A Galaxy Worth Fighting For: The Mandalorian and Grogu REVIEW Vol. 1

On this episode of Twin Suns: A Star Wars Podcast, we dive deep into a full SPOILER review of The Mandalorian & Grogu. And joining us for the conversation is Star Wars Aficionado Mark Mulcaster.

Did the jump from Disney+ to theaters work? Does Din Djarin still feel like the heart of the story? Has Grogu officially become the emotional center of modern Star Wars? We break down the action, the surprises, the emotional moments, the cameos, the lore connections, and the future of the Mandoverse. From epic creature battles to fatherhood themes and fandom debates, this is a fun, detailed conversation for Star Wars fans who want to unpack every corner of the new film!

This is the way…to the big screen. Sigourney Weaver's helmet strap not included. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome, Loyalists and Traders. You're now listening to Twin Sons, the Star Wars podcast. Lawyer Defenses and join your hosts, John and Nelly, for what promises to be the enlightening conversation about a galaxy far, far away. I warn you, however, do not attempt to turn this podcast off before it is finished. Or I will be forced to demonstrate the true power of the dark side. And now, on with this go.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Our love and journey throughout a galaxy far, far away.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Wow. Well, we are back. Welcome back to Twin Sons. And what an incredible weekend we've had. It is Sunday, May 24th.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

We're in the middle of a holiday weekend, dear.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Here in the United States.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

In the United States. And what has happened this weekend?

SPEAKER_02 1:11

The Mandalorian and Grogu movie is finally out in theaters.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

I mean, what an exciting moment. You know, we haven't had a film since lockdown.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

I know.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

I can't believe the last Star Wars film we saw in the theater that wasn't a re-release of some kind was before the invisible monster conquered planet Earth. You know, I mean, think about that. What a joyous moment. And we are so thrilled and fortunate to have a very special guest today. We'd like to introduce Mark Molcaster from the podcasting Making Tracks and Reaction Tracks on the Fantas News Network.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

Really impressed you didn't stumble across that. I would attack.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

I know. Mark, how are we doing?

SPEAKER_04 1:59

Hello there. I'm really I'm really well, thank you. And it's really warm here. It's also a bank holiday in the UK this weekend. And we've been blessed with the best weather ever. But as I was saying, just before we hit record, the sun is on the collection room most of the day. So it's probably about 28, 29 degrees in my little room. And of course, because it's UK, we don't have aircon. So it's a bit hot and a bit sweaty.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

And I can see, you know, our this is an audio-only podcast, but there's quite a bit of action, dare I say, action figures in the background there. So you want to keep those, you know, at a good temperature at all times.

SPEAKER_04 2:36

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I mean, there's a display case with the vintage collection. That's like a complete run, which I kind of basically spent about 10 years re-collecting. I won't go into the story why I sold them all to begin with, but I ended up rebuying them. And I I thought at the time I'm going to be really kind of, you know, spend the time, be make sure that I got the best quality figure I could find. And and I thought, why wouldn't it be nice to kind of buy them pretty much in the order that they were released? So start with the first 12 and work my way through and then Empire Strikes Back and Return of Jedi. And so then, of course, and I get to the last 17, and at that time I'm like, great, so the Force Awakens is just coming out, and the price of vintage figures is going through the roof. Why didn't I start with the last 17 first? Because I would have saved myself so much more money because like the price I literally overnight doubled for some of those figures. I mean, I paid what £500 for my R2D2 pop-up lightsaber. So that's what? Yeah. About $750, I think, probably US maybe.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

That is, it would be a less expensive hobby if you, you know, got into cocaine. Um, I mean, seriously, the vintage action figures are out of control. Like, that is I I took a little dabble in it for a while, and I still put my foot in it every now and then. But that actually helps us get to know you a little bit better. I mean, before we jump into this film, what is it like what is your most obsessive Star Wars thing?

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Oh collection hobby.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Yeah, like what are you, how deep does it go? Let's give the listeners a little idea of what kind of you know fan.

SPEAKER_04 4:25

What kind of what kind of fan am I? Yeah. So in terms of so in terms of collecting, I'm very eclectic. So I've got vintage of the the vintage collection was the the linchpin. I got into Star Wars when I was about 10 or 11 in about 91. So on making tracks, I refer to it as second generation. Uh my co-host Mark, uh, he was first generation, and so he was about seven or eight when A New Hope came out. Probably about was that about the same age as you, John? Is that right? Yeah, yep. Yeah. So I call that kind of first generation, and I just got into it just like beginning of the 90s, just as like Dark Horse Comics released Dark Empire and Timothy Zarm released Air to the Empire and all that. So I was very much that kind of 90s Star Wars fan. Um, but yeah, then 2007, skipping forward a couple years, I brought my my first Master Replica lightsaber, which was the Anakin Studio lightsaber, so it's the the one in the kind of like display case, so it's not the light up one, which I have got. And then I said to myself, well, if I've got lightsaber, I probably need a belt to hang it off of because if I'm gonna if if I end up taking it out somewhere, like you know, wear it out, I'm gonna need a belt because lightsabers hang off belts. And then about the same time, Star Celebration Europe was announced in the XL Center in 2007. So I was like, well, if I've got the belt and I've got the lightsaber, let's just get the rest of the costume. So I got a Jedi costume, wasn't probably the greatest, in fact, I know it wasn't the greatest, but I then met a group of people at the convention called the Rebel Legion, and that was Rebel Legion UK or Elstree Base, as it's known. Joined them, and then 20 years later, I'm still a member. I've been running the base for the last almost 10 years, I'd say, pretty much. I'm also a member of 501st with a Stormtrooper costume and also Boba Fett and Bust Rice Bank, Mando Merck's as well. So, yeah, so my costuming side of like my fandom is pretty much for the big part of it, and then also the collection. So I'm a mint on card collector. I went for a stage of buying everything twice. Yeah, yeah, mint on card, yeah, exactly. And you know what, the cost thing is not actually the issue so much in terms of it's for space because you know, if you've got a figure on a card back with a bubble, then to keep it nicely kind of displayed about you you kind of have to show them off, and that means you you can't have them as nicely displayed if you haven't even got a huge amount of space. So then you start kind of like doubling up the way they're kind of like they're stored about, and so yeah, I I fairly quickly went, well, minimum car is probably not the greatest for a large collection if you want to just have a a load of it. So I stopped actually collecting a load of the figures, and I I tend to only buy three and three quarter inch because that's for classic scale, and as much as I like, six inch for some stuff, you know. I think three and three quarter inch is basically where it's at still. Oh yeah. Um I just I just wish Hasbro would would kind of remember that from time to time. And yeah, that's basically about it. About 500 books, you know, and it's everything sideshow, hot toys, gentle chine. It is a real mixture, real mixture. And you're only seeing a little bit. I mean, I I could take the camera off and kind of show you around, maybe I'll do that later, but it's yeah, it's kind of cramped, and everything's just in boxes because it's you know, books and that stack up, and that's what takes the space.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

So well, when I you know, when we look at your Instagram, there's you know, a lot of different handles, and as I scroll through and look at your feed, I mean you've got your hands in a lot of different things, and so this is I mean, you are well versed in all kinds of areas of Star Wars, which is exciting to see. Well, Mark, we're here today to talk about this film, and you know, I've been sort of watching what you've been doing on IG in the last few days. So let's just, you know, I've got everything sort of broken down here. There's a little method to them to the madness today, but let's get a quick temperature check. Theater experience. How many times have you seen this film?

SPEAKER_04 8:50

As of recording, five times. It was like a month.

SPEAKER_02 8:55

Wait, okay. Five times?

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is why I want to have to start with Mark.

SPEAKER_02 9:01

Okay, it was just released so five times. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

I saw the ticker counter keep going up over the last few days, and I was like, um, Mark's gotta be the first interview of this for this um, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:13

I mean, so and this this goes this goes back to the Phantom Menace. When I first saw The Phantom Menace, every single stars film I've seen in the cinema that's been out as an original release, I've seen it 10 times at least, you know. So and in fact, last Jedi about 13, I think it was, or 14. And and there is a reason for that. I know it's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

This is all just the cinema.

SPEAKER_04 9:37

Cinema, yeah, yes. So one reason is I work in film and TV. I'm what's known as a colourist, so I'm the guy who colour grades all the videos and films and stuff. Well, not the only guy, but one of the people who who does that. And for me, I think it's really important to experience films, especially about when they have multiple different release formats to in as many formats as possible. So you think you've got IMAX, you've got IMAX 3D, you've got Dolby Vision, then you've got 4DX, you've got you know specific kind of like releases for different cinema franchises, so Screen X, Super Screen, and all that, and suddenly suddenly, even if you just go once to every single one, you kind of like hit five or six times already. On top of that, I saw the f the first film, well first screen and I should say, on Monday in my in my media preview, right? Okay, as with with with Fan for Tracks. So me and Mark, we were very kindly invited along by Star Wars UK and Disney UK. Saw the film in the BFI IMAX, which is like I think the largest, if not the second largest, IMAX screen in the UK these days. It's about 30 or 40 foot tall, it's huge. And then literally what we walked out and we hit record on our Zoom recorder and just kind of laid down our reactions for what we classically call a reaction chat. So so yeah, so that was that was screen, that was screening one, and then I saw saw the film three times on Friday, just because I have a day off on Friday, so why not?

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Wait, you sat in the theatre for three in a row?

