The Fans Strike Back: Listener Reactions to The Mandalorian and Grogu Vol. 2

The Force is strong with this one...and so are the opinions. After our full spoiler review of The Mandalorian & Grogu, we turned to the Twin Suns community and asked a simple question: What did you think?

On this episode, we read and react to listener comments, reviews, hot takes, criticisms, and celebrations from Star Wars fans across the galaxy. From favorite moments and emotional reactions to unexpected surprises and spirited debates, we're handing the microphone over to the people who make this fandom so special.

Whether you loved the film, had mixed feelings, or are still making up your mind, this episode is a celebration of the conversations that happen after the credits roll. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and helped make this one of our favorite episodes yet.

The fans have spoken.

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 it promises to be the lightning 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_03 0:48

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

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Well, hello there again. And welcome back to Twin Sons. On our last episode, we, along with Mark Mulcaster, shared our thoughts on the Mandalorian and Grogu. But today we are turning the microphone over to you. This past week or so, we've heard from listeners, followers, collectors, convention friends, and Star Wars fans from all corners of the galaxy. Some love it, some had questions, some were ready to hand Grogu the keys to the franchise, while others still may be recovering from whatever happened in Act Three. So, today we are reading your comments, reacting in real time, and celebrating one of the best parts of Star Wars. Talking about Star Wars. No ranks, no scorecards, just fans sharing what they saw, what they felt, and why this galaxy continues to bring us together. Dear, let's get into it.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

I feel like this is the point where we should have music, a transitional music, right? I know.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

We were professional podcasters.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

But hey, it's just a couple talking about Star Wars.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Star Wars. That's it.

SPEAKER_03 2:09

Well, here we go.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Let's do it. First up, our dear friend Bobby Roberts, the center of the circle over there at Rebel ScumCon. I don't I always forget what Bobby's title is because I know that it takes a village. He's got a team over there. He does wear multiple hats. So if you aren't going to Rebel ScumCon and you love this film, you might be a little kooky because prior to the film's release, the lineup of talent behind this film will all be appearing at Rebel ScumCon this August. Bobby had to say this quote, The Mandalorian and Grogu was a thrilling and fun adventure. It had lots of classic Star Wars highlights, actions, characters, motif, sounds, and environments. The practical characters and the creatures looked amazing, with some being terrifying. The action was thrilling. I can't wait to see more of the droids. Lucasfilm, along with Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound, have created another masterpiece of magic and wonder.

SPEAKER_03 3:15

That's amazing. And you know, it him mentioning the scary creatures. Again, we've mentioned the snake over in the pit, terrified me so much. And I know he's into droids, right? He loves the battle droids. So obviously he's bringing up. And you know what? It's funny that he brought up some Star Wars highlights from the classics. And it's true, there's a lot of Easter eggs that I didn't see the first time or the second time until you mention it and I watched it the third time.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

I probably mentioned it during the screening.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

Probably.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Hashtag annoying. Yeah, I liked what he said about some of the creatures being terrifying. You know, when they unleashed all of them in the pit, I thought, wow, there's so much going on in with each screening. I always kind of pay attention closer to what's what's happening. Big nod to Attack of the Clones, too, which I love. Thank you, Bobby. Who do we have next here? BP, aka Battle Poppy. Well, and who's a whatnot seller, a podcast host in his own right. And whenever I watch his shows on whatnot, I'm guaranteed to laugh. One of the most hysterical guys that I've never met before. So what did BP have to say? Quote, honestly, I really loved the movie. I went in with low expectations, not because I thought it would be bad, but because I didn't expect it to really push Star Wars forward story-wise. Instead, I think it pushed the franchise forward fan-wise. It feels like most actual fans who are still heavily invested in Star Wars genuinely enjoy it. Maybe not everyone thought it was perfect, but almost everyone I've talked to gave it a rating of a seven or above, which is a win to me. The only real negativity I see is mostly online. What I loved most were all the little Star Wars details, seeing things in live action that we normally only get in animation. It just felt fun, immersive, and like a classic Star Wars story in the best way. If Lucasfilm keeps this up, I'd happily watch another two-hour Mandalorian movie.

SPEAKER_03 5:35

Oh, amazing. And we're keeping our fingers crossed that, you know, another Mandalorian movie.

SPEAKER_04 5:41

Would you like that? Yeah, I would.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

And you know what, just like him, I went in with no expectation. Not because I was anticipating a bad movie or for it to fail, but I just wanted to go in there with no expectation, no preconceived notions, no reviews, nothing. Just blind.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

Totally. I think no expectations is probably a good way to go through life.

SPEAKER_04 6:10

To a certain extent.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

I think VP has touched on something here. And if I may, as the what has been pointing, I'm I'm, you know, oh, the older guy. It's funny. Someone in the community asked me finally, how old are you?

SPEAKER_03 6:21

And having a wise.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Yeah, everything, yeah. The the beard has got more salt than pepper in it these days. But it is, you know, no expectations is a good way to go. And I agree with them, you know, everyone that I've seen talk about it on Instagram has been pretty positive. The only negativity I've seen are a couple people on YouTube. But that's just kind of part of YouTube, maybe.

