really found their groove with episode 3.  That’s when things started to click for me.  The characters were beginning to show growth and the story kicked into high gear.  There are lots of great moments of character, suspense, and action over the course of the series (yes, even those first two episodes), and as the show progresses, the stakes continue to rise for the characters.

I’ll admit I’m not a super fan of Star Wars, but I didn’t spot any potential continuity issues for the movies caused by this show.  In fact, it might help explain a couple of small moments that happen in the later movies.

Outside the one scene I mentioned earlier, the production values are good.  We get plenty of exotic planets, and they look amazing.  One or two special effects didn’t quite come off, but the majority of them did.

And the acting was uniformly good.  While I complained about Leia early on, this was the fault of the script and not the young actress who played her.  As I said earlier, we could easily see a spark of A New Hope’s Leia is her portrayal in the last episode.

While this was designed as a one off, they did leave some doors open for further adventures with Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Based on this first season, if they do decide to come back for more, I will definitely come along for the ride.

Ornament Review: Chewbacca Miniature Ornament - 2021 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Chewbacca in scale as a mini ornament

Cons: Do remember it’s a mini ornament

The Bottom Line:

Chewbacca gets shrunk

Scales with other characters

Great for mini fans

Even Chewie Can Get Small

So far, Hallmark has been releasing the new miniature Star Wars character ornaments in pairs.  Last year, we got Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.  This year, we got Han Solo.  And who better to pair him with than his friend Chewbacca.

This is a fairly simple ornament overall.  Chewbacca is standing and holding a crossbow.  His sash and bag are hanging over his shoulder.  That’s it, but this is a miniature ornament, so any more than that would make it busy.

Having said that, Chewbacca is a little taller than the other Star Wars miniatures we’ve gotten recently.  It makes sense – this way he’s in scale.  Still, he’s small – only about two inches tall.  He does feel sturdier than many of the other mini ornaments I have.  I think the size is a factor there, although even the crossbow doesn’t feel like it would break super easily.  Not that I would recommend playing with the ornament or dropping it.

Chewbacca is large enough to stand on his feet and be stable if you choose to display him that way.  However, I will caution to be sure you put him in a spot where he won’t get lost easily.

Chewbacca is leaning forward ever so slightly, bracing himself to fire his weapon.  When you go to hang him, you’ll find that he straightens up a little bit.  That’s actually okay since he looks good either way.

I know miniature ornaments aren’t for everyone, but if you do enjoy them and are a Star Wars fan, you’ll be glad you picked up this mini Chewbacca ornament.

TV Show Review: The Book of Boba Fett

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Acting and effects

Cons: Slow story that wanders

The Bottom Line:

Focus on Boba

Well, in early episodes

Show needed focus

“I’m Not a Bounty Hunter.”  “I’ve Heard Otherwise.”

I’ve never quite understood the fascination with Boba Fett from the Star Wars movies.  Heck, as far as I’m concerned, he’s a bad guy since he captures Han Solo.  But I wasn’t surprised that the creative minds found a way to resurrect the character.  Easy way to draw in the fans, right?  I was even less surprised that they gave him his own spin off from The Mandalorian.  I am surprised that The Book of Boba Fett wasn’t better.

The story focuses on Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) as he returns to Tatooine to claim Jabba the Hutt’s territory on the planet.  Boba Fett wants to be more benevolent than Jabba was, but even with Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) by his side, he finds that there is danger all around him.  There are others who want Jabba’s territory.  Plus, there are the spice traders who operate on the planet.  Can he establish himself?  Or will he be driven out, or worse yet, killed?

And are you wondering how he survived what appeared to be his death in Return of the Jedi?  Don’t worry, we get flashbacks here that show us how he survived and his trials on Tatooine immediately after.

And that’s my first problem with this show.  Yes, flashbacks can be good when done well like they were in Lost and Once Upon a Time.  However, they have become overdone, often interrupting the flow of a story with stuff we don’t care about.  Arrow was a prime example of that for me.  This show is another.  Yes, a few flashbacks in the first episode were good to help us fill in that gap in Boba Fett’s story.  However, after that, we should have stuck with the story in the present.  I found that much more compelling.  Instead, we got flashbacks in the first four episodes, sometimes taking up much of the episode run time.