SPEAKER_04 11:10

Consecutive times, or ish, ish. So for fur if they didn't do a midnight screening, I don't know how it was over over with you guys, but for us, the first screening that they had over here that I was aware of was a 7am screening. So I was like, okay, instead of going to the gym at 7am, I'll just go and sit in an iMac screen for Yeah. I love the dedication. Yeah. Yeah, uh and then I just I mean I uh the free screening thing again has has been since the the prequels. I've always done like three screenings of the first day because you can spread out enormous because then the partner will join me for the last one. So I've got to sit a couple of times by myself and then can take the partner. So Karen and her youngest came with me to the 4DX screening on on uh yeah, Friday night, and I saw just uh a standard like two, three, nine kind of screening like a lunchtime amount. So so yeah, you know, because that's the thing. Um on the opening day or the opening weekend, there's plenty of screens and screening times you could go to, so it's quite easy to do if you want to do it, I suppose. Totally.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

How there's a world of the way, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Well, how many times? Well, we you know, because we live in Palm Springs now, which is considerably a smaller market than uh, let's say Los Angeles, where we were, which there was all these, you know, advanced screenings in LA. So we it was released Thursday afternoon here, and we saw it on Thursday at two, and our first screening was in Screen X. Have you guys had have you guys have Screen X over there?

SPEAKER_04 12:44

Yeah, so that's actually one that I haven't seen yet. That's booked for Tuesday. That's where you've got the screen plus what's it a 270-degree extra kind of extension?

SPEAKER_01 12:53

So there's the screen in front of you, like we're traditionally used to, and then there's screens on the sidewalls, on both sidewalls. And we saw it there, and then the next day, Friday, we we went to see it in IMAX. I've got my the seats I always like to get picked out strategically, and Nellie and I took her daughter, so that was a real, you know, Friday early evening, late afternoon screening with like a ton of kids, families, which was really exciting. So, and I'm like you, usually on opening weekend, I try to get in at least three screenings, and you know, they're all different experiences. And I'm um I put this huge long message out on our IG begging people, you know, please go see it again. Especially if you're kind of like, yeah, it was better than I thought it was gonna be. If that's your review, or God forbid, you know, it's okay. I'm like, please go see it again. You have to go see this film again. Um you know, I feel like you gotta that, you know, if you're listening to this, you're obviously a Star Wars fan. And I feel like the first time you go, like it it you spend the film kind of like registering, like you're you're in a new Star Wars movie, you know? Like you kind of gotta get that behind you, and then you can really just focus in on the movie, right?

SPEAKER_04 14:13

Yeah, uh one 100%. Because when we left the previous screening, I think the general reaction, and bearing in mind there was a lot of Star Wars fan media there, so that's what kind of we call ourselves. We're not really influencers as such, because we don't tend to push products as such, we get invited to stuff, but we always tend to report on it more from a news perspective rather than like, oh, I've been invited along to this special experience and stuff. So, and so obviously part of that is we then look at it from a critical perspective as well, not like harshly critical, we're not like mean for the sake of it. But I think the general feeling from the people I spoke to as we left the screening, yeah, was kind of like I mean it's not bad, it's you know, it's not you know the best thing we've seen, like even this year, but it was you know, it was good, it was serviceable, it ticked the boxes and stuff. But even from Monday, then watching it on Friday, like I think even when I just kind of had time to just digest it on the way home and that, I was like, do you know what, actually? That was pretty good. And like the grumbles that I've got with the film are so minor, like it's it's not story perspective at all. There's nothing I don't think's broken with a story. The plot is what it is, and that and it's fairly are we are we spoiling this or yes?

SPEAKER_01 15:34

This is oh yeah, oh hang on a second. Whatever that noise is that the Death Star makes that they utilize big time and woo, that's it. That's it. This is a spoiler review. Okay, good. Um I can't imagine doing an episode uh talking about the movie without spoiling it. So if you're if you have not look you know seen the movie yet, I don't know what you're doing listening to this podcast, but I salute you and applaud your choice. Crazy, crazy people. Yeah, like this is full-on spoiler. So let it rip.

SPEAKER_04 16:16

And yeah, it's so difficult because then it's also like, right, how spoiler-free is this? Because it's like, you know, do we can you even talk about what is in the trailers and stuff? Because I know there are some some people who literally like to almost live in a cave and just don't watch trailers or anything. So but then you kind of think, well, most people aren't likely to be downloading a reaction review, you know, off of about of two people who just kind of go and seeing it for the first time. So yeah, but it's it's it's difficult because ultimately a lot of it is tied into the plot. But yeah, I mean, I I left for second screening on on Friday, and I was like, do you know what? This is actually a really good film. This is a good film, it's fun, and it's and what I liked about it is actually reminded me of a new hope, because like with a new hope, whilst they had a bigger storyline when you think about it, it was all nicely tied up in an in a bow, really, pretty much by the end of the film. And that and so if there wasn't a sequel, it didn't really matter. You had a complete story. Same as this. This was a complete story, you know. And I was I sat there at the end of the credits hoping that they would say on the bottom of the credits, like The Mandalorian and Groger will return in dot dot dot and either give us a film title or or something else, similar to another franchise that I know that both me and you kind of like a little bit. So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

That's it. Yes. Yeah, okay, because I wanted to talk about the whole Bond thing, but well, well, yeah, because we, you know, I the problems, not problems with my criticisms or critiques that I had after seeing it the first time all just about all went away the second time.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

I was like any negative.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Yeah, you were you were well into it. I I don't know what I was it again, it's just so overwhelming and emotional. But what what was your biggest expectation going in?

SPEAKER_02 18:04

Were you nervous, confident before the lights went down?

SPEAKER_04 18:08

Exactly. Oh, I mean, I've never been nervous, and uh one of the things I think that has helped me a lot with managing my expectations or calibrating my expectations is the fact that I read a lot of the expanded universe as those books came out and were announced, and some of them were absolutely dire. Um and so so already I kind of like I've had the good and the bad and the downright ugly of Star Wars. So then when whenever you see a film, you just I just try and let it wash over me. I just kind of like sit down, try and try and watch the first one, which is really hard, and I think that's also the negative of doing the preview and then knowing that you've got to then literally walk out of the cinema and talk about it. And and to be fair, like you know, it what me and Mark said on that reaction chat is probably no different from what a lot of people said, but also it means as much as any other review and you know, critics' review, it means pretty much nothing, really. And and that's the thing, isn't it? It's like sometimes I think people get their expectations from other people, and so it's very difficult, you know, when when somebody says, Oh, what's a film like? Especially if you're if you don't go, oh my god, it's amazing, then they're like, Oh, maybe I'll maybe I won't bother going. And it's like, no, no, no, no. Because there's people who are speaking to me on on Thursday and Wednesday saying, Do you know what? I think I might just wait for it to hit Disney Plus. And I'm like, no, you've got to see it. It's like, oh my gosh, like you have to go and see this film, regardless if you're like, you know, a huge Mandalorian fan, but if you call yourself a Star Wars fan, really, I hate to say it, you need to go and support these films out with cinema because that's where the meant to be seen. And I would hate for there to be a world where we have Star Wars purely on the smaller screen, even if it's theatrical length on Disney Plus, it's not the same. It's an event, it should be seen on a big screen. So I was like, get over yourself, you know. Yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

It it being in a room full of people, even the first screening, there was a guy next to me, literally next to me, who laughed exactly the way that I laughed for as long as our I laughed, like our laughs, like we were almost like yeah, we were almost in stereo. And I was like, this is this is so much better than like me looking down at my phone or you know, getting up or you know putting a load of honor in between. Yeah, like you gotta see it, especially with kids. Um, what what uh before we you know get into it, what would your one-word reaction to the movie be?

SPEAKER_04 20:46

I hate to say, but just fun. Like it was just a fun adventure, really. I mean it it there was I I wasn't really you know excited by it as such, in terms of like I wasn't like wow, this is amazing what I'm seeing, but I was like, I I I left every single screen in, even the one last night, I've left every single screening and just gone, I've really enjoyed that. That's really good fun, and I can't wait to see it again. And so I know that with some films, maybe the ninth or tenth screening, I've kind of sat there and kind of gone, yeah, I think I'm kind of about done now. I don't think I need to see this again for six months or something. But at the moment, I'm just like, yeah, this is cool, you know, and there's there's nothing to not like about this film, I don't think. Like, I mean, yeah, you know, the thing is that people have got gripes, people have gripes about everything, and you know, and Star Wars has shown us that you can't please half a fandom, even like a tenth of a time, let alone all the fandom all of the time. So I just I just ignore that kind of stuff and just say, hey, you know, if you didn't like it, that's fair enough. You don't need to go and see it again. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Can I have your popcorn bucket?

SPEAKER_02 21:52

You know, you took the words out of my mouth.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Yeah, they made they've made the one of the I think the great things Disney has done is is they've made enough stuff. Star Wars, where there's Star Wars for everyone. And exactly. I recently heard some sort of old curmudgeon OT guys who I love who I love who I am and I love I love dearly. I love the these two podcasters, no names. Two two guys have been in the game as long as possible, but they were kind of bagging on visions. And I was like, you know, I've sat down with Nelly's at the time eight-year-old daughter on a Saturday morning and watched a couple episodes of Visions, and she loved it, and therefore I loved it. And it's okay if visions wasn't made for, you know, the hardest-year-old man. Yeah, Skywalker, you know, hanging on to your youth. But Nelly, what word would you use to describe your one? What's your one-word reaction to the movie?

SPEAKER_02 22:48

I was gonna use fun, but I would say adorable.

SPEAKER_01 22:51

Adorable, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:52

Yeah. There was a lot of R's. Yeah, love R's coming from the from the rose behind me, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 22:58

Yeah, there was a lot of like, oh cute. Oh my gosh. Coming from me and my daughter. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

Yeah. All the kids were going crazy. Yeah. I love there was one dad behind us that was having to like translate what the God, what are they, what are the Bobber Freaks called again? The uh Anzalians. Yes. Yeah. And you know, I it was helping me out a little bit. And then I was like, oh, that's hysterical, you know. I can't wait. Uh the the word I would use is joyful. Yeah. And and to your to it's just joyful. Like it, it, as a Star Wars fan, my whole life, it just brings me joy. And to your to your word, Mark, I mean, when does fun turn into a dirty word? You know, it's like, you know, I I'm thrilled that we have Andor with all of its political undertones, hell, not even undertones, in your face. It's really good and it's important that art reflects society, but at the same time, come on, world. Like everyone could use a little bit of fun, you know.