SPEAKER_03 6:45

Yeah, and of course, you're you're gonna get those negative comments or opinions. And you know, overall, it seemed to get great feedback.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Absolutely. BP, thanks for tuning in and thanks for this beautiful review. Next up, we have Cisco Rivera, aka Cisco Art71. Now, Cisco is probably, I mean, I think he's the guy in the Star Wars trading card artist. They're all good. I would never say use the word best. I think everyone has their own unique stamp, but Cisco's kind of the guy. So I asked him, I said, what do you what do you think about it? And short and sweet, he said, I liked it. It was really fun. Exclamation mark.

SPEAKER_03 7:27

I agree. Yeah, it's a fun adventure. So, I mean, I like Cisco speed. I'm woman of little words, and my review would probably be a one to two sentence just expressing how much it was liked and how fun it was.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

Yeah, he had mentioned to me, we were casually chatting. I got a couple little projects in the work with Cisco.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Ah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

And he mentioned that he saw it in 3D and wants to see it again. And I I 3D? Yes. I've talked to a few people that have seen it in 3D, and it's not, I wouldn't say the best way to, you know, it doesn't sound like it's the best way to see it.

SPEAKER_03 8:04

Yeah, I'm I would do IMAX.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Absolutely. All right. Next up, thank you, Cisco. Next up, we have one of our favorite people in the Star Wars Galaxy, Jess A.K. Vader's Girl.

SPEAKER_02 8:17

Yay!

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Quote, and she wrote this on holiday, so thank you, Jess. Quote, okay, dot dot dot. Sorry if it's long. I absolutely loved All Caps, the movie exclamation. It was everything I was expecting and more. I felt like it has fantastic rewatchability, and overall it was a joy to watch. I was thankful I got to see it with my parents per our tradition since I was like five.

SPEAKER_04 8:45

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

I really enjoyed how much time we got to spend with Grogu and seeing him navigate on his own for a bit was wonderful. Also, the Enzellians totally all caps stole the show. I love those little guys. 10 out of 10, a green heart and a gray heart.

SPEAKER_03 9:03

Oh, I'm there with her.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:05

And that's so nice that she actually got to go with her parents and see it in theaters. And sounds like she's been doing this since she was a kid, which is so amazing.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

What I I like most about it, you know, I I feel like we've spent some time with Jess and her husband at conventions and there's a text chain of things. It's wonderful to see Jess show this enthusiasm for something that Hayden's not in.

SPEAKER_04 9:30

That's true. You know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

Yes. Because we've invited, we've gone to a few Star Wars screenings that weren't were, you know, Sans without Hayden, and they have not took us up on our invitation. Oh, so you're you were convinced that she only but yeah, so I'm thrilled that she saw it. And to your point, seeing it with your uh parents is wonderful.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

Yeah, and I'm there with her. The NZLens are so adorable. I'm definitely looking at Amazon Prime, and there's a pre-order for this fabulous t-shirt with the three of them on there.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

Kind of a cutoff tee, too, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, kind of a ringer tee. Got that looks like a 70s days then confused kind of shirt with the case. Yeah, it's on my wish list. Totally.

SPEAKER_03 10:14

Birthday's coming up.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Yeah, she just winked. She just winked. Jess, thanks so much for you know, writing in on your beautiful holiday. All right, next up, the Jedi Lex, another fantastic whatnot seller and content creator. Check out some of her wonderful videos over on YouTube.

SPEAKER_03 10:34

Yeah, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

And she had to say, quote, I went in with low expectations, just excited to see Star Wars back in theaters again. I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this movie. The action, the soundtrack, the creatures, and the further development of Grogu's character all made it so much fun to watch. Exclamation mark.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Another one that went in with such low or with low expectations, probably because she wasn't expecting a bad movie, but just was excited and to see the movie back in theaters. Finally a Star Wars movie. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

I think the communal aspect of sitting in a theater with strangers, with no one on their phones, hopefully, all watching something that we're all passionate about is really lovely.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

You know, it's a real lovely thing.

SPEAKER_03 11:26

And look, she she mentioned a soundtrack.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

Yep. I know. That's the, you know, that's the the I mean, the soundtrack is so good. That's a whole other episode. Yeah. And Jedi Lex will have a booth along with Victoria at Rebels ScumCon. So looking forward to spending some money there. All right. Next up we have Star Wars in the Basement. Now, Star Wars in the Basement just started a podcast, and I think it hasn't come out yet, but we are interviewed.

SPEAKER_03 11:57

I know how special. It's our first time getting invited as guests to another podcast. Isn't that lovely?

SPEAKER_01 12:03

So head over to find Star Wars in the basement, especially if you're into Kenner and vintage stuff. Ryan's got a bunch of cool content.