The results made the show feel slow.  Yes, story was advancing, but it wasn’t advancing that fast.  I wasn’t the only one who found the early episodes slow.  Granted, I found that the case with The Mandalorian at times, so I was surprised to find myself agreeing with others on this show.

Then come episodes 5 and 6.  Boba Fett hardly appears in these episodes.  Instead, we get episodes that really could have been the start of season 3 of The Mandalorian.  Many fans loved these episodes because we got to see beloved characters again.  Me?  I was watching to see what was going to happen to Boba Fett.  Again, it felt like it stopped the flow of the story.  And, they were once again slow with hardly anything of significance happening.  I feel like the writers were so in love with these characters, they just wanted to spend time with them even if it was on throw away stuff.

Which brings us to the seventh and final episode.  The plot threads do come together, which I appreciated.  And, we get action.  In fact, we get too much action.  Yes, there is such a thing.  The action was repetitive.  They could have shaved off ten minutes of the episode and no one would have missed it.  If they’d done that, I would have been cheering the episode.  As it was, I was bored.  We knew what the next plot point was going to be, but they showed us the characters fighting against overwhelming odds while we waited for that plot point to happen.

It's a shame because, from a technical standpoint, this show is good.  The acting is great.  The special effects are top notch.  The show is lovely to look at.  The characters have fun moments.  It’s just that the episodes were stretched out longer than they needed to be.

I feel like this would have been a good two, maybe two and a half hour, movie.  Instead, it got stretched out to seven episodes that average 45 minutes or so.

You definitely need to know what happened here before you watch season 3 of The Mandalorian.  But that’s the only reason to watch the disappointing The Book of Boba Fett.

TV Show Review: The Mandalorian - Season 2

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Amazing visuals, good story

Cons: Story can be slow at times

The Bottom Line:

Keeping The Child safe

Searching through the galaxy

Can be slow, still good

“Wherever I Go, He Goes.”  “So I’ve Heard.”

I really didn’t intend to wait so long to get back to season 2 of The Mandalorian.  I enjoyed the first season, but I figured I’d let a few months go before I moved on.  Suddenly, I found the new year starting and I hadn’t watched season 2, so it was definitely time to fix that.

If you aren’t familiar with this series, it is a Disney+ original series set in the Star Wars universe, specifically a few years after The Return of the Jedi.  Our main characters, who goes by The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), is a bounty hunter who was raised by the refuges of the planet Mandalor and lives his life according to their code.  In the first season, his bounty was The Child, but instead of turning him in, he went on the run, trying to get this baby of Yoda’s species to safety with people who will know how to raise him.

Season two picks up in his quest to find some place where The Child will be safe.  His attempts to find others of The Child’s species take him all over the outer reaches of the galaxy.  His biggest clue is to find other Mandalorians who might have an idea where The Child might be safe.  But each stop along the way finds him facing more danger from ice monsters or sea pirates as two examples.  Will he ever succeed in his quest?

There isn’t a large main cast in this series with only The Mandalorian and The Child appearing in each episode.  Of course, we do have some recurring characters, like Gina Carano’s Cara Dune and the main villain so far, Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon.  This fits The Mandalorian’s character since he is a loner, but it is weird since I’m used to more characters in a series.

My main complaint with the show, however, is the pacing.  While all of the episodes feature action at some point, there are some pretty slow moments, especially early in the episodes.  Maybe my attention span is just too short.  But by the end of each episode, I’m caught up in the story.

This does go away as the season goes along.  I felt like, more than season 1, this one was telling us part of a story, with each episode one chapter of the whole and leading us to someplace in particular.

Along the way, Star Wars fans will be pleased to see who pops up.  A couple of characters from other Star Wars properties show up this season, one as a live action character for the first time.  Honestly, I also felt like the series was more anchored in the larger Star Wars universe this season, and I’m only a casual Star Wars fan.  I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that I missed a bunch of other cool references.

Visually, this show is amazing.  Each episode features exotic locales that make it feel like we are on a new planet.  I can’t imagine the challenges of filming this to get so many new planets.  Yet the sets feel like they are part of the Star Wars universe, as do the aliens we meet along the way.  And the special effects work as well.