SPEAKER_02 23:57

Yeah, it's a it's a great, yeah, right? Yeah, it just you escape into this fun adventure.

SPEAKER_04 24:04

Totally. Yeah. Well, and this is a thing, like, sorry. Um Star Wars has always Star Wars Star Wars has always been that, and you know, I've I've said it, loads of people have said it and said it far more elegantly than I'm ever could say, but it's always basically been a kid's film. The problem is, is that unlike I think a lot of franchises where people kind of drop off, there's a hardcore group of fans who have basically been fans since day one. And the problem is some of us have got louder voices than than others, or more influential voices than others, and they forget that yeah, they're now 57, 58, whatever, you know, and these films are gonna have a different resonance. You're not gonna feel the same, you know, between like watching Force Awakens to how you felt maybe when you first saw The Phantom Ennis, is that if that was your first film, or even you know, there's there's people in El Street Base who their first film or their first time watching Star Wars was the Clone Wars movie, you know, and I think everybody has their first Star Wars moment, and that was always probably the most magical it's ever going to be. And I think you always kind of slightly chase him that a little bit, but you kind of learn to expect that over time you're gonna get different enjoyments out of different parts of uh the property, and you go back and you look at stuff in different perspectives and different ways, and I think that then means that you're constantly learning and re-evaluating what it is that you you you like about the franchise and what brings you joy at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_02 25:31

Yeah, absolutely. And I did what uh I guess you and I, John, we stayed away from any reviews, any chats, giving their I guess review and feedback on the because I just wanted to come in there with an open mind with no expectation.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Yeah, yeah. I didn't watch any of the stuff the content creators put out, or I didn't look at Rotten Tomatoes. I just wanted to go in with a as clean of a slate as possible.

SPEAKER_02 25:59

With no influence.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Yeah, yeah. I I think it's very interesting because recently I've had the opportunity to talk with prequel generations, and it's interesting to hear them talk about the sequels the way that my generation talked about the prequels. So and I I love the sequels, and I'm one of the few people, especially of my generation, that absolutely completely agreed with Ryan Johnson's choice that you know Luke at his age isn't gonna be a swashbuckling Errol Flynn, James Bond type of guy. Like there needed to be some life regrets, and trust me, as you get older, uh more of that comes. Resonates so really one of the few, and so anyway, that's another show. What uh let me ask you, did did the film successfully elevate the Mandalorian into a true movie?

SPEAKER_04 26:59

Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's it's I I think what was really cool, and I sat there, I don't know, one one of the screen is and I think there was there's like shots of you had Mandalorian, you had Grogu, and you had Rotter, stood in front of like the Razorcrest, and it's like you know, for me anyway, for as a technologist, that's really cool because you've kind of got the blending of so many different types of technology, and and I think that's the one thing that I really liked about this film. You had stop motion with some of the the heart droids, they were you know obviously done by Phil Tippett, who did the original stop motion for Empire Strice Back, and in fact, even the I think the last shot of the Anne Zalens walking down their ship, that was also stop motion. I mean, you had CG, he had the vision, like sorry, like sta Stagecraft, and you had Grogu as well, who is yes, he's a puppet, he's a practical character, but he's kind of controlled in such a you know advanced way that allowed him to hold the screen for like 10 minutes by himself whilst Din was having a nap, which I thought was like amazing, and that is probably the most controversial part of that film. That's probably the part that most people have said to me they least liked. But actually, for me, I think that's really cool, and I think it's probably the most Lucasian, like the George Lucas part of styles. I think that's the most Lucasian aspect of this film because I could totally see George kind of doing something like that, going, do you know what? Let's let's put it all on the puppet's shoulder, let him kind of carry the story for the next 10 minutes without any dialogue, and let's see where it goes. Because that's I think some of George's best work is actually when there's no dialogue and it's just visuals and it's just emotion seen in people's faces. So yeah, I think it's really cool.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

Yeah, I I had no complaints on that. Not at all. I I I loved it just to slow it down a little bit and and of Grogu carrying the movies.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Yeah, being a star. I I uh yeah, I I've seen quite a few people who again are kind of you know big noises in the Star Wars community really having a problem with the second half and the you know the it slowing down. But I feel like they just gave us the the big spectacle action pieces, and it just felt wonderful. Yeah, that that that moment the film took a breath and stopped being like these you know quick cuts and fast-paced action action, like good God, you we just had an hour of that, yeah. Um and then some so I loved it, and it is the Mandalorian and Grogu. And you know, I think that the power of Grogu can cannot be registered. I've I've said this on many occasions, and anytime I get the excuse to say it again, I will.

SPEAKER_03 29:45

So why not now?

SPEAKER_01 29:47

I mean, planet Earth has come together, humanity has come together twice, and that was Apollo 11, the moon landing, and Baby Yoda. Those are the two times that you know the entire human race has come together as one. And, you know, Baby Yoda sent to us during lockdown, especially. Um, just why not give him time to cook?

unknown 30:14

You know?

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Yeah, give him the spotlight by himself. Yeah, without Mello.

SPEAKER_04 30:18

Yeah. And I think this is the thing, is it? I think you also need that for his kind of development, you know, because we can my my worry going in, actually, my one of the concerns I had was when you look at the trailers, it's all kind of like action, action, action, and then Grogu comic relief. And this is kind of what they did in season three. It felt like they didn't quite know what to do with him. After they sent him to Luke and he comes back, they didn't quite know what to do with Grogu other than he's kind of a Deus Ex Macinder kind of character who kind of comes and saves the day right at the very end. But also he's just comic relief, and it was nice to see something more to him. I mean, I don't know if I ever want to hear him talk as such, but you know, I also kind of want to get more inside his mind a little bit and kind of like see what's you know what he's actually thinking because you know he's even though he's he's young or comes across as young, he's a lot more switched on than I think we give him credit for. So I'd love to kind of hear some of that in the monologue, just especially when Din's doing something really stupid. You know, I think that would be quite funny.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

Yeah, maybe give him subtitles. Yeah, exactly. You know, it was interesting to see him kind of nod and you know, acknowledge what was being said to him as opposed to just you know having the grog look on his face.

SPEAKER_04 31:34

Yeah, he's more self-aware, wasn't he? He was more self-aware of what's going on, and also I think better you know, at the end when Din's like, right, do we fight or do we go? And it's like you know, he's actually asking him as almost an equal rather than just like a subordinate, you know. He's not just saying, right, well, you know, come on, buddy, let's go. He's like, right, what do you want to do? So so there is development. I mean, that's the thing, it's it is a small self-contained adventure, which I think's not necessarily a bad thing. And in a world where everything needs to be a franchise, and every single film that comes out feels like a standalone actually isn't its part of the franchise, it's nice to feel like there's definitely people who could go and watch that film without seeing anything of any Star Wars films, and probably get just about enough to kind of navigate through that story and get them hooked so then they can go back and delve into other aspects of the franchise, you know. Because if you know, I mean the the second screening I saw on Friday was like I said about mid-afternoon. So I think the kids were on half-term or were breaking up for half-term, so there was definitely more kids in that screen than I was expecting, but every single one of them you could just tell was so much more engaged and kind of like switched on and kind of like enthralled by what they were seeing. Because I I was sat there thinking, and actually I had had a young lad next to me yesterday who must have been about 12 or 13. It's like he would have been too young to see Rise of Skywalker in the cinema, and you know, probably you know, he wouldn't have understood most of it anyway, in terms of if it's his first film, but yeah, he was just like you could just tell it literally he had popcorn, hardly ate any of it. He was just kind of just watching Mouthagape for most of it, and and that gives me kind of like chills, just thinking about it. That's really cool, you know. Um you know, somebody who doesn't have kids myself and that, and the Karen's boys are now kind of like 18 and 20, but kind of done with all stars and stuff. It's kind of nice to kind of see people experience stars for the first time, you know, vicariously rather than you know, and and and and and enjoy it, you know, genuinely enjoy it, which I think this is what this film can do is bring out joy.

SPEAKER_02 33:44

And that's crazy because this has just dawned on me that my daughter, this is her first Star Wars experience. Yeah. Well, she's seen a lot of the prequels and yeah, like the re-releases. Yeah, the re-releases, but this is her first Star Wars movie in theater. Because I had the prequels.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

That was my first like a first run of a Star Wars movie. This is the first time God, she's seen all the other ones a hundred times with us. But you know, to your point, Mark, I the second screening, you know, I could almost feel the kids around me start to, you know, get lost a little bit when he's you know looking for the guy and it's the spy and it's this guy, and the you know, the connection to Clone Wars. And then it's like they they brought Goku Grogu Goku Grogu Gugon uh back at the right time to sort of bring the kids back into the fold.

SPEAKER_04 34:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

What was uh what would you say like tonally, what was the the biggest laugh for you in the scene in the movie? What was it do you know?

SPEAKER_04 35:00

And it's something I don't tend to like, and especially I I tend to like my stars a little bit more serious, so that kind of bathos kind of like when you've got like a a joke at the end of some like tension, so some tension breakers sometimes that kind of turns me off a little bit. But once he's built that mud hut, that kind of like yoga-esque mud hut, and he's trying to fit him in, and it's because it's it's you know, it's a rule of three, isn't it? Like comedy only works if you kind of repeat it three times, and so like you know, the first time you laugh, and then by the third and the fourth time and he and gives up, like everybody's just laughing. That and then actually just before when he kind of comes out of nowhere and just kind of like swallows that kind of like scorpion insect on Din's kind of chest, yeah. That got a big laugh as well. Yeah, definitely. There's but I mean, and also I mean the Anzalians, that's kind of they're just kind of crazy, you know, they're just kind of like fun little guys, you know, because they're kind of they've got that kind of broken English kind of thing, but they they're you know, Shirley Henson is so good at kind of articulating what they're kind of saying, and that if these little kind of broken kind of bits of like basic English that people can understand, but there's always this comic stuff, you know, with it, like you know, when they when one of them goes, ah, big pipe and stuff like that, and it's just like well, yeah, because everything's gonna look massive to you guys because you're like, I don't know, what 12 inches tall or something? So yeah. How how about you guys? What what was your I think you're right.