SPEAKER_03 12:11

So here we go.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

This one's now we're getting into something a little bit more nuanced. Overall, I thought it was a fun adventure. It didn't blow me away and it didn't disappoint me either. I appreciate that it seemed to be exactly what they intended to make. It didn't feel like anything was rushed or like it had a grander vision that it wasn't able to achieve. I think what we saw on screen was intended. I like Rada as a character, but I would have preferred a deeper voice and that he only spoke in Hutese because I feel like that's the precedent that was set with Jabba. But I did like the idea of having the hut that isn't a greedy crime boss. I love the chess piece fully realized in the pit. That was amazing. I like the bounty hunter that came for Mando. He had that samurai look, which was a fun touch. I like the droid security force and the nods to Phantom Menace era droids and equipment. I think one of my favorite parts that makes me feel that the 80s filmmaking nostalgia the most are the little mechanic dudes. The fact that they're not digital characters along with Grogu himself is really refreshing. It will always be happier to see a puppet than a CGI character. I thought the swamp dweller that helped Grogu could have been a puppet or a dude in a suit rather than another CGI character. And I would have liked to have seen more of a relationship with that character. Maybe he helps him out against the huts more. I don't know. I would like to have seen Sigourney Weaver more, but I felt like maybe they're setting it up for later with her being a leader. So fingers crossed. Overall, I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10, and I'd totally watch it again.

SPEAKER_03 14:09

Wow, that's a lot to digest. But when he mentioned Rada, I uh agree. You know, and when I was watching it, Rada's cool, you know, I like the sixth pack, but him, but Rada's. Yeah, like and you know, I thought he's more on the good side than you know, at the slimy, scummy, yeah, yeah, huts. But I was expecting a deeper voice and for him to speak more in Huttis. So I can see that.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

Yeah, that was my one of my first nitpicks. I guess it was, it was like, it wasn't so much that he was speaking English. He had so much dialogue, you know, and I imagine that that would have been a bit of a stretch. But, you know, it was the the guy, the actor, I forget his name, but he played Bruce Springsteen. So the whole time I was listening to him, I was like, this is the dude that just played Bruce Springsteen.

SPEAKER_03 14:59

Oh no, that would ruin it for me.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

In my mind, I was listening to Rada hearing Bruce Springsteen's voice, which was kind of weird, but I guess he's a younger, he's a younger guy.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

And I know the swamp creature that is in his rocking chair with the fish. You liked him a lot quite a bit. So do you did you want to see more of him? Yeah, I did. I liked him.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

I thought he was cool. It would have been, you know, if he would have shown up and done. I agree with him a little bit more.

SPEAKER_04 15:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:26

I called him old man fish head in a rocking chair. And I loved how much the movie just slowed down when he gave him that big old helpin of what was that? It looked like what's frout? I don't know. No, no, no. And the little leap. What's the expensive?

SPEAKER_03 15:44

It looked like caviar. Caviar. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Oh, Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 15:47

It was like a pace or caviar.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:50

So I'm gonna go with caviar just in case. But yeah, he had great points on there that definitely were nitpicks on my end, too. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Totally. Star Wars in the basement. Thank you, everyone. Check out his new podcast. All right, over to Cameron, aka Limitless Nerd. Now, Cameron was kind enough, he sent me a link to an incredible long, detailed review that he wrote. And I highly recommend you reach out to Cameron via The Limitless Nerd and ask him for a link to that review. But what I've done is I've just taken the last two paragraphs. Here we go. Quote: The opening sequence was by far my favorite part of the film, but I never found myself bored, and the sections that seemed to drag my first viewing felt much smoother the second time. This film benefits from a rewatch, which honestly surprised me. Overall, I love this movie and I'm so happy to have Star Wars back on the big screen. Is it low stakes and playing a little too safe at times? Yes, it is, but all I want was fun big screen adventure with two characters that have defined an era of Star Wars, and I got that. If you're a fan of the original trilogy or the Mandalorian show, especially the first two seasons, you will have a blast with this movie. I can't wait to see it again and see how many of the new fans it creates because this is an amazing starting point for any new fans to jump into this galaxy far, far away. Exclamation mark.

SPEAKER_03 17:31

Wow. So I definitely agree with him. Everyone benefits from re-watching this film. Absolutely. It has to be watched more than once because you were, you know, I hey, I liked it, but the second time you watched it, you loved it.

SPEAKER_02 17:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:48

And a lot of those things that were in the back of your mind, maybe nitpicks, yeah, kind of went away.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Totally. And by the third time, I was just like, who cares what I'm thinking? You were just accepted. Yeah, it was. It was yeah, it was just I got it and fell in love with it. You know, I think sometimes, especially in let's say Star Wars movies or television shows, we come up with an idea. We're so we've convinced ourselves we know exactly what it's gonna be. And it will never be exactly what we expect it to be. And I wonder if that colors our perception of whether we like the film or not. Kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't.

SPEAKER_03 18:27

Potentially, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:29

Versus the ones that went in with no expectations seem to enjoy it far more.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

Totally.