I have a friend who has complained about the climax of the season.  (No spoilers to follow.)  He maintains that the climax involves a Deus ex machina.  I was watching for that, and I can almost see his point.  I would maintain that the climax was set up part way through the season, so I’m willing to buy it.  Most fans were thrilled with it.

Speaking of which, I’m curious to see where they are going to go in the third season.  It feels like it will have to be something different, but we’ll see.

The acting is mostly good.  The Mandalorian never takes off his helmet, but we still manage to care for someone whose face we don’t see and who rarely seems to show emotion with his voice.  The one weakness for me was Katee Sackhoff, who appears in a couple episodes here.  I’ve never been a fan of her acting, and nothing here changes my mind.

While I don’t find that I love The Mandalorian as well as most people do, I did still enjoy season 2.  Now, I can enjoy the first spin off and be ready when we get season 3.

Ornament Review: Han Solo Mini Ornament - 2021 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Overall, good miniature ornament

Cons: Doesn’t quite look like Han.

The Bottom Line:

Han becomes mini

It does not quite look like him

Still good overall

Han Solo is Ready for a Little Action

Last year, Hallmark released mini ornaments of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.  They are expanding on them this year with a couple of new miniature ornaments.  One of those is Han Solo.

I’ve got to admit, of the Star Wars ornaments released in the last couple of years, this is the hardest one to identify.  Maybe I’m just being too picky.  Han is wearing his trademark white shirt and black vest.  He’s got blue pants and black boots that go up to his knees, and his pistol is in his hand.

This is a classic look for Han, so I’m not completely sure why I don’t recognize him right off.  It might be because his face is so small that it is hard to recognize him.  Don’t get me wrong, we can see eyes, nose, and mouth.  But it just feels like it’s a generic human.  Then again, I felt the same way about Luke last year.  It was just, with his lightsaber, it was easier to figure out who Luke was supposed to be.  And this isn’t a new complaint, either.  I’ve felt that way about the full-sized ornaments, too.

And maybe I’m just being picky.  Han looks good, but not quite as great as I normally expect from Hallmark, even with their miniature ornaments.

Make no mistake about it, this is a miniature ornament.  Han is barely bigger than an inch in height.

The ornament will stand up on its own.  Han is standing on his feet, so it’s not super stable, however.  I’d be careful about where I was going to set this out since the ornament is so small and could easily be lost.

I’m planning to hang mine on my miniature tree this year.  I’m happy to say that Han hangs straight when you slip the hook through the loop on the top of his head.

I’m happy to have more pop culture miniature ornaments, and overall, I do like this Han Solo ornament.  If he were just a little better, he’d be perfect.

Ornament Review: Darth Vader Mini - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great miniature Vader

Cons: All cons banished to the dark side

The Bottom Line:

Mini Darth Vader

Turns into great ornament

This fan is happy

The Dark Side Has Shrunk

As Hallmark has slowly reinvigorated their miniature ornament line, they’ve started including more pop culture ornaments.  Since that is a lot of what I collect, I’ve been happy with that.  It’s why I got 2020’s Darth Vader miniature ornament.

If you are familiar with Star Wars, you’ll definitely recognize the ornament.  It is black, as is appropriate for the character.  His cape is behind him.  The electronics that are keeping him alive are clear on his chest.  His helmet is firmly on his face.  And he has his red light saber out in front of him.

Considering the ornament is only about an inch and a half tall (I mentioned this was a mini ornament, remember), the amount of detail is pretty impressive.  It would be easy for the ornament to look like a black blob, but any fan will recognize him in a heartbeat.  I love that about these mini ornaments.

Between his legs and his cape, this ornament actually does stand on its own, which is always hit or miss with the mini ornaments.  He’s pretty solid, too.  Because of his size, I would recommend you put him in a spot where he won’t get easily lost.

I also want to issue a warning about the lightsaber.  Yes, it’s plastic like the rest of the ornament, but I feel like it would be easily broken if he lands wrong or you aren’t careful packing him away.  Hopefully, I’m just being paranoid.