SPEAKER_01 36:20

I think when when he you know was trying to get him in the little hut, which looked an awful lot like Yoda's hut, by the way. Yeah, you know, just a smaller version, right? And and the second time I saw it, I was kind of like looking around, you know, to see how people were gonna react. And I thought, if be whoever didn't just laugh at that, then this is not the movie for you. Right, exactly. Yeah, but for me, I I love that one, but I loved when he was trying to walk them through the razor crest and he just uh you know started unlocking the the missiles. Oh yeah, you know, like you know, to your point, he had probably told him about this a million times and he never listened, but he knew how to like take the safety off and shoot the missiles. I thought that was hysterical.

SPEAKER_04 37:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:09

It kind of reminded me instead of turning it on.

SPEAKER_04 37:11

Exactly. It kind of reminded me of um like was it Guardians of Galaxy Volume 2 when like you've got Rocket trying to tell Group, don't press that red button, press the other red button, and he's constantly going to the one that he's not supposed to press. Is that kind of like you know, frustrating like comedy and that? And yeah, you know, I mean I don't know about you guys, but if you've ever tried to kind of instruct somebody over like a FaceTime or even just a phone call to do something like set a timer on like a VHS player or whatever, like you know, trying to talk to your mum how to set up like a recording on like a like a like sky skybox amount, you just kind of go just give up, you know. And and and he's gotta do that whilst he's got two sets of stormtroopers like you know, breathing down his neck. So, you know, fair play to him, really. Absolutely. Well, let's talk a little bit about Denjarin.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

What is Din struggling with emotionally in this movie? What do you think?

SPEAKER_04 38:08

I think he's starting to definitely come to terms with the fact that this guy is gonna if this little guy is gonna outlive him. And I think he's accepting the fact that there will come a time, and he even says it at you know, near the end, the you know, the old protect the young and then the young protect the old.

SPEAKER_03 38:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:24

Um this is a way. And I think part of the that's his his story is is learning to kind of I guess come to terms and accept that as well, you know, the fact that Grogu's gonna kind of grow up and he may never even be, you know, see him in his prime by just because that will probably be a hundred years later than you know, when he's around. So I I guess there's a certain level of like, you know, struggling with his own mortality, you know, which I think is is quite fascinating because I find that actually when Pedro Pascal is at his best, is actually when you don't see his face. And I and I really I I think that actually I kind of get it, you know, probably from a number of different reasons. You know, they probably had to negotiate so that he saw, you know, he had his helmet off and and how do you kind of navigate that? But personally for me, when when he's just doing the voice, I think that's when Pedro kind of shines, and and don't even know why, because like you know, it's just a blank bucket at the end of the day with like no emotion, but yet somehow between what Pedro's saying and Brandon Wayne's kind of like portrayal in the suit or Latif's, then uh you always kind of get an idea of like what he's kind of thinking, which I think is really cool, and that's obviously down to directing as well. That's gonna be down to John Favreau directing of that of those scenes.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

Yeah, I I'm glad that everyone got credit, especially in the opening credits of the film.

SPEAKER_04 39:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:48

You know, that it's a collaborative effort to bring this character alive. And so I'm glad that that credit wasn't relegated to the end credits, you know, deep, buried within. But you're right. I mean, I do I think Pedro's performance in the helmet is pretty incredible.

unknown 40:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

Yeah. I imagine if we all put on that outfit and then tried to do that, it would become a challenge. Absolutely. It would be quite aware. We'd become quite aware very quickly how difficult it is.

SPEAKER_04 40:19

It oh, do you know what it is? As somebody now it's interesting.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

So when you when I wear my nines, right?

SPEAKER_04 40:27

Yeah, kind of. But it but it's so difficult because I'm not, you know, I'm I'm an even like 5'8, so I could probably do it with a couple extra inches. I think like uh like Jeremy Burlock was 5'10, and so the costume is kind of like feels a little bit kind of like clumped together on me because I'm quite short and quite stocky. But yeah, you put you put everything on, and it's not until really either the helmet goes on or the jet hat goes on, then suddenly you kind of there's there's this kind of weird kind of like you know, you just suddenly change how you kind of you stand, and it's the same thing with like stormtrooper armour, you know, you can you put everything on and it's not until you put the helmet on, then suddenly you kind of stand up and like your posture changes, and you're kind of more you're more you're more Star Wars, right? But you know, it's it's difficult. Like, and the thing is that we have you know, we have like head mics and little amplifies in our kit so that people can hear us, you know. Otherwise, yeah, it's it's difficult to kind of get across emotion. And the funny thing is, you think you're emoting, like over you know, you're exaggerating your mo your like you know, whatever you're you're saying or your gestures in costume, and then you find out later or you see some video clips of you, and it's like, well actually that was really subtle. So to kind of like be able to kind of get subtleness across, but also then big gestures in that armour takes a lot of practice and a lot of skill. So it's it's not I don't think you could just put anybody in the suit, which is probably why they've been so loyal to these to the guys who are wearing the suit for the most part. What did you just have an interest? Did did having like opening credits and and that did that take you out of of a film? I mean it's the first Star Wars film that has had any kind of credits at the beginning. So it's a it's a change. And it's like, you know, again, I've seen people online can go, oh, that kind of took me out of it because I didn't feel like I was really into the story until afterwards. But those credits came what 25 minutes later.

SPEAKER_03 42:24

It didn't take me out.

SPEAKER_01 42:25

No, not at all. I mean, I I kind of I thought, you know, speaking of Bond, and Mark, you and I are both big fans of that franchise, it felt like the pre-title sequence to me, you know, and I kind of was I I'm I'm I haven't heard John Favero say this, but I imagine he's like he decided to do what all the Bond films do. And I thought it was it was really cool, a great idea to just drop us in the action. And I thought it had it not been there, it wouldn't have given us a moment to sort of catch our breath. And I thought it was tastefully done. I thought it linked us to the show, which I think after the first screening, one of my critiques would have been well, it just felt like season four, episode one and two, part one and two. And then I saw them a second time and I was like, Mr. That makes no sense. Like this is a film unto its own self. So I like the credits and the music. I mean, God, yeah, you know, the music is so good in this film.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

And Ludwig did I was gonna say Ludwig. I always say it wrong.

SPEAKER_01 43:36

Ludwig? Yeah, yeah, that's how I'm saying it. I'm not sure. Yes, some of it. He he did, I think what John Powell did and Michael G. Aquino did are incredible. I own every format of those soundtracks. And I'll continue to buy them. But with this score, there's a there's a clip famous of Lucas and the crew watching the first rough cut of. The Phantom Menace. And I I think a lot of us have seen it. George Lucas stands up, looks at everyone who's you know doesn't have a great you know expression of happiness on their face, and he said, Don't worry, no one's gonna be watching, everyone's gonna be listening to John Williams' music. Exactly. And I thought I was thinking about that, going, This I'm listening to this music. This music is doing what it's supposed to do, which is providing oxygen to a film, and it is elevating the opening title credits, you know? Yeah, yeah, totally, yeah. So good. I can't, I mean, I'm beside myself. I've already bought two versions on vinyl. Have you? Uh yeah. I was gonna ask how many, how many have you got? And no, there's only two to buy the black, and then there's a Target special edition and this sort of like grey helmet.

SPEAKER_04 44:49

Yeah. Can can I suggest you check out Disney Emporium online? Is that the one is that the 10-inch helmet? I'm pretty sure there's some there might be other ones, but I mean I've only brought the CD version because I as we've kind of discovered from Music Bond, I don't have a record player. So like you guys talking about vinyl, and and I've been buying vinyl, right? So this is the thing, I've been buying vinyl, but I'm just like I'm just buying it. It sits in a record box just as part of a collection because I'm just like I haven't got a record player.

SPEAKER_01 45:18

Oh yeah, you have to get one. Yeah, you will you'll get one one day and it'll be one of the great weekends of your live. You know, you'll just it'll it'll blow your mind. But they're also the perfect thing. Look, they look cool as hell, but vinyl is the perfect thing to take to a convention to get signed. Because when you you do get vinyl, a record player, you'll get ultimately a little kind of now playing stand. So when you're playing it, you know, and it'll light up and you can look at your you know, vinyl autographed. And so yeah, uh Chris over on our other podcast is real good about helping you spend money on vinyl.

SPEAKER_04 45:57

Yes, absolutely. Yeah, I mean, I've got my Casino Royale signed by David Arnold. I saw that.

SPEAKER_01 46:02

Oh, that's amazing. Saw that. Yeah. So if anyone's listening, I don't maybe people picked up on it. For about 11 years, Jesus, I have hosted a podcast about the James Bond franchise, specifically about the music side. So that's I think, Mark, how you and I probably first. Yeah. It totally was.

SPEAKER_04 46:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:23

There's yeah, that there's quite a few Bond fans. When I look, and numbers has it means nothing to me, but when I look at the amount of followers Twin Sons has on IG, and then I look at the amount of downloads we have, it's become quite clear to me that your amount of followers is in no way a reflection of the amount of people that are listening. And I think it's a lot of Bond fans, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_04 46:47

Um, that but that's cool because there's there's a lot of crossover. In fact, actually, I wrote an article for FanfTracks a few years ago. It would have been actually for the 60th anniversary, and I started to list all of the actors who'd been in Star Wars and in a Bond film at some point. And yeah, it I mean it's quite extensive and exhaustive. And I think when I sent it through to the editor, we kind of we lost most of them because they're they were so obscure and stuff, and he was like, This will be one of the longest articles on the site, it's you know, because there's so many, you know, obviously Pinewood as well. That's where Star Wars is now currently being shot, and where obviously Bond has been shot for the last 60 odd years.