SPEAKER_03 18:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

And I like what he said. I love what Cameron said actually about this, you know, bringing in, ushering in a new era of Star Wars fans. That is true. Warms my heart. Cameron, love your love your show, love everything you're doing. Thank you. Thanks for tuning in. All right, Moses, aka Indies Fedora 210. Now, we have run into you in line at every screening at the Academy Museum, which is always fun. So love hearing from the guy.

SPEAKER_04 19:03

That noise us.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yeah, I love it. The Mandalorian Grogu is basically like watching the series, but on the big screen and in crazy surround sound. If you liked seasons one and two, heck, even if you enjoyed season three, you will have a fun time with this movie. It is a standalone adventure with a beginning, middle, and end. It has action you want from the Mandalorian, humor you expect from Grogro, and tons caps of references to things from throughout the Star Wars franchise. I'm talking references to things from the saga all the way to the things we only ever saw in the Kenner Toys and cross-section books. We get to explore the internal dynamics of the ATATs, snow troopers without the call on their face, Huts being extremely agile depending upon their body types. The missions are isolated from the bigger overall story of the saga. So if you're going into this thinking, it drives the main plot of the saga forward, you may be disappointed. That's not what this movie is about, nor is it its purpose. It's simply a fun adventure that takes you on a ride through the galaxy and feels like movies from when I was growing up, back when everything did not, all caps, need to be connected. A time when we could escape into a story for a couple of hours and just be entertained. I think my only real complaint to me is some of the performances. It seemed to me that Sir Gourny Weaver wasn't too happy to be there. I think they gave her the wrong direction to be stern, but her vocals gave me the opposite vibe. Or she felt she was a little cheated and wasn't the main player in the main story. Otherwise, she was a great presence. And if you've been a huge sci-fi fan, she's the queen. She was nominated for Aliens. Mandu and Grogu is a fun ride that, in my opinion, is very much worth seeing in theaters. Take your family, take your friends, and go have fun, because that is what it's all about. Say it with me, quote, this is the way.

SPEAKER_03 21:15

No, and he's true. This is definitely a movie where you can just escape. And every time I saw myself in the movie theater watching this movie, I was escaping, not thinking about work and things I have to do, and for the most part, with a huge smile on my face.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

And Sigourney Weaver's performance, I've heard that before. Yeah. I get it.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

I get it. The dialogue and the delivery is a little stiff, but you know, it's Sigourney Weaver. So she gets a pass.

SPEAKER_03 21:49

I was gonna say she gets a pass. Totally. Okay, well that's good to know.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Had Sigourney Weaver came out, turned around, farted, I would have said that was incredible.

unknown 21:59

Um

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Pentagon Jesus, that's Sigourney Weaver. Just to see her in the orange jumpsuit, I mean, to me was everything. But from a, you know.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

Actor.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

Acting standpoint, the delivery was a little stiff. But who am I to judge Sigourney Weaver? No one. All right, next up, we're gonna head over to Jordan, good friend Jordan, and he kept it short and sweet. Fun adventure, and definitely in line with the show, the type of Star Wars I like to see more of. They better give Ahsoka the same treatment. You don't just put Sigourney straight into Disney Plus. So they made a good call of making it theatrical. Well, there you go.

SPEAKER_03 22:44

I mean, yeah, it's definitely good Star Wars watching. And hopefully Ahsoka does get the attention, right?

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Yeah. Boy, they're doing the reshoots. It's got pushback. You know, you hear all these rumors and stuff. I s I pray to God that they're just positioning Hayden. That's why they're reshooting and they're going, all right, we're gonna, we're gonna take Ahsoka into we're let's give them what they want. Oh, I hope so. The moneymaker, Vader, and put Hayden right up front to do press.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

I have my fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Yep, absolutely. Jordan, thank you. Jordan's pushing the hot toys on me. I get a link from him every day about some new hot toy, and I'm like, I there are some I know that new Padmang. Holy Leto.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

Good heavens. I'm still bummed I missed the stormtrooper cherry blossom from Japan celebration, but oh well, next time.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

All right, next up we got Danny quote shades caro, aka Danny Shades 80s. I love the new film. Ever since meeting Brendan and Lateith, it I was very stoked for this movie, even more after hearing their stories about the hard work they put in and giving us fans what we wanted. It was for a full circle moment to see their names being top-billed. And I will say I liked how much it was a standalone movie that anyone who was new to the Mando and Grogu can enjoy without doing any homework on it and had a very fun time viewing it with a packed, enthusiastic Star Wars crowd on opening night. As much as I love Mando and Grogu's dynamic, the true heart of the movie was Rada, who was voiced by the brilliant Jeremy Allen White and brought so much emotion to a hut who is the nephew of the ruthless job of the hut. I thought it was his son. Maybe I'm wrong about that. Wanted to be his own person and escape from his shadow. His relationship with Mando and Grogu really brought something new to the table and actually made me care for a hut and was a worthy addition to the Star Wars universe. Overall, I really enjoyed it and I welcome the film as a worthy spinoff film, separate from the main films. And it's a really fun time with friends and family to enjoy the Star Wars experience.