When you go to hang him on your tree, you’ll find he hangs mostly straight.  He does tip forward ever so slightly, but you have to be looking for it to notice.

This ornament paired wonderfully with the Luke Skywalker ornament also released in 2020.  I got and enjoyed both of them this past Christmas.

I’m not sure if we will get other Star Wars characters in mini again going forward (I think they’ve done the droids at a minimum in the past), but I’m happy with Darth Vader.  I like having eclectic ornaments on my trees, so it makes me happy seeing my miniature trees going that direction as well.

TV Show Review: The Mandalorian - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong lead characters, action, cinematography

Cons: A bit slow at times

The Bottom Line:

New Star Wars stories

A tad slow, great to look at

And The Child is cute

“You’re Not so Bad … for a Droid.”  “Agreed.”

I know, I know, I’m late to the party.  But since I just got a Disney+ subscription, I am just now able to watch The Mandalorian.  Based on everything I’d heard about it, I expected I would enjoy the first season.  While I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I expected to, I did still enjoy it.

The show follows the adventures of The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal).  He’s a bounty hunter working and living a long time ago in a galaxy far away.  More specifically, he’s working in the time not too long after the events of The Return of the Jedi.  Unlike many of his Mandalorian brethren, he is trying to make his living as a bounty hunter, traveling to distant worlds to collect those who have prices on their heads.

In the first episode, his latest commission is to collect someone dead or alive.  However, when he arrives, he finds that his target this time is a child.  That sets him on a path that will lead him to worlds and people he didn’t expect to be visiting.  What will happen next?

Just in case you missed it, The Child is the biggest tie in to the Star Wars universe to be a consistent part of the show.  (Well, and the storm troopers that pop up semi-regularly.)  This is the breakout character of the show, and deservedly so.

With the way everyone raved about the show, I will admit my expectations were pretty high.  So that might be why I found the show a bit disappointing.  It is slower than I was expecting.  And there is lots of silence.  That one may just be something I’m not used to in TV shows these days where everything is packed with dialogue in an effort to get a story told in the allotted time.

Now don’t misunderstand what I am saying.  There is plenty of action.  It’s just often a slow burn until we get to those scenes.

Along the way, there are some fun moments that are clearly winks to things fans have been saying for years about the Star Wars universe.  Heck, I was laughing very hard at one episode in the season finale.

And the cinematography is outstanding.  Each episode features gorgeous shots of whatever planet we are on.  The effects are just as wonderful.  This looks like a big budget movie.  It is easy to get lost in the visuals.

I also have to praise to Pedro Pascal.  His character, The Mandalorian, wears a helmet in every scene.  So via voice and body language, he has to convey everything is character is thinking and feeling, and he does a great job of it.  This is especially impressive since he is playing opposite a puppet of The Child in some scenes.  He carries the show.  While some characters pop in and out, The Mandalorian and The Child are the only characters consistently in every episode, so they are the ones we know best.  The rest of the cast is fantastic no matter how many episodes they get.

Speaking of The Child, I certainly see the reason the character has captured so much attention.  He’s cute!  And funny.  Considering he never talks, that’s saying something.  The writers do a great job of setting things up for us to get to know this character.

I certainly see the appeal, especially for Star Wars fans.  While I have enjoyed the original trilogy, I’m not as invested in this universe as many others, which might be another reason I wasn’t as hooked as I thought I’d be.

Still, I did mostly enjoy season one of The Mandalorian.  If you haven’t checked out this show yet, I certainly recommend you do so.  I’ll be moving on to season two soonish.  I’ve got a little time before season three comes out, and there are some other shows on Disney+ also calling my name.

Ornament Review: Luke Skywalker Miniature Ornament - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Luke Skywalker for your miniature tree

Cons: His face is off

The Bottom Line:

Miniature Luke

Costuming, details look great

But his face is off

Once Again, Luke’s Face Proves to be Problematic in an Ornament

Hallmark’s recent resurgence of miniature ornaments has begun to include more and more pop culture options.  Since I enjoy having those on my tree, I grabbed a couple of the Star Wars ornaments they released this year.  One of those is Luke Skywalker, which I mostly enjoy.

