Season 2 – Episode 7 of 8 Disney+ Air date: December 11, 2020 Run time: 38 minutes Directed by Rick Famuyiwa
Chapter 15 – “The Believer”
With Grogu AKA The Child AKA Baby Yoda captured by Moff Gideon, Boba Fett and his partner promising to stay by Mando’s side until The Child is returned, they need to locate Moff Gideon’s ship.
Under false pretenses, Marshall Cara Dune breaks out Mayfeld (Bill Burr), prisoner from the scrapyard and returning scoundrel from season one. The mission is to find Moff Gideon’s coordinates and Mayfeld knows Imperial protocols and can hack the Imperial computer system.
Mayfeld tells them to stop by the planet Morack, there is an Imperial computer terminal there that can provide Gideon’s location. This won’t be easy, they’ll have to go undercover. Mando teams up with Mayfeld to enter the facility. Mando will soon face whether or not to break a Mandalorian credo in order to complete the mission.
Does Mayfeld double-cross Mando again to gain his own safety? What decision will Mando make regarding taking off his helmet to complete the mission? Does he do it? Will we see actor Pedro Pascal’s face? Will the mission be completed and they will receive Moff Gideon’s coordinates? What will be Mayfeld’s fate? Does he survive the mission and is returned to the prison scrapyard?
Tune into this week’s episode of The Mandalorian to find out these answers and more!
Summary
All the drama around Pedro Pascal allegedly frustrated that he couldn’t take off his helmet for the role behind the scenes (see: Do “BIG” problems exists with The Mandalorian Season 2?) and Favreau and company wisely covers this meta story in this episode. We learn the answer to just how far Mando` will go to rescue and protect Grogu.
The episode itself is a pretty familiar run and gun escape plot. Reminds me of an every week in and week out episode of The A-Team. It’s entertaining enough, but the most formulaic episode of the second season. It’s the kind of episode that the show risks falling into if it doesn’t forge new territory.
S2:E6 Chapter 15 “The Believer” rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
… you’ve been warned, SPOILERS ahead …
Reviews by Others
After seeing the episode, I was curious what others thought. Here’s a few reviews I read from others. There are many, many more out there. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, watch it and judge for yourself first because spoilers abound in many reviews.
Annayiel Online: “All in all, no it wasn’t as fantastic as last week’s episode but it was still very enjoyable and is leading up to what surely will be an epic finale.”
Sean Hussey / ComicBook Debate: “I am often quick to praise writers and directors on episodes, but I must start by giving praise to Rick Famuyiwa. This episode is not only beautifully directed, it is also incredibly well written.”
We’ve Got (Back) Issues: “It’s worth pointing that Grogu doesn’t appear in this episode proving that this is more than just the ‘Baby Yoda’ show.”
What did you think of Chapter 15: “The Believer”? We welcome your comments — good, bad or indifferent — below.
Season 2 – Episode 6 of 8 Disney+ Air date: December 4, 2020 Run time: 34 minutes Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Chapter 14 – “The Tragedy”
Mando and Grogu AKA Baby Yoda AKA The Child are kicking it in the Razor Crest on the way to a planet with a seeing stone, unaware that Moff Gideon has placed a tracking beacon on the ship. Mando can’t find a suitable landing spot, so he sets the ship in hover mode and he jetpacks Grogu to the ground. He places Grogu on the seeing stone in the middle of the circle and asks him to do his Jedi thing.
Mando notices they’ve been followed and tries to get Grogu to leave, but the creature is in full on meditation mode on the stone with a powerful force field surrounding him. Mando comes face to face with a man who claims to be Boba Fett’s son (UPDATE: actually, that’s how it appears at first, but it’s really Jenga’s armor the character is talking about — and you’ll have to watch to see who Jenga is, if you don’t know the lore), and he wants the armor back that Mando claimed in an earlier episode this season. He has a sharpshooter trained on Grogu if Mando doesn’t comply. But a new enemy for both of them emerges when an imperial ship arrives complete with a bunch of Stormtroopers and Moff Gideon. They are there to take Grogu.
Will Boba Fett’s son join Mando in a fight against the Imperial forces? Does Boba Fett himself appear? Does Grogu summon a powerful Jedi to train him? What sort of evil plan is Moff Gideon up to?
You’ll have to watch the episode to learn the answers to these questions, but it’s definitely the meaty episode we’ve been waiting for. There are thrills aplenty including several shock moments.
Summary
This is the fastest paced episode of any in the series. It feels almost like one extended action scene. That’s both good and not so good. The subplot with Boba Fett’s armor being returned is the secondary subplot, but once again the protection of the Child named Grogu, becomes Mando’s primary mission. The title of the episode portends that this might not end well.
Always good seeing Stormtroopers getting blasted. Mando learning Boba Fett is the rightful owner of the armor is a fun nod to the past but we don’t learn how Fett survived the Sarlac Pit (maybe in the future?).
The action is very good and, despite Robert Rodriguez directing, this isn’t Star Wars meets Machete, it’s not grindhouse or Spy Kids in the slightest. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, executive producers, along with Rodriguez in the director’s chair make sure we’re getting the same consistent style for the show.
Too short, that’s my main criticism. It’s still very good — I mean, it’s The Mandalorian and one of the best shows around right now — easily a recommended episode, but it just feels like we were treated to an incomplete story. Intentionally leaving us hanging. Bad guys want The Child, we’ve seen this plot before and we already knew a bigger threat from Moff Gideon and his Imperial forces were coming, but this episode feels somewhat incomplete. Too much left for next week.