SPEAKER_03 25:06

And it's great. He brought up a great point that this Mandalorian Grogu movie, it doesn't matter if you are a Star Wars fan from the OT, the prequels, or just diving into Star Wars or have no clue, you can go and watch it and you won't be completely lost trying to figure out which characters and their background. It's something that you can really just hop in and enjoy.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Totally. And yeah, no, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 25:34

No, and Rada, yeah, he carried a lot of huts.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

I agree. I never thought of that. He is the star.

SPEAKER_03 25:39

It seems like more people are becoming more under the huts.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

I think we're gonna be seeing a lot of rata t-shirts and merchandise in the coming conventions. And I did like what you know, I noticed it and it caught my eye on all three screenings that uh Brendan and Latique get, you know, billing right there behind Pedro Priscal. That must have been something Pedro insisted on, which I think is a very classy move. So, Danny, thank you. Thank you so much. All right, next up, Tony, aka Star Wars Sith 66.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Short and sweet again. It was a fun adventure and nice to see people back in the theaters watching Star Wars with family and friends again.

SPEAKER_03 26:19

I agree. Amen. I am so glad to have Star Wars back in theaters.

SPEAKER_01 26:24

Yeah, and I think I saw him one of Tony's posts right after he saw it. He enjoyed it much more than he thought he would. So my question for Tony is will there be a collection of cards for this film?

SPEAKER_03 26:38

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 26:39

Speaking of helping me spend money, uh more importantly, yeah, absolutely. All right, next up we have one of my favorite Star Wars artists, Nadia, and her Instagram is Nadia E S-P-I-N-O. So if you haven't checked out Nadia's work, go to Who We're Following, type in Nadia, and you need to follow her IG. She does some of the most beautiful Star Wars sketches, and she did something recently that I think for me broke the internet, broke the IG, and that was the Dark Side Padme. Did you see that?

SPEAKER_03 27:18

So beautiful, absolutely beautiful. How many hours was it that she did? 57 to do this little card.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

And what it's not a card, it's it's it she did it on an A4 size, like a sheet of paper. No, there's no way that can be done on a little card. So she did it. Yeah. I know it's I can't. So get over, find Nadia, and you need to follow her IG and look at one of the most recent posts for the dark side, Pad Mang. This is what Nadia had to say about The Mandalorian Grogu. Quote, absolutely charming and engaging film, sometimes funny, sometimes touching. Pretty much in the spirit of a Disney movie, though. It's the perfect choice for a cozy evening with good company. Grogu is in a category of his own, an absolute work of art. I loved every minute of it. Red Heart.

SPEAKER_03 28:09

I mean, yes, it's really for a perfect evening with good company. She nailed it. I think it's a great movie to watch with good family, good friends, and have a night out.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

I've done a couple commissions with her, and again, her work's incredible. She's living in Mexico City, so hopefully we'll get to meet her soon. We're kind of looking at the little food tour in Mexico City. And folks, now that we're recording and we're in real time, I'm gonna reveal something perhaps that had not been revealed. The most beautiful thing in the world is my girlfriend Nellie. The second most beautiful thing in the world was that dark side pad man. And I don't know that I have told you this yet.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

Okay, this is real time revealing. Okay, wait, I gotta sit at the edge of my seat. Yeah, yeah, let me get it because I bought it. No, you did? Yeah. Oh my god. You're damn right I did. That is gorgeous. I'm glad you did buy it.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Twin sons is a mutual couple. You know, we each can see it on our phone, and every now and then you're like, okay, what did you buy from Tony? I'm like, oh, you saw the messages coming. I just don't even go. It's probably a good idea, but no, I had to buy it. I I it's a beautiful piece, yeah. It is, it is. And I I put this in her ear Dark Side Sabine.

SPEAKER_03 29:32

Oh, so you'll you're so you can have them side by side. I think that would be lovely. I I do love the dark side pad made. She did an incredible job with the costume, the face, the makeup, the hair. It's stunning. So what are the plans? Are you gonna frame it?

SPEAKER_01 29:49

Well, it's en route right now, and I'm gonna do a whole story about it. I don't know because about the I don't know. I don't I we're gonna have her on the show. We'll let her tell the story about when this. I feel like when I was, you know, doing some commissions work with her, and and I, you know, that kind of came up and I was like, do it, do it. That's cool.

SPEAKER_03 30:10

Yeah, I'm so glad you got that piece because for me it's Padme, which is one of my favorite female characters in Star Wars. She's so tastefully sexy. She got a twist of the dark side.