This ornament capture Luke as he is dueling Darth Vader (sold separately as a mini as well this year) at the end of The Empire Strikes Back.  Luke is dressed in an off-white outfit and has a brown weapon holster around his waist.  In his hands, he’s holding his blue lightsaber.

It’s a simple ornament, but it is a miniature ornament.  The ornament is less than two inches tall, and that’s with Luke’s lightsaber sticking up above his head.  It’s hard to imagine them including more of a scene with that scale.

And yet, the detail in this ornament is mostly fantastic.  We can see the wrinkles on his clothing, for example.  It is easy for any fan to tell who this is.

The one detail that doesn’t quite work is his face.  It’s not very well defined, and what we see only partially looks like Mark Hamill.  This isn’t a new phenomenon – regular sized Hallmark ornaments have had a hard time getting his face right as well.

Because of Luke’s stance as well as his size, this ornament doesn’t stand on its own.  Not that you’d want to set it out to display somewhere since it would easily get lost.  However, when you go to hang it on your tree, you’ll find Luke is hanging straight.

So this ornament isn’t perfect.  But fans of the original trilogy will be happy to add this miniature Luke Skywalker ornament to their collection.  I know I am.

Movie Review: Star Wars Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action, effects, fun, wraps up story mostly well

Cons: A few storytelling holes never get filled in

The Bottom Line:

Jedi and Sith fight

Concludes its third trilogy

Good wrap up for fans

“We’re In This Until the End.”

We’ve reached the end of an era.  Oh, you can quit laughing now.  I fully expect them to go back to the original Star Wars saga at some point, but for now, Star Wars Episode IX:The Rise of Skywalker is the climax of the original storyline for this franchise.  The movie has some issues despite its long running time, but it does as good a job as it can of wrapping things up.

As we drop in this time, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is relishing his role as the supreme leader of the First Order.  He is prepared to crush the Resistance once and for all, but a mysterious summons brings him to a meeting with a shocking new ally.

Meanwhile, what is left of the Resistance is trying to figure out how to counter the First Order.  Rey (Daisy Ridley) is focusing on her Jedi training while Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) work on battle plans.  But when they get bad news with a firm deadline to respond, the three must travel the galaxy in search of a way to stop the coming annihilation.  Will they be able to stop it?

I am being incredibly vague here.  I fully realize that.  Even though the movie has been out for several weeks now, I’m trying to avoid spoilers.

I’m of two minds about this movie.  Overall, I enjoyed it.  There is action as our heroes fight against overwhelming odds.  We get great space battles.  We get the force.  It has everything you’d expect from a Star Wars movie.  If you just sit back and watch, it’s a very fun movie.

However, the story has some issues.  Most noticeable to me is a plot point introduced, teased a second time, and then never paid off.  Seriously?  Don’t introduce something if you aren’t going to pay it off.  That’s storytelling 101.  Okay, so it’s a minor issue in the movie overall (not sure why it has bothered me so much), but there are some other rather major issues with the story.  Despite the fact that the movie is two and a half hours, we don’t get the hows to some of the pretty major plot points explained.  I guess I’ve become so accustomed to Hollywood storytelling that this part didn’t bother me as much.  And the transition between this one and the previous movie seems a bit rough to me, too, although it has been a couple years since I watched The Last Jedi.

Having said that, we did get answers to the big questions here.  I was only caught off guard by one of these revelations.  Most of the time when there was a big reveal of some kind, I was a bit ahead of the movie, but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment at all.

Let me reiterate, I did enjoy the movie.  I like this new cast, and they have some great scenes together.  We get some good laughs thanks to C-3PO and the other droids.  The acting is uniformly good.  And the action and effects are great.

Speaking of effects, they do a good job of working General Leia into the movie despite the fact that Carrie Fisher sadly passed away right before the last movie came out.  It’s obvious that they use lots of effects to make her part of the film, but I bought it.

There are several moments that are definitely nods to fans, designed to please them as the saga wraps up.  Some of them were more blatant than others, but I still enjoyed them all.  I did feel these nods were more nods and less recycled storytelling, which was my biggest complaint with The Force Awakens.