SPEAKER_01 47:22

So uh and I think there's a long list of great British actors who have played in all of these films. Uh I just got Julian Glover's autograph because I got a suspicion he's he's getting up there. Oh, he's nine, he's what, 92 or something? I mean, I mean, and he I mean he's in For Your Eyes Only, The Last Crusade, I mean, you know, Empire. Like, if you're gonna get an autograph of somebody, this is somebody that I've whose autograph I want. And he's phenomenal. So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 47:55

Um and just just on the side, just just so you know, as as for reference, I saw No Time to Die like eight times out of cinema. So it's not just Star Wars, you know.

SPEAKER_01 48:06

Yeah, I hear it took me about eight times to like go, all right. Spoiler alert, it doesn't end well. You know, damn. Coming out of lockdown, you want to see your heroes prevail, and well, he got blown up. Um imagine, imagine had they blown up Luke Skywalker and Last Jedi, the way that could you imagine all because of sweet blood. Jesus.

SPEAKER_04 48:31

But to be fair, when you think about it, I think actually, out of the sequel trilogy, just to kind of go on a side tangent, I think Luke's death out of everybody's death in that trilogy is the most meaningful and the most pivotal. It's for best, you know.

SPEAKER_01 48:46

Him him looking up and finally not seeing one son but two sons, Mark's performance in that moment is so powerful and so brilliant that I wish when he was doing the hot lap, the circuit promoting the film, he would have talked more about that as opposed to, well, this isn't what I would have done. Yeah. You know, yeah. Like, come on, man. There's a time to have an opinion and there's a time to sell dishwashers, Mark.

SPEAKER_04 49:13

Exactly. It's a bit it was a bit like Daniel, wasn't it, when he said about, you know, slitting his wrist or something after Spectre. It's like, yeah, which I know is kind of a bit unfortunate.

SPEAKER_01 49:21

When the Crystal Skull was just on the PR circuit bagging the film, and I was going, oh man, come on, dude. But it's cringy, isn't it? Yeah, it really is. But I'm I I hey listen, I respect anyone's you know, opinion that's different than mine, but you're wrong. You know, I know I love Last Jedi. I I you know, I I'm gonna uh if I can point this out, I started, I've got four podcasts going, and I started a knives out podcast called Within the Donut Hole. Shameless plug. Yeah, shameless plug. But you know who just started following me last week? I woke up, what was it, Saturday before last, yeah, grabbed my phone, as we do unfortunately, and I looked over and it said, You have a new follower, Ryan Johnson. No way. Yeah, I took a screenshot of it and was just like, What the Ryan Johnson's following my my Benoit Blanc podcast that was just put together for fun. I was gonna say, to be fair, there's probably not many um there's none. And there's none. And I and and to be fair, I did go to Amoeba Records when Mondo released their uh Wake Up Dead Man edition on Eve's Apple, and Ryan and Nathan Johnson, the composer, were uh signing it, and I sent them invitations, handed them invitations to within the donut hole. But to wake up and go, the director of The Last Jedi just started following me. That's pretty cool. And I only have like 26 followers.

unknown 50:56

Are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_01 50:58

He always likes and thumbs up whatever I post. So, anyway, if anyone listening to this podcast is into Benoit Blanc, chat over to head over to Within the Donut Bowls.

SPEAKER_04 51:06

I'm gonna have I'm gonna have to check it out because films were unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01 51:11

Yeah, yeah. So, well, all right, let's get to what I'm calling this film could have sorry folks. Uh uh, this is what I could have called this like the Born Supremacy. I lovingly called it the Grogo Supremacy. Um what what I mean is Grogu now the heart of Star Wars after this film?

SPEAKER_04 51:33

No I mean I think Disney Marketing think he is, if nothing else. Yeah. I mean, God, you can't literally go into a store without there being Grogu all over the place. But I yeah, I think so. I think I mean I think so. He's he's I think both of them really is I mean, and that's the thing. They're to you know, to have one without the other for a a long period of time is I think would be kind of weird, you know. And and that's the thing, I'm I'm really curious as to see where they they they take this and what they do. And I I hope that not only do we get season four, but we get another big screen adventure, and maybe this time it'll be called like the adventures of Grogu and The Mandalorian.

SPEAKER_01 52:14

Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, he's the moneymaker, no doubt about it. You just you can't, I mean, God, he's just so cute. I mean, I do you think people some of the maybe the problems I I've tried to stay away from people with problems of this film and just promote positivity. And I think for the most part, if you stay off of YouTube, you're okay. You know, I I'm most people in my feed are all like into it, but I did, you know, Google search or excuse me, YouTube search, you know, and they're all those sort of heads with the mouth open who haven't seen it, who think it's you know, the devil's work. Oh my god. It's awful. Yeah, I still I I was five minutes of that and I was like, eh. But I I do think that you know he is he feels more mature, you know, he's not just a cute mascot anymore. And I think it's Grogu who's putting asses in the theater seats, you know. What well hell Grogu got me back into a Burger King after 20 years.

SPEAKER_04 53:16

Yeah, to be fair, I've I've not eaten so many Burger Kings, I think, ever in my life. And I've you know, I think I've still got another three or four trips. Yeah. Not good. It's not good. And the fact that you know, every time you buy like a popcorn bucket, they they give you popcorn. So I've never eaten so much popcorn. Well, it's probably since the last Star Wars film came out, but yeah. I shifted a ton of weight after that one. I know.

SPEAKER_01 53:39

I I keep saying, okay, we're not gonna get popcorn this time. You go in, you smell that smell. And you see that cute popcorn.

SPEAKER_04 53:45

Yeah, the grow good coming over the top. Um, go on. And have you have you brought much? Have you brought much um cinema?

SPEAKER_01 53:52

No, we we have not the all the the major stuff uh here is at Cinemark, and we've been in a Regal and then a local independent theater, believe it or not, has this green act.

SPEAKER_02 54:07

So we're going to Cinemark.

SPEAKER_01 54:08

Yeah, we're gonna go to Cinemark, probably if not today, tomorrow, but they're the ones that have all of that stuff. And yeah, and I'm almost a little nervous, you know. Um the problem is we've got all these conventions. We haven't been to conventions since last year, and we've got like three in a row, and one of them is Mark Hamill, and you know, like I said, Bank of America calls who goes budget. Is this you? Is this you making these charges? Shit, you know, yes, yeah, it is it is me. Please authorize.

SPEAKER_04 54:42

I'll be honest, dude. I sometimes when I see like you know, your photos of like how much you've had to pay for like some of these autos, I'm just like, holy like seriously. How does he do it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, well, yeah, I mean, so just to put in perspective, like when I met Mark Hamill at Celebration Europe 2, so that's 2013, I paid 110 euros, which was about 90 pounds.

SPEAKER_03 55:08

I don't know where and and his autograph is up on my wall.

SPEAKER_02 55:12

And it's yeah, and it says two marks have gotten like four.

SPEAKER_01 55:17

I I I try, I want to be, you know, considerate because it is, you know, we have to sell a house and we're realtors. Like, how do we go to this? We have to sell someone a million multi-million dollar home to afford this, but you know But also we don't go out to COVID, it's not like we're out in bars or we don't live in LA anymore, so we're not paying forty dollars to park.

SPEAKER_02 55:38

Um yeah, our lifestyle at the house.

SPEAKER_01 55:41

Yes, yeah. That it's not Mark is Hayden, by the way, that is the one that I you know. I know, yeah, Hayden's side, man. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 55:50

I now to be fair, I haven't actually met Hayden yet. Um I mean, that will happen, and that's the thing, actually, to be fair, as you kind of mentioned, yeah um, you know, as you you brought up like Julian Glover, that's the thing like for so many years you would see some of these these like Styles actors like the likes of Julian Glover, like Ken Collie and these guys who have basically been on the circuit for like forever. And so, like, you know, when you when you go to so many conventions with like if I were first to Rebel Legion like I do, you just see them and and you know you've you forget that actually you should probably get an autograph because they're not gonna be around for much longer. But at least I'm hoping you know, Hayden's got a few more years on the clock left, so I don't need to worry about it. Oh yeah, you're fine, man.

SPEAKER_01 56:31

Hayden's gonna be around doing this, I think, for a minute. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 56:36

Um so so like next next month there's a a convention over here in the UK called Star Fury, and it's a so it's it's basically it's probably the oldest running conventions in the UK, and the format hasn't changed for like 30 years. And so they've got Felicity Jones, they've got John Bieger, and a ton of uh andor or Rogue One signers, yeah, and you basically you you buy a ticket, and that basically covers the price of most of your autos. I had to pay an extra for Felicity Jones and John Biega, but both of those were like under 125 quid each. And you go and there's like maybe two, 250, 300 people there, that's it. It's in a hilt Hilton hotel. You go, you get your autograph, you get like your photo done, and then they just do these panels, and these panels are like no one's allowed to record, no one's allowed to like you know, have their phones out and stuff. And so these you know, these people just are really relaxed, and you get the most crazy kind of fan questions ever, as you could imagine. Yeah, yeah. And it is and it's not like a moderator-led. It's not the big corporate convention, you know. No, it's not a read part. It's it's very so into it. Oh, it's it's great. I mean, and you know, when we first trooped it with the R out, like we're all like, This is this is really weird. And this year I'm like, do you know what? I'm not gonna troop it, I'm just gonna just buy the gold ticket. You do a meet and greet on the Friday night with most of the actors, probably not Felicity and John, but most of the like the other ones will be there for Friday night. Informal, you just sit at tables, they come around, they have a chat, and you just kind of like shoot the breeze. But some of these, yeah, it's it's really bizarre, but it's such good value. And that's the thing, you know, like people like Julian Glover and like Ken Collingback, they'd only charge like 25 quid, 30 quid max for an auto.

SPEAKER_01 58:26

Yeah. Yeah. You know, you need to do it because you know, you hear enough stories about people who've been doing it far longer than we have. We're newbies, but who missed out on Carrie Fisher, you know? So I've got it twice, luckily. Yeah. What?