SPEAKER_01 30:22

Yeah, I know. It kind of reminded me, especially all the jewelry. All right, well, now we're gonna head over to a dear, dear friend, Josiah. Josiah. Josiah texted me his review uh that I received really early morning on my walk. And let me just read it so we can get into it. Although Star Wars has returned to the screen after nearly a seven-year hiatus, it did not live up to the lore aspect. Like the first three seasons of The Mandalorian, the galaxy was under constant threat of the Empire rising from the ashes, while the Republic had little to no knowledge of the threat and coming conflict. This movie, however, is more of a side quest. There's nothing big happening or much of a rise threat at all. It didn't have much grit and character development. I felt Grogu was too much of a focus in the movie rather than the actual story itself. Putting it all together, I like the movie. It wasn't bad or something amazing to see a few times, but it did lose its vibe compared to what it used to be. Fight scenes are great, the music is stellar, all caps, the movie has a lot of potential, but it did not live up to what should have been, like we saw in the show. To be honest, this could have been an episode. Movie is not needed. In short, this movie is a six out of ten.

SPEAKER_03 31:58

Okay, okay. But you know what? He did bring up a good point. It wasn't like the season where the empire is on the verge of taking over and fighting this massive empire. This was Mandalorian Grogu going off on a small little side quest. But I like that. I really like that. It took me to more of a Western bounty feel of, hey, the here's this cowboy that's going off with his sidekick. I liked it. But yeah, it's he did bring up a couple good points there.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

Well, I respect anyone's right to be different, having a different opinion of me. But I gotta be honest with you, I read this about 5:30 in the morning when I was doing my morning walk through the desert. And Josiah, I love you, but you hurt my feelings. I was just so blown away because knowing Josiah, I figured this would be right in his wheelhouse. I'm I I I can see seeing this film once, and I mean, there are some valid points in there, but here's what I'm gonna say. Josiah, I want you to send me your Zell or Venmo or whatever money transfer. I'm gonna send you $20, and there's no excuse. I'm buying you the ticket to go see it again, and then I want to see if your review of the film changes. I'm forcing you to go see it a second time.

SPEAKER_03 33:30

Yeah, you know what? I would agree on that because normally it'd say, no, you know what he saw it once. It doesn't sound like he wants he needs to see it again, but yeah, I would recommend seeing it again.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

Absolutely. All right, Jessica.

SPEAKER_03 33:41

But yeah, you got this movie overall, it's it's a fun adventure that you escape. As far as trying to seek a deep meaning or deep thought-provoking, this is not it. No, this is just a fun movie, new, yeah. Good for everyone, absolutely, including the kids.

SPEAKER_01 33:57

And I'll tell you what, we saw this might be a little dated depending upon when you listen to it, but we saw obsession last night. And I I I was like, I wanted to walk out and go see Mandalorian and Grove.

SPEAKER_03 34:08

I was like, Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

That's what I need. Happy in my life. I don't need that crap.

SPEAKER_03 34:13

Oh my god, it's too that would work.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

So, Josiah, send me your Venmo Zell or whatever. I'm gonna take care of you.

SPEAKER_03 34:22

And an extra two bucks for Coke.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

Yeah, exactly. Two bucks, huh? Where are you?

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Oh, I know. It's too bad. I'm thinking it's still 1990. Come on.

SPEAKER_01 34:31

All right, next up we have Victoria Amidala, aka Q T Karami. What's a karame?

SPEAKER_03 34:38

Karomi.

SPEAKER_01 34:39

What's that?

SPEAKER_03 34:40

Oh, hello, it's from San Rio. You know, hello kitty, karopi, karomi.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

Oh, I don't know that. But when I do, it's funny because I know you've been chatting with Victoria. When I look at Victoria's Instagram, knowing you, like the Hayden, obviously, the Munchie Chi.

SPEAKER_03 34:58

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:58

The Hello Kitty. Oh yeah. Like you and her are Kendrick spirits because it there's a lot of things. You came out of that store with that huge ass munchie chips. In Japan. Scared the shit out of me.

SPEAKER_03 35:11

Damn right.

SPEAKER_01 35:12

Woke up in the middle of the night was staring at me at the end of the bed. All right, what did Victoria have to say? Quote, okay, here are my thoughts on the Mandalorian Grogu. I absolutely loved All Cap, this movie. It was such a fun watch for me. I love the father/slash child dynamic that Mando and Grogu have. So getting to see it even more of that was such a treat. I couldn't help but to get a little emotional in the theater because I love these characters and this franchise so much. And getting to experience them on the big screen was the cherry on top. The amount of new fans this is going to bring in is really cool to think about. This is Star Wars exclamation, exclamation, exclamation. And what's that little face?

SPEAKER_02 35:59

Oh, it's a little emoji with the little teary eyes. Just like oh, got it.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

Okay. You'll have to excuse me. I'm I'm not, you know, you know more about the things. Oh, yeah, the emojis. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:11

But you know what? I love that she brought up the dynamic between Mando and Grogu, father and son. Their bond is, you can just tell it's deepened and it's absolutely beautiful, that relationship. And it turned around. It Mando is always watching and taking care of Grogu. And then the rules reverse for a moment, and it really just softened my heart.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

Totally.

SPEAKER_03 36:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

When he he snuggles up in his arm, and I think about our our dog. You've sort of I've sort of softened. I never owned a dog before. You know, and when we started dating, we got a dog together, and I wasn't.

SPEAKER_03 36:48

Next is a dog number two. Yeah. I'm working on it.