One thing that stuck out to me is how they played out the theme of standing up for what is right and working together.  This has been an ongoing theme in the series, but I really liked how they stated it here.

Obviously, this film isn’t perfect, but overall, I was satisfied with how the Skywalker Saga wrapped up.  I’ve seen some mixed reactions, but overall reaction to The Rise of Skywalker has been positive, and I’m right there with the majority.

Ornament Review: Imperial Star Destroyer - 2019 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Good presentation of the ship

Cons: Scene could be longer and lights more prominent

The Bottom Line:

Evil Empire ship

Rounds out Storyteller set

Show is now complete

The Empire Makes One Last Effort to Take Over Your Tree

We are rounding out the Star Wars Storyteller ornaments this year.  We all know the Empire is going to ultimately lose, but it is making one last stand this year with the addition of the Imperial Star Destroyer.

This is a long, white ship.  Honestly, this is one of the least detailed ships of the entire collection, which at first glance can be disappointing, but if you look at the ship in the movies, you’ll see that is accurate and just the way the ship should look.

Of course, the fun of this ornament is the show it puts on when you plug it into the Power Cord (sold separately).  When you do that, you’ll see that there is a light on the gun port below the ship and in the exhaust pipes in the rear.  Push the button, and you get to hear about 50 seconds of the movie.  The scene is from near the beginning when Darth Vader has just captured Princess Leia.  It would be nice if the scene were longer and the lights more obvious, but I get that the artists didn’t have much to work with, especially when it comes to adding light to the ornament.

With the Storytellers ornaments, if you have all seven of the Star Wars ornaments, they all interact to tell the story of the movie.  Okay, so they do it in 20 minutes, but it is still an impressive show.  Seeing them all interact and the lights flash on and off at the appropriate times it a delight.

Like the others, you can’t set the ship out and have it plugged into the power cord at the same time.  Why not?  Because the cord plugs into the bottom of the ornament.  Additionally, if you tried to set this ornament out, it would be easy to break off the gun underneath the ship.  As you go to hang the ornament, you’ll find that it hangs straight.

Personally, I rarely put things associate with villains on my trees, but I’ve made an exception for several Hallmark items, including the ships in this series.  They are just so much fun together.  That’s why I’m glad I added the Imperial Star Destroyer to my collection.

Ornament Review: Y-Wing Starfighter - 2019 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Detailed recreation of the Y Wing

Cons: Connection iffy, short show on its own

The Bottom Line:

Rebels leading fight

Contributes to bigger show

Okay on its own

Y Get This Ornament?  For Star Wars Fans, the Question is Y Not

We are down to the final two ornaments in Hallmark’s Star Wars Storyteller series, and we get one for the good guys and one for the bad guys this year.  The good guys get the Y-Wing Starfighter.

These ships were used by the Rebels in the final fight against the Death Star in the original Star Wars.  And this ornament is an extremely detailed recreation of the ships from the movie.  You can tell from looking at it how it got its name.  But what I love about it is that the fact that you can see and feel the various parts of the ship.  It’s those details that make these ornaments so amazing.

Since this is a Storytellers ornament, it plugs into the newer Power Cord (sold separately).  As soon as you plug it in, you’ll see the light in the cockpit light up.  But the real fun begins when you press down on the R2 unit sitting on top of the ornament.  That’s when the sound and light show starts.

Unfortunately, since this ship isn’t in much of the movie, it doesn’t have much of a show by itself.  There are a few lines from the beginning of the climactic battle, and that is it.  By itself, this ornament is active for about 40 seconds, and the lights in the cockpit change color during that time, which is fun.  Add to that the others, however, and it is fun to see how it adds in to the entire 20+ minute show that these ornaments put on.  It would be nice if the individual ornament’s show lasted longer than those 40 seconds I mentioned, but I get why it doesn’t – it just wasn’t in that much of the movie.

Since the cord connects to the bottom of the ornament, you can’t get away with setting it out, at least not and have it connected to the cord.  However, if you go to hang it on your tree or a wreath, you’ll find that it hangs straight.

Speaking of the cord, the connection on this ornament is a bit spotty.  If you move the ornament around too much after you’ve connected it, the connection might come lose.  Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be an issue unless you are giggling it.