SPEAKER_02 58:41

Oh my gosh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:43

What do you I love how this Mandalorian and Goku Grogu and High in the convention hall real quick? Before we get back to the point here, what did you what did you have Carrie sign? What do you have signed by Carrie?

SPEAKER_04 58:58

Uh so I've got her, I'm just looking at now. So so this is Classic Carrie. The last time that she was at London Film Comic Con, which is probably it would have been around about 2015, 2016, I'd say. Like, obviously, like she must have been here, I think, possibly for filming or something. I think. I didn't really tweak at the time. However, so she was about 90 minutes late, plus maybe close to two hours, and we're just sat at their queue. So they and there was a huge cue because like everybody had brought their the diamond passes, which basically guarantees you your autograph. So everybody's there, everybody's kind of slightly hot, slightly miffed, but you know, it's Carrie, and so what are you gonna do? But they they were like, because she's late, it's literally just like she's just gonna sign her autograph, no personalization to nothing. So that one's not been signed. The previous one kind of says to Mark, and it and I was a little bit younger, and we had a little bit of banter, and it was the gold bikini photo that she signed, and she just wrote, Two mark, you wish Carrie Fisher.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:00

Oh yeah, that's cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:06

But yeah, the last time I I think actually the last time I chatted almost as much to Gary Fisher, her dog, as I did to Carrie while she was signing.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:15

She liked that, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:16

Yeah, she loved it, you know. So she was cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:19

But hang on, let's get back to Grogu. Let's get back to Grogu. I was gonna say go ahead, sorry.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:25

I was gonna say, at the fan event, which was kind of like our Amando and Laura, sorry, Amanda and Grogu kind of fan event, which was kind of like a mini premiere, which they did on the 7th. I got John Favreau's autograph on a trap a wolf black series helmet. So there you go.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:38

That's how that's how he can segue back into it. No, that's great. That's so cool. I'm gonna get Grogu's autograph. Can you imagine? Do it. Um I you know what killed me is is is when Grogu made that hut, his little outfit was like it looked like it had just been dry cleaned. I'm like, wouldn't you he that it would be mud all over him, you know? I loved that. Yeah. I I would love to have seen Grogu take his helmet off and then with those little three fingers apply some shaving cream and shave then join. Can you imagine? That would have been an excellent commercial. I wish they would have, we were talking about that. Wouldn't it have been cool had they taken the helmet off and he would have fed him or gave him some water, like and you could see that it's Pedro's face? I mean, what do you think about that?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:24

No, but that's not the way.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:25

Yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:26

To to yes, to the lady at the back there, I agree. Because actually, to be fair, I think Grogu respects Din's choice of and understands the creed about not taking the helmet off. Yeah. So I think unless, like we saw in was it episode seven or eight of season one, where you have to take the helmet off because you know you have to administer like you know, medical aid, I think Grogu probably did the right thing. And actually, I mean, okay, Din's probably not gonna know, but um, you know, I think it's quite a nice, it's kind of a cute kind of thing of like at least he's trying to respect, and also it's that whole kind of positivity of he's feel he he thinks he's he's healed in, and you can clearly clearly tell that wound is still really poisonous and kind of infected, but you know, he's he's kind of going through the process and nursing him and stuff, so and I really liked you know the fact that he picks up the the Yoda kind of gimmicks, the little kind of walking stick.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:20

Yeah, yeah, we both smiled and looked at each other.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:24

Just like Yoda, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:26

Is that I mean I think that's probably one of the most on the nose fan service-y kind of moments of this whole film, like, but again, it's like it's only if you know, you know, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:37

So that that stick looked very much like the stick that the vintage figure comes with, you know. You could get it in orange, you could get it in brown. Well, what was your favorite Grogu force movement of this film?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:53

Oh I have to admit, I do quite I was quite impressed that he was able to levitate the hut, like levitate rotter. I thought that was quite good. Yeah, yeah. Um but also when he kind of calms down Kaibo, Embo's kind of wolf dog thing, yeah, yeah. I thought that was kind of cool, you know. And uh and that was and that was done kind of like pretty nicely. It didn't it got a bit of a chuckle by some people, but it it wasn't really played for laughs, you know, if they didn't really kind of like curl up with each other and stuff like that, you know. So I thought that was pretty cool. And and the thing is actually everything he's done, they've kind of they've kind of built on it. So like you know, the first scene you kind of see him levitate the mouse droid and then kind of like destroy it, which was cool. And actually that got a lot of laughs when the um the wheel kind of kind of rolls past yeah, Rogu. And they kind of very very carefully kind of elevated just about everything that he did to slightly like better when he's done before, without it suddenly feeling like, whoa, where did he get these powers from? Hang on a sec, this is like he's overpowered and all this kind of stuff. So I thought that was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:56

Yeah, it was great. He he the way he they the film introduced him and he just popped up kind of you know, his silhouette was was such a fist pump moment. Well, you know, there's in a lot of incredible action sequences in this film, a lot of incredible, you know, visuals. One of the things I noticed at first was going, God, there's a lot of new creatures. And the second time around, maybe it was because I had already seen them, I've I sort of was able to digest and appreciate the creatures more on the second screening. What was what was a creature, a new creature that stood out to you?

SPEAKER_04 1:04:35

Oh, a new creature. So that like you said, it's kind of hard because there's a lot that were uh were kind of existing that we just haven't seen in that kind of guys before. So, like you know, all those Tajaric characters were obviously hollow chest creatures from from A New Hope and also was it Force Awakens, I think, when you next see it. So they kind of like we we haven't seen them, we've seen them before, but we haven't seen them in that kind of way. So I thought they that was really cool. And again, same with Jens Ellen's. Again, it's like you know, there wasn't anything that massively stood out to me that as like this is new and out of this world, which we haven't seen, but they've always they've taken existing aliens and kind of done different stuff with them, which kind of gave them a bit of a twist, which I thought was pretty cool. What about you guys? What did you what did you think?

SPEAKER_01 1:05:24

Well, I, you know, throughout watching the film, I'm like, oh okay, this is a nod to Jedi, or you know, this is a nod to Attack of the Clones. So I love the arena fight, and you know, was really sort of, you know, my attention was grabbed when they unleashed the group of monsters, and I like that little guy with the electricity. You know? Um, I thought that throwback to the arena was just I I mean, I loved it.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:53

It took you back to Attack of the Clone. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:56

Wasn't it? He he was I think he was called like who I think it is. I think it's a Guchi. Hu Jicks, I think. H-O-U-J-I-X, I think. Sounds like a kombucha drink.

unknown 1:06:09

Kombucha drink.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:10

Everything does to you, mate. What about uh you dear?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:14

Uh the snake in the yeah, in the pet. Oh god, that really just a dragon snake. Scared the bejesus out of me. Being in that situation, I would not want yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:28

Yeah, that could have been cheesy CGI, but they it it had the right effect, I think, right? I mean it it was it was pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:38

100%. I think what I really liked about it, it it it had the actual kind of visual style of it, kind of reminded me of some like Empire Strace Back concept artwork with I think by uh Ralph Macquarie, where you see the white spiders and like Luke's kind of stood in front of him pretty much how like Din Jan was kind of stood. And that spider was kind of transitioned, but which they obviously used in was it episode two of season two? But that that snake, it had a real kind of painterly kind of kind of like texture and colour palette to him that yeah, looked like uh it was literally a a Ralph Macquarie or a Doug Chang concept art that just pulled off of the um the page and just stuck him in the screen, which I thought was really cool. And then tying it in with the Anna Manamans or the Amani as they are pejoratively called now, we know. Um I thought that was kind of cool because like uh the the only one I've really seen before, really, that I paid attention to is in Jabba's Palace. So I always assumed that they you know they would be kind of at least semi-sentient, but these guys felt really feral and really quite dangerous, which was quite an interesting kind of like twist that I wasn't expecting.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:51

Use of them, yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:53

Yeah, I I I mean I understand why they do it, but it would have been really an incredible moment had they not revealed the snake in the trailer, and you saw that for the first time. Maybe in the trailer, just see him look up like uh oh. But you know, had I not known that was coming, I would have you know, really that would have been impactful.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:15

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean that's the thing, isn't it? I mean, pretty much bar and that, I mean most of what we saw in the trailer, at least for you know, the main theatrical trailers, was pretty much the first 25 minutes, you know, which is what they they then previewed on May before for you guys and and us over on the fan events. And and yeah, so it's still crazy to think that we got all that and they managed to get all that marketing out of like first 25 minutes, but it then goes to show how actually you know the story moves on and then how it jumps around, it goes to like four or five different planets in like the first 25 minutes, then it settles down, which is kind of cool. But yeah, the um the aliens of there's like I think there's a nexu head uh stuffed on Lord Janu Janu's wall at one point, his taxidermid.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:59

Oh yeah, oh yeah, I agree we notice that it looked like uh Galaxy's Edge, you know. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:06

Yeah, totally, yeah. That and that was done, I think, by Regal Robots, and vo those guys are like absolute masters at what they do. You know, they do a lot of restoration of existing and original props from the original trilogy and also make like licensed kind of replicas and that so perfect, perfect people to kind of go to to kind of like get those knocked out the park.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:28

Yeah, they did a good job. All the creatures, the practical effects. It was it was incredible.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:35

So I have to ask, in regards to the supporting characters, who do you think stole the movie? Or were there any supporting characters who stole the movie?