SPEAKER_01 36:52

And when he cuddles up to me on the sofa like that, it just it really melted my heart.

SPEAKER_02 36:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

I think that was the thing with obsession too. I'm not giving anything away, but the thing with the cat, you lost me right out of the gate with that movie. Anyway. So I you can feel the emotion that Victoria has for this film, and we love it. Can't wait to see or meet you and Lex at your booth at Rebel ScumCon.

SPEAKER_03 37:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:18

Time to spend some money.

SPEAKER_03 37:19

All right, I'll bring my moon chichi. Oh my God.

SPEAKER_01 37:21

Please don't. That thing scares me. Next up, we have Allie, aka Alderon Baby, a woman who I still can't believe as we last checked in. Oh, I know you. 176 books in 12 months.

SPEAKER_03 37:35

You referenced that multiple times. All the time. I feel like a little name too. Alderon Baby. That's very catchy.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

That is a good name. She had to say, I love the film. It's always great seeing Star Wars on the big screen, and that I had a lot of fun watching it with my family. I thought the film itself was great. I love that it felt like a longer episode of The Mandalorian and all the references and seeing how much Grogu has developed.

SPEAKER_03 37:59

Again, the development of Grogu. This is brought up a couple times already. It has, he's evolved and developed and has grown his character. I mean, he's not speaking, but I think he has grown.

SPEAKER_01 38:13

And here what we're seeing is more of you know the this thread through all these reviews about watching it with friends and family, which is lovely. If you're not already following Alderon Baby, do a search.

SPEAKER_03 38:24

Oh yeah, especially if you're into books. Oh yeah. Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 38:29

All right. Next up we have Natalie, aka Natal Nat likes plums. That's her Instagram. Nat likes plums. That's probably the greatest Instagram handle I've ever heard. I I I mean, I'm a that means she likes plums. Natalie, you gotta help me out with that. I want to know. Are you that big a fan of plums? I know she's in the Ukraine and great source of it. And has a yes. And has a wonderful Star Wars uh podcast, but I, you know, it's in a different language. So but she's really cool and been super supportive of our show. So thank you, Natalie. Thank you. All right, here we go. Quote: Hi, John and Nellie. Just in the middle of listening to your part one of the Mandalorian and Grobu review, and wanted to quickly share my thoughts on the movie as you kindly suggested. Absolutely love the film, and I think it has so much fun and heart, and it's so enjoyable and accessible for children. For the new generation, which is a great thing, but also pays homage to so many other Star Wars projects and stays true to everything that we love about this universe. Exclamation. I've always loved Mandalorian Grogu, but having seen the movie, I somehow love them even more. I think what they did with Grogu in it is phenomenal, and I love how he carries so much of the movie on his tiny little shoulders. Two of my best friends saw the film with no preparation, haven't seen a single episode of the Mandalorian TV series, and they now both want to watch it.

SPEAKER_04 40:02

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

I believe John Favaro and Dave Filone, as well as the amazing cast and crew behind this movie, really did it. Exclamation. Gonna see it again tomorrow and can't wait. Love your podcast, love your energy. Always looking forward to more from you. May the force be with you. Another some smiley emoji of some sort.

SPEAKER_03 40:23

And the heart. And the heart. Oh my gosh. You know what? Here's another opinion which I find fascinating. One person felt Grogu stole the show. This person felt Grogu did a great job carrying the show. Yeah. But I I'm there with her. I think we got enough Grogu. I I didn't think he overshadowed the movie.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

No, not at all. I guess you're just on Team Grogu or you're not.

SPEAKER_03 40:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:51

And I dig that.

SPEAKER_03 40:52

I agree.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

Natalie, thanks so much for your continued support.

SPEAKER_03 40:56

Do you feel like The Mandalorian just kind of became more for kids and now it's resurfaced. Now it's cool for everyone, even adults.

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Yeah, I think it's brought it back into the Yeah, and then to the public consciousness, which is really cool. Which is exactly what I was hoping it was gonna do. Speaking of expectations. All right, next up we've got the convention king himself, Mike Kennedy, a K-A-M-B-K-E-N-84. Quote, hey guys, I have to admit, I was anticipating not liking this movie going into it, which is very rare for me with the Star Wars project, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The action was very entertaining, Rada was a surprise standout, and the soundtrack was top-notch. Ludwig Gorison just captures the Mandalorian spirit so well. He took it to another level. That said, while I'm happy to see Star Wars back on the big screen, I still struggle to see why this is the one to bring us back to theaters. It's clear to me that this was pretty hastily thrown together after pivoting from another season of the show to get the casual fans back on board with more of a contained story. But props to them in accomplishing that goal about as well as one could imagine. I just wish there was a little bit more depth to the characters and more stakes to the story. Regardless, Star Wars is like pizza. At the end of the day, it's still pizza, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again where my appreciation for things should grow, where my appreciation for the little things should grow. As of now, I give it a solid six out of ten.

SPEAKER_03 42:36

Okay, let me ask you. Has he seen it one time or two times?