Also, this ornament is rather quiet.  The rest of the ornaments can drown it out when they are all play.  It does seem like Hallmark’s magic ornaments have wildly varying sound levels, and it would have been nice to have everything from this series have a similar volume level.

Join the rebels one last time with the Y-Wing Starfighter.  If you’ve been collecting the Storytellers ornaments, you’ll be glad you added it to your collection.

Christmas Decoration Review: Star Galaxy Wreath - 2019 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great looking wreath

Cons: Power cord woven in would be nice

The Bottom Line:

This pre-lit black wreath

Great for sci fi ornaments

Squint and you’ll see stars

A Galaxy of Fun in Wreath Form

I have more ornaments than I know what to do with.  Seriously, I need to go through and weed out some of my ornaments.  So what did I do this year?  I bought a wreath to display some of them instead.  But I just couldn’t resist getting the Star Galaxy Wreath.

This is a black wreath.  I know, I know, black?  It all depends on what you intend to use the wreath for.  It would look good with Halloween ornaments, for example.  Or you could use it for science fiction ornaments.  That what I intend to use it for – specifically the Star Wars Storyteller ornaments.  With a 30 inch diameter, it’s the perfect size for displaying those ornaments.  (Well, it is if you follow Hallmark’s suggestion and hang one in the middle of the wreath.)  And it is pre-lit.  Considering my luck with bulbs, I’m a little leery of anything pre-lit, but I bought it anyway.  The bulbs are all white LED lights.  So they are stars in the inky blackness of space, especially if you squint a bit when you look at it.

Hallmark clearly created it with the Star Wars Storyteller ornaments in mind since they only show it in the Dreambook and on their website with those ornaments on it, but you really could use it for anything.  Personally, I’m excited to have something appropriate to show off that part of my collection each year without taking up space on my trees, which is always at a premium.

However, since that was the intent, it would be nice if they had included a storyteller power cord woven into the wreath.  It’s easy enough to add one yourself, but it would be more organic if they did it for you.  It’s a minor complaint.

The wreath is just a wreath – there’s no door hanger included.  So you’ll need to get a hanger as well.

Still, this is a nice looking black wreath.  So if you are looking for a pre-lit black wreath, the Star Galaxy Wreath is one to consider.

Ornament Review: Boba Fett - Star Wars #22 - 2018 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Looks just like a popular character

Cons: None worth capturing

The Bottom Line:

A bounty hunter

Popular character’s turn

Captured for your tree

Boba Fett has Finally Tracked Down a Place in the Official Star Wars Series

I’m not sure why it has taken Hallmark so long to add Boba Fett to their official Star Wars ornament series.  He’s a popular character with a cult following despite having such little screen time in the series.  And clearly, with the repeated characters and rather bizarre additions (General Grievous anyone?), they are looking for ways to extend this series.  Oh, it’s not like they haven’t released an ornament or two of him before, but it was nice to see him pop up in the official line in 2018.

For those not familiar with the character, he’s the bounty hunter who actually captured Han Solo at the end of The Empire Strikes Back.  He also shows up briefly in Return of the Jedi among other places.  So, while he has a short amount of time on the screen, he plays a big role in the original trilogy.

And fans of the trilogy won’t need any help recognizing him when they see this ornament.  He’s wearing his signature weathered Mandalorian armor, along with his jetpack.  His gun is in his hand, and his legs make him look like he’s been using his jet pack to float since his legs look like he is ready to come in for a landing.

Okay, so I’m not one of the Star Wars fans who love this character.  Anyone who captures Han while working with the Empire isn’t someone to like, right?  Still, I do appreciate the character’s place in the story and am glad to be able to add him to my Star Wars ornament collection.  This ornament captures him perfectly and in action, so I’m very happy with that.

However, since it captures him in action, you can’t stand him up.  After all, he would have to balance on the side of one foot.  However, that isn’t a problem since he hangs well.  Yes, he is leaning some, but to be it adds to the illusion that he is in action and not posing for us.  His feet are big enough for the 22 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom of one of them.

Whether you are a big fan of the character or not, Boba Fett is a great addition to any Star Wars ornament collection.  If you haven’t added him to yours yet, be sure to fix that today.