SPEAKER_04 1:09:45

So I think probably the biggest surprise was Rot of a Hart. I think. I mean I I kind of was expecting that to be kind of like a cameo type thing, you know? I wasn't really quite expecting him to be pretty much like the you know, the the main supporting character, you know, really, you know. So I was surprised, and and I was surprised actually how likable he was as well, which I thought that was kind of cool. You know, Jeremy Allen White did the voice, and I mean I don't really kind of know a huge amount of his work, so it didn't, you know, I didn't really connect him to anything as such. I mean I knew the connection between him and John Favreau. But yeah, I thought it was really cool, and I thought it was really a cool twist because we haven't really seen a nice hut, you know. We've they're always on the take, they're always kind of thinking about themselves and you know, quite you know, backstabbing and scheming kind of like slugs. So having one that kind of had a bit more heart and a bit more kind of positivity to him, and the fact he was ripped his fuck was also pretty cool as well. I thought that was cool. I mean, you know, he knew he knows how to fight, as which I thought was wicked, and and how he fights as a as a heart, I think that was really clever. How they kind of managed to get him to fight and kind of move around as well, because you know, he's he's quite you know, he's quite light on his feet, as it were. Yeah, but one thing, one thing I didn't like so much and pulled me out a couple of times, he kept on referring himself, and this is a scripting thing, it just kept on referring himself to a man, like you know, I'm not the man my father used to be, I want to be my own man, and it's like is that what a hut would call themselves? I don't know. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:23

You know what? I didn't catch that, but you know you're right.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:26

They it was I know there's a couple words I was like, oh, that's very English, not English, but like in the English language being used in a galaxy far, far away. I'll never not hear that now. Sorry. Yeah, no, no, no, no, it's okay. It's okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:43

Now to yeah, to me actually, the one that's the other one which stood out, I don't know, I don't know why. I don't know if I was if I'm missing some kind of like Easter egg or something, but like when Lieutenant Ward, uh Sigorney Weaver's character, says uh, you know, it's time to collect the trash, and it just felt so Americanized, like so kind of like yeah, just like everyday kind of thing. It just felt really weird in that kind of context. We've just blown up this like this massive hut kind of hideout, and that's what we're gonna do. I don't know, just that was just one of the things.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:13

Yeah, that felt off to me as well.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:16

It didn't really that is not just me.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:17

Yeah, no, no. For me, I kind of took a pause, like, uh, why would she say that?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:23

Yeah, this guy is you know, he obviously left Navarro to you know fight the good fight, so but you're right, that is pretty American. You know, the bravado, the sort of cocksuriness. But if anyone, you know what? It had it not been Sigourney Weaver, that really would have fell flat. It would have made you not like the character. But speaking of so Sigourney, I mean, that was one of my in-between screening one and two when I was trying to critique it. I was like, God, do we get enough Sigourney? What are your thoughts on that? I d I don't think we did, to be honest.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:00

Um yeah, I mean the thing is, the way that the story is constructed, I don't really see a world where she in in this in the film as it stands, that she could really be in it anymore. I mean, other than I mean, the the Starfighter fight was kind of I think as condensed as it possibly could be, it was like I think the bare minimum you could have for a like a a starfighter fight in Star Wars, if I'm if I'm being honest. Um, and actually the one thing that annoys me as a pilot, as an X-Wing pilot, is that they didn't have chin straps. And all pilot helmets have chin straps. I'm just like, where's the chin straps?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:37

Um, Sigorny, huh?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:41

That's that's totally what it is. I reckon she was like, Oh, can we lose a chin strap or something? It makes me look kind of like so yeah, yeah, none of them did. Like, no, and and and the other thing, and actually I think probably the biggest bit of negativity I've seen is probably the what pit some people said like the the blatant kind of like cameos by like some of the other senior Lucas films.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:03

We wanted we wanted to talk. I mean, it was cool to go, there's Deborah Chow, there's Rick, there's Doug Chang in the background, but cutting to Dave Fallone twice, you know, once in the hat in the in the bar, and then in as an X-Wing. I mean, is that is that a little too on the nose? I mean, what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_04 1:14:24

Do you know what? Yeah, I f I think so. I think so. I think so too. I I think so. And but the weird thing is though, I mean, he like he's he's got a character in in season two, like you know, Trapper Wolf is uh is a fleshed out, kind of fairly fleshed out character, as much as any kind of X-Men pilot is in The Mandalorian. You know, but he's he's in it and it didn't feel like a cameo then, really, because he was doing stuff, like he was, you know, he was actually kind of you know shooting and flying and stuff. But there's something about the way that all those pilots interacted with one another, and that uh it just felt really a bit kind of stale. And I actually I think said on somebody's post on Facebook, like they were the least interested pilots I think I've ever seen fly in a in a battle. They were all just kind of like really just kind of like this is just another day in the office. And hey, it might be, you know, but it I felt like they needed a little bit more kind of like you know, excitement and emotion or just to kind of make them feel like actually, you know, they're they're actually pilots, not just these guys who probably not probably won't even get paid for it, but you know, they're just probably yeah, I was gonna say they're not actors, are they?

SPEAKER_01 1:15:33

You know, um and that that you know, doing they're no small parts, and so you're right, we needed some people in there with you know mustaches and uh side burns. You know, Ryan got it so right with the way he included Gareth in The Last Jedi at Crate, you know, just you you knew Star Wars fans knew, but it wasn't like so on the nose. Yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:58

I mean if if I mean I think them being in a Delphi base, we see them at the end of season three in a Delphi a Delphi base. So I'm kind of cool with that, if that was their cameo, but to then have them I just you know, it's just that thing. I mean it also then I mean it might be the fact, and this might be one reason is that we don't know well, we know part of what's happening with the new republic is that they are demilitarising, so they are actually you know reducing the amount of kind of fighting force that they have at that period of time, which is why the first order kind of rises, because there's basically no one there to stand against them. So there, you know, and you don't necessarily feel like there's probably a huge amount of pilots on a Delphi base, but you can like surely there could have been somebody, you could have got the cook or somebody or like one of the pilot engineers to just fly it. Just somebody janitor, yeah. Well, there was a cool looking Twilek in the background with uh kind of like blue headtails and that, you know. So there I mean it was definitely people around at that. You know, it might be one of those things that maybe in hindsight they may regret, you know, especially because there has been a little bit of negative kind of like feedback from uh you know fandom about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:04

So well, you know, for the sake of variety, let's all talk, give one critique. What would be one critique of the film that you had? No chin straps on the film pilot. Okay, you got it, yeah, right. I know. As soon as I asked that question, I was like, hey, you kind of just answered that, dear.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:22

What would you it was the line of Sigornian Weaver's when you go get the trash? That one just I was enjoying the movie, and that one I was like, uh I I I I don't think I would have added that line, but got it, got it.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:36

Well, I would say I forgave everything, but there is one thing, you know, they were so there was such an intent to make this a film that people who were not familiar with the television show could come in and enjoy it, right? You've heard that a lot in in the press tour. But for me, you're expecting people to know who Jabba is, who the twins are, and who Jabba's son is. So I would have loved to have seen a little bit more or just some at all connected tissue between the film and the television show. You know, I understand their position and what they were trying to do, but you know, there was don't the audiences are smart. And if you're expecting us to know all of the hut lore, why couldn't we know a little bit about some of the characters that we've come to know and love from the television show, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:18:38

Yeah, I mean that that's that's that's fair. That's fair. I mean, I think uh You're not buying it. Well, I mean, so so I mean, so I think to your point about Jabba, yeah, I think actually they probably could have done with either well, pretty a little bit more exposition uh sorry, a little bit more exposition to explain Jabba. But I think I mean the twins we see what briefly in Book of Boba Fett, and yeah, Rotter is kind of important in the Clone Wars to an extent, but he's basically the MacGuffin of a film, right? In in the Clone Wars animated. But I think you don't need to know the backstory to understand the story as such, really. I think there's enough in there for you to kind of understand, okay. So, you know, I mean it's kind of a fairly classic story. You think about like, you know, it's a bit fairy tale, like you know, the prince or the princess has gone away because there's a wicked evil, you know, stepmother who wanted to kill them, you know, and and she's now like Mulan or something like that. I don't know, you know, she's doing something completely different. So I I kind of got that. I mean, it's it is it's so I mean it's so difficult though, isn't it? It's like where where is that line? Because you know, I read an article on the BBC sometime this week, and they and they're basically saying, Oh, you know, Star Wars feels like homework now because you've got to watch all this stuff before you can go and see Mando and Groger. And I'm like, did we see the same film or did you just not pay attention? You know, and that's the thing, is that it's very difficult for anybody who's watched Star Wars to then remember what it's like to not watch Star Wars, and especially when you're steeped in it as much as say, like, you know, you guys are and I am. It's very difficult to try and kind of park to one side and go, oh yeah, bats would be easy to understand if you didn't know who these people are. Or, you know, conversely, oh, that should be easy to understand if you, you know, if you do know who these people are. And take a Ahsoka, for example. I you know, I watched Rebels and and all that and was very much up on everything that's going on. Karen, my partner, you know, she watches a live action Star Wars, but that's about it. She's not really into the animation. So she she was so not invested in in Ahsoka because she was like, I don't really know what these characters are all about.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:46

So so it, you know, and it it is difficult, and I think that's the thing, it's like it's one of those things. It's like for some things, I think, yeah, you could probably get aware of it, and I think Rotta and the twins you probably could. I think the for story dynamic there was exactly all you needed to know. But it would might have been a little bit nicer to to get a little bit more idea of who Jabber was and how far his reach kind of really went in in the galaxy, just to kind of maybe understand why Rotta had run away in the first place, because that's probably one of the key things that you're kind of slightly missing. It's like what would actually compel somebody, you know, things must be so crap at home to then go, I'm gonna go fight in the pits for you know, or it or even it's I mean, he says that he's basically paying off a debt, so it's like, how has he gotten into that debt? Is he like some kind of terror a teenager teenager who's basically lost all his like money betting on some fights and stuff, and that's how he's ended up. You know, there's it's a bit kind of vague, isn't it? How he ends up where he he does have a beginning of a film. Totally.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:48