SPEAKER_01 42:41

I don't know if Mike has seen it more than once. I haven't seen, because we got a text chain, me, him, and Josiah, and it's usually is makes me laugh out loud. I don't know that he's seen it again. Mike, send me your Zell, send me your Venmo. I'm gonna, I'm gonna send you 20 bucks. Please go see it again.

SPEAKER_03 43:00

Two dollars for a Coke.

SPEAKER_01 43:01

Oh, Jesus. Where are you getting this $2 coke from? Certainly.

SPEAKER_03 43:07

So I I like, well, you know, it's funny how different people go into this movie with no anticipating nothing, having no expectation. Mike went in there with the anticipation of not liking it, and he was totally wrong. He liked it. Yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 43:26

That's the question I wish we had answered here, Mike. Is why were you anticipating not liking this movie going into it? That's the big question of the day.

SPEAKER_04 43:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:37

So I'm glad that he enjoyed it. And I just know both Mike and Josiah, they're such big Star Wars fans. I think over time, I my hope is that they will enjoy the film even more than they have enjoyed it thus far. All right. Thanks, Mike. Next up, the Buff Collector. Quote What this movie felt like was its own story. Story, aka its own long format episode that had extra money to do some cool stuff in it. I would have liked to see what Mando and Grogu will be doing next, perhaps in an in-scene credit. But I guess we'll have to wait. Only time will tell.

SPEAKER_03 44:16

Oh, that's interesting because there I've heard that before where people were waiting back to see if there was something going to pop up at the end. Credits, but nothing, right? They were hoping to see. Okay, we'll see that the next one.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

You know, I think Marvel really, you know, like everyone's waiting for some little nugget at the end. I I must admit, I Yeah, you were waiting. I hang out just to see what would happen.

SPEAKER_03 44:41

There's something where Grogu just pops up, sticks out his thumbs.

SPEAKER_01 44:44

Yeah, something. Buff Collector, thanks for tuning in, man.

SPEAKER_03 44:47

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

All right. Last but not least, Bo Hannah, aka Bo.shack.

SPEAKER_04 44:53

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

Yes. Lovely to uh met Bo here. Lovely. To on the IG. We seem to collect uh Hayden Christensen fans on the show, all of them female.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

There's some male in here too.

SPEAKER_01 45:09

All right, let's see what Bo had to say. I think that it was a family-friendly film exclamation. It was a Star Wars movie that you left feeling good, which isn't always the case as we know. It was action-packed, but also sweet and emotional. I think it shed light on other things that go on in the universe and proved that not every Star Wars film has to be about saving the fate of the entire galaxy. I loved the ties to the original movies. I cried at the sight of the X-Wings coming to save everyone. Smiley Face. Is that sweating? All right. However, I think it's a good film for those that don't know everything about the Star Wars universe. Obviously, the connections make more sense if you do know, but I think you could still understand most things without the prior knowledge. Exclamation. Grogu is also the cutest thing I've ever seen for exclamation marks.

SPEAKER_03 46:07

And you know what? I'm there with you, Bo. This movie, when I left, the three times we've watched it together, I left feeling good. Real good. But yeah, it's it's I agree with you a hundred percent. It's a movie that just leaves you feeling so good. And also it has some amazing, sweet, and emotional, heartfelt moments too. That I'm not gonna lie, I got a little mystique.

SPEAKER_01 46:33

Me too. Me too. It definitely connected to my inner child and the passing of time and what's important and all the things that it should do.

SPEAKER_03 46:43

Yeah. I wasn't expecting this much heart in the movie. I really didn't. I thought it was just gonna be an action-packed adventure movie, feel good movie, but it it had heart.

SPEAKER_01 46:53

I mean, this is the first time I've ever heard of someone crying at the sight of X-Wings. So that's kind of cool.

SPEAKER_02 46:59

That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

Well, Bo, we look forward to seeing you in which is which con is it?

SPEAKER_02 47:06

SpaceCon. SpaceCon.

SPEAKER_01 47:07

That's it's coming up like in a week from today. And then Bo is gonna join us to unpack that convention, and there'll be all kinds of Hayden stories. All right. Well, we want to thank everyone for tuning in. And I want to thank everyone for being extremely patient with my dyslexia as I've stumbled through reading some of these emails. Trust me, it's not you, it's me. Thank Dog, I'm not dyslexic. And all dyslexic people will get that. Well, the beautiful thing about Star Wars is that no two fans see the same movie. Some of us connect to the adventure, some connect with the mythology, some connect with the characters. Yeah. And some of us are just here to watch Grogu cause absolute chaos. Whatever brought you to this galaxy, thank you for sharing your voice with us.

SPEAKER_03 48:02

I'm Nelly.

SPEAKER_01 48:03

I'm John Williams.

SPEAKER_03 48:04

May the force be with you, and thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 48:07

Always.

SPEAKER_03 48:09

Always.

SPEAKER_01 48:11

Hi, this is Simon Cassian ED Easy with John and Nelly on the Twin Sons podcast.