And be sure to check out the rest of the official Star Wars ornament series.

Original Price: $17.99

Ornament Review: Millennium Falcon - 2018 Hallmark Star Wars Storyteller Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Adds to story, looks great

Cons: Not too much of a show when on its own

The Bottom Line:

Fly with Han, Chewie

Looks great, adds fun dialogue

A good addition

You Won’t Have a Bad Feeling about this Ornament

If you are using ships from Star Wars to retell the story from the original movie, of course you are going to put the Millennium Falcon.  It’s such a huge part of that movie, and the entire franchise really, that it needs to be included.  So I wasn’t surprised to see that it was one of the 2018 additions to the Star Wars Storytellers line from Hallmark.

This ornament looks just like the ship from the movie.  That includes molded plastic that is shaped to represent the ridges on the original ship.  While I don’t know how it flies through the air well looking like that, you certainly can’t mistake this ship for anything else.

But the fun comes when you plug this ornament into Hallmark’s Power Cord (sold separately).  That’s when a couple of very small areas on the ship light up and this ornament contributes to the overall show these ornaments put on.  Individually, it just has a 30 second clip from the moment they jump out of hyperspace to find that Alderaan has been destroyed.  However, when combined with the other ships in the series, you get more from it, including Hans’ contribution with this ship to the climactic battle.

With a mostly flat bottom, you could set this ornament out to be displayed year round.  It hangs straight when you go to hang it on your Christmas tree.

As I say, this is an iconic ship.  It had to be part of the set.  I’m a little surprised it wasn’t part of the first wave to be honest, although seeing how the sound clips add to the scenes originally released and don’t stand as well on their own, it makes some sense.

While the ornaments are expensive, I find them worth it.  If you are a Star Wars fan, you should definitely consider adding the Millennium Falcon to your Storytellers set.

Original Price: $39.99

Ornament Review: Tie Fighter - 2018 Hallmark Star Wars Storyteller Ornament

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Looks great

Cons: Too loud, sound effects only sound

The Bottom Line:

This great looking piece

Adds little to total show

But does it loudly

This Tie Fighter Adds Little to the Star Wars Storyteller Set, but It Does So Loudly

In 2017, Hallmark introduced the first three of seven planned ornaments in a Hallmark Star Wars Storytellers series that feature sounds clips from the original movie.  2018 saw the release of the next two ornaments (with the final two coming later this year).  Sadly, the Tie Fighter ornament is the weakest of this series so far.

The ornament itself looks good.  It perfectly captures a tie fighter from the Star Wars movies.  They’ve even included grooves and patterns in the sides just like the real ships have.  It is larger than a typical Hallmark ornament, but not so bad that it takes up too much real estate.

This and other Storytellers ornaments plug into Hallmark’s Power Cord, also introduced in 2017.  That allows it to put on a show, and the more ornaments you buy in the Star Wars set, the longer the show lasts as the ornaments build on each other and unlock new moments.

Here’s where this ornament disappoints.  It doesn’t add much to the overall show.  Instead, it contributes sound effects when the other ornaments are doing the fight scenes from the movie.  On its own, it just contributes a moment where a commander is telling troops to head into battle.  It lasts all of 15 seconds.  Okay, so there aren’t really any scenes that take place on a tie fighter that should have been included, so it doesn’t surprise me in one way.  But it is still a bit disappointing.

Worse yet, it is the loudest ornaments, so the sound effects drown out the others when they are actually trying to say something.  That means you need to keep this one away from the others.  Fortunately, you can do this easily since you don’t have to have all the ornaments on the same cord for them to work.  You could plug this one in across the room and get the effects without them overwhelming everything thing else.

These ornaments do include light, too, that flash when the ornament is contributing to the show.  There is a light in the cockpit of this ornament.  It doesn’t add too much, but it is something.

You could set this ornament out, although I wouldn’t want to trust the wings to hold it up long term.  However, when you go to hang this ornament on your tree, you’ll find that it hangs straight.

I really am disappointed with the Tie Fighter ornament.  While I looks great, I wish it contributed something meaningful to the Star Wars Storytellers set.

Original Price: $39.99