You know, you've sold me. I don't have any critiques or criticisms of this film. Well, well, no, and even then, I mean, you know, like life is too short, right? I mean, it's okay, like I you know, but the running time was perfect, you know, and I imagine if they start getting into like trying to explain how bad Jabba really was. I mean, he he talks about it, talks about it in the first person, and and I'll never not hear that now. And that's enough, you know. It's not, it's the story is because honestly, I think if there is a critique, I mean, you're only as good as your drummer, right? And yeah, one of the things that make Bond films better than others is the villain. And, you know, the film is so caught up in Denjarn and Grogu that there isn't really like some powerhouse villain in this film. And maybe there doesn't need to be. Maybe we need a film where there's not this, you know, heavy dark force looming over us.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:49

You don't think the plans were big enough for them?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:52

I mean, they were, but I mean, it wasn't like, you know, Vader or Krennick or, you know, like no, you know, moral.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:02

Yeah. I mean, to your point, I do slightly agree. Because I think the, I mean, they they could I mean they are fairly quite nasty, but I think what it is, is the fact it was quite a subtle explanation by kind of Ward, you know, as to why they're important. I think like, because this is the thing, like Star Wars is very kind of like, you know, it's big movements, isn't it? Like the things that really kind of like matter are, you know, the destruction of a Death Star or like you know, the routing of Hoff and stuff like that. Big kind of battles. But this, you know, this is kind of a little bit abstract. It's like, well, you know, we're trying to prevent a war and the hearts kind of have influence and they can kind of do, and it's it's kind of like it's a little bit, you know, bit vague, and this has always been my concern, even you know, from all the trailers that I saw, was like, I know they've kind of like verbalised it in these trailers of what he's trying to do, but what is he actually trying to do? It kind of you know, to your point, it doesn't feel like there's a big bad and he's going after that. You know, he he goes after the Imperials to begin with, but you know, then it it it kind of we kind of get lost a slightly along the way, but then we kind of go off into this side adventure, which is totally fine, you know, because I mean you think about it, you know, this is kind of proto George Lucas, you know, this is serialized Flash Gordon, you know, this is like going to see an adventure every week in the cinema, you know, back in the 40s and 50s. Back to, I think, my point I said at the beginning, you know. So, so on that respects, yeah, you kind of fenn would maybe build to something over a couple of films. But yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:38

Yeah, I'm I'm glad it wasn't, you know, two hours and forty minutes, and there was all this heavy backstory, you know. To your point, I I think that's what I felt the second time, and why I'm yeah, you know, offering to Venmo strangers money if they don't like it a second time per my Instagram post is is is that it gets to the heart of what George Lucas did in the original trilogy. It really does. You know, the way that the film's constructed, the story, the way it makes you feel is very much It's a fun adventure. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:14

You should you should and this I think this was the thing, isn't it? Like, and maybe part of the negative criticisms to a sequel trilogy is that you should you should be going to see a Star Wars, and then you should come out excited that you've just seen a Star Wars with a bit of a like a spring in your step. And you kind of sometimes you felt slightly like you've been weighed down with a way of the galaxy because things haven't been kind of resolved in the way that you wanted it to be. To your point, also, I'm kind of glad that what we didn't find was like, oh, this is all just you know another clone of Moth Gideon, which was I kind of slightly concerned about that they might have gone down my route, and that would have been a little bit too much the other way, where it's like you now need to see the free episode, uh, three seasons to get what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:55

Hot take, I don't need to see any more Moth Gideon. No, I'm good.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:58

I'm glad you know I I uh kind of forgotten.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:02

No offense now to Giancarlo Esposito. He's an incredible actor, one of the best actors of all time.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:08

But you're over the character, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:10

He was a little old, I think, a little long in the tooth. A little little Roger Moore, beautiful kill, you know, for to be that guy, right? Um anyway, did you have a little spring in your step when you left No Time to Die?

unknown 1:26:26

No.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:27

Uh what no? To be honest, the first time I left No Time to Die, I was like, so we uh just yeah, I was so drunk, I was so depressed.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:35

I was like, that that just didn't happen. I walked out of Man's Chinese Theater across the street to the Roosevelt Hotel and got completely munted. Yeah, it was bad. Well yeah, hang on. Now we we I I'm I'm asking people to do this, and yeah, no one wants to do it, no one wants to commit to it. But I feel like you, having seen this film five times, okay, with your background in Star Wars, uh, is really qualified to play the ranking game. A plus, a, a minus, b plus, etc. What can you do? Can I just do it out of ten?

SPEAKER_02 1:27:14

Yeah, let's do it out of ten.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:16

See, no one wants to do it, no kidding.

unknown 1:27:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:20

I'm an old school entertainment weekly kind of guy, and that's what they did. No, no, give one out of ten. And you you can't left. Yeah, and you can do quarter, half, and three quarters.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:29

I'll give you I'll give you both then. So I I will qualify this. So when I left the Monday night screening, so the preview, I think I was probably around like a seven, maybe like six and a half, seven, which I think was kind of uh you know, I left going, oh, this is not gonna be good for for box office. Second viewing, I think I'm about an eight and a half, maybe eight and three quarters. So what's that, like a high B, B plus? Maybe? Like A minus. I don't know. Something like that. Come on in. What about you too?

SPEAKER_01 1:28:05

So you're you're an A minus and it it went up, right? Okay. It did go up, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:11

Yeah, nine out of ten.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:12

Nine out of ten. I would say the first screening I was a B plus, second screening I was an A plus.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:18

A plus?

SPEAKER_01 1:28:20

Give it an A plus. Ten out of ten.

unknown 1:28:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:25

If it wasn't for the chin straps, it would have, it would have been at least a night.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:28

I'll never know that now. But I mean, for me at my age, 1986, the amount of times I saw the film Aliens is unhealthy. Like, I don't know what my mom was thinking, letting me go see Aliens, Jim, Jim Cameron's, James Cameron's Masterpiece. Yeah, well, that was the 80s. You know, they just dropped you off. I saw that thing 25 times. I saw it so many times. They had a screening at an independent theater here last summer, and they asked me to do the introduction. Oh, there you go. You know, so for me to see Ripley in an X X-wing fighter jumpsuit is like I can't even I can't like that to me. I go beyond the chin strap, you know? Mark, that'll be our podcast on the film, beyond the chin strap. No, let's do it. And and you know, tip I mean Ripley, you know, in Luke's jumpsuit. Like, what? Come on. And that's what I said in one of my posts right after the film or after the second screening is that you told me as a young boy who my mom let me get out of going to school to go see the opening Friday of Return of the Jedi in 1983, that there would be a day in my life where I would see Jabba's son and a baby Yoda playing in this in the surf at the beach. I would have never believed it, and it's the stuff of Star Wars dreams.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:55

Mark, we had two, but no, go ahead. Sorry.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:58

No, no, that was it.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:00

No, no, we have we have two final questions. We want you to complete this sentence. Um yes, I know. This is the joy of being a guest on this show. No, you go first.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:11

All right. The first one is The Mandalorian and Grogu succeeds because it has a lot of heart.

unknown 1:30:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:18

That's a great answer. That's a great answer.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:21

The one thing I'll remember most about this movie is what you're gonna say.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:29

Rotter and Grogu playing in the sea. Yeah, isn't that good? I thought it was very chicken. It's a beautiful thing. I know you're gonna say that.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:38

Yeah, I mean, when he when Dinjarn's looking at them, you know, it's a guy in a metal helmet, and you just know what he's feeling. The emotions, yeah, absolutely. At any age. You know? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:51

Yeah, this, I mean, I I think, and I mean, uh I'm sure you're the same, you know. I don't really care really, like how films really do it, box offices and you know what the numbers are and how we're doing on the opening weekend, provided that you know, if that the film does well in because it's a good film. And this is a good film, so it deserves to do well because there was a lot of people who worked on it, you know, and they deserve the like the applause and support for the fact that they've you know they've created something that has put a lot of joy into my heart and both of your heart at least. So yeah, you know, in in that case, this film has succeeded and it's ticked over boxes.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:30

Absolutely. That's a beautiful thing. Well, Mark Mulcaster, and I love on your you know, on the link here it says Mark Mulcaster.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:40

Dark Mall.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:46

You know, we thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:48

Yeah, thank you so much. And to everybody, if you have not seen this movie in theater, go and see it.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:54

Immediately. Yeah, you have to. I'll buy you the ticket. Now, Mark, where can people follow you?

SPEAKER_04 1:31:59

I knew you were gonna ask her, and I'm so bad I have to now go and check my Instagram.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:05

What is your Instagram?

SPEAKER_04 1:32:07

My Instagram is MarkBase, or one word, underscore 81, so you can tell what year I was born. Um yeah, that's probably the best place. Don't do Twitter. You can hit me up on Facebook if you want to send me a friend request. I think there's literally only one Mark Moulcaster on Facebook, so you should be able to find me if you want to. And uh we can talk talk James Bond, we can talk for wars. I might even bend your arm to get you into costuming, which is definitely a well-worth extension to this crazy hobby of ours, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:35

So I'm doing all I can do to get Nellie to dress up as Ahsoka because in the face looks just looks just like her can't. Anyway, we'll more on that later. Well, Mark, thank you so much for uh you know joining us today. It's a pleasure. You've got such a deep knowledge and love of this franchise that it's you know we're all better for it. I want to thank everyone for tuning in. Thank everyone. We've gotten a lot of comments recently, a lot of nice DMs from people for you all who have you know said nice things. So that's always pleasant. Want to thank you for the kind words. And please hit that subscription follow button and share the show if you like it. And we are excited, you know, throughout this coming week, we're gonna be we're gonna have several shows reviewing this new fabulous film. So this is the first episode that's gonna kick things off. I'm not going to edit it this, these episodes.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:32

So if there's a lot of uh yeah, I'm not gonna I know I lied.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:36

I I'm just I want to get this out immediately. So if you play a drinking game where every time I say you know, you probably won't make it through the first 10 minutes. With that, do everything. Yes, thank you, everyone. We'll see you next time. Bye. Hi, this is Simon Cassianides with John and Nelly on the Twin Sons podcast.