That said, it was all exciting and fun to watch.
This is episode 6 of 8, so it’s setting up a three part finale for Season 2. I suppose that’s kind of how this had to go down, but we’re left wanting more, feeling like the episode was cut too short, like we didn’t get a complete mission. Just a few too many unanswered questions. It’s like it wanted to be like The Empire Strikes Back, but there’s no Luke and Darth Vader with a stunning revelation about who Luke’s father is, there is a curious reveal involving the existence of Boba Fett, through a child seeking his armor. The ending, without spoilers, is total cliffhanger.
Guessing for some this will be a 5-star episode, because it sets up an exciting final two parts, but I’d rather have just seen all three episodes as one movie-length episode. Perhaps greedy, but honest. At the end of the day, I’m riveted by this series and it always leaves me wanting to see what’s up next week. That’s the highest compliment possible, so keep my (very) minor complaints in perspective.
S2:E6 Chapter 14 “The Tragedy” rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
… you’ve been warned, SPOILERS ahead …
Reviews by Others
After seeing the episode, I was curious what others thought. Here’s a few reviews I read from others. There are many, many more out there. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, watch it and judge for yourself first because spoilers abound in many reviews.
Jacob Mahady / The Sandcrawler Blog: “This episode was a lot shorter than I had originally hoped for. This might be one of the shortest ones yet and it felt like it. This episode blew by, as it set up for next week. Seeing Shand again was welcomed, too. She has a great assassin personality and fits in very well.”
Paul Wilkinson / We’ve Got (Back) Issues: “I don’t know if it nostalgia, the lack of other entertainment at the moment, or if the show is really that good. It’s probably a bit of all these factors but this show is unmissable. The only thing missing was a Danny Trejo cameo.”
Ready Steady Cut / Jonathon Wilson: “With several major developments, a lot of fun stuff for long-time Star Wars fans and a good deal of connective tissue with the first season, this isn’t the biggest, showiest episode, but it’s an extremely competent middle chapter designed to shift things around for the back half of the season.”
Small Screen / Edward Lauder: “The other thing I love about Chapter 14 is that it sets up something truly exciting. It sets up Din Djarin finally building his team of misfits and rogues. This is something I cannot wait to see moving forward.”
X-Geeks: “Robert Rodriguez did a good job with the episode, especially with some of the action sequences. This was a nice episode for him to be involved with, although it did go by very quickly, don’t you think?”
(UPDATE 12/4/2020 7:30am PT: Since we’re in the spoilers area, I should confess that I misunderstood that Boba Fett was claiming to be his son. That’s how I interpreted it on the first watch. Boba Fett explains at 25:00 in the run time that the father he spoke about was his own father, Jenga Fett. There is no Boba Fett’s son that exists, because the mysterious stranger *IS* Boba Fett (how did he survive the Sarlac Pit, I guess that continues to fuel my confusion), and it might seem like “how could anybody ever miss that?” but, yes, I did. Leave it to an insult from a stranger on Twitter to correct my bone-headed error above — quickly — once this was originally posted. I left the review text above as written with a minor update for better clarification. Go ahead, make fun of my mistake if you will. I wake up, watch these episodes usually only once and then immediately write my thoughts. I’m also trying to make the review SPOILER-FREE. A major part of this episode is Boba Fett returning to fight alongside The Mandalorian and reclaiming his armor along with Moff Gideon’s scheme to take Grogu back. By reading my original review you wouldn’t have that spoiled at all, which is what I’m trying to do here each week, but I shouldn’t erroneously point to characters that don’t exist in the story recap portion. Sometimes I can, do and will make mistakes. I’m owning this one, because it is somewhat funny and, yes, dumb. Sorry. 😉
What did you think of Chapter 14: “The Tragedy”? We welcome your comments — good, bad or indifferent — below.
Season 2 – Episode 5 of 8 Disney+ Air date: November 27, 2020 Run time: 47 minutes Directed by Dave Filoni
Chapter 13 – “The Jedi”
Mando and the child head to a planet to learn more of his origins. A cruel magistrate offers Mando a pure beskar spear if he will kill a Jedi threatening her fierce power grip over the townspeople. Mando and Baby Yoda find the Jedi, who can speak to the Child. The Jedi tells us Baby Yoda’s name. Instead of killing the Jedi, Mando takes a different path.
You’ll have to watch to learn Baby Yoda’s name — or have it spoiled in a review or news article online, but, minor spoiler, it sounds a little too much like “Google” to me.
I’ve been itching to learn more about The Child’s origins and this episode gives us more than a minor teaser. It’s also fun seeing a Jedi wielding a light saber. The mini mission for Mando is entertaining, albeit a little slow compared to other episodes. All in all, another solid episode.
S2:E5 Chapter 13 “The Jedi” rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What did you think of Chapter 13: “The Jedi”? We welcome your comments — good, bad or indifferent — below.
Whenever I read stories about big corporations not paying royalties, I’m reminded that these days self-publishing is an option to protect against this situation. Of course, Amazon or whatever bookseller could also choose to withold royalty payments leading to the same situation.
Anyway, who doesn’t despise reading stories about creative people being screwed? Or at least saying they’re being screwed and not getting paid outstanding royalties.
Alan Dean Foster, a science-fiction author of note, has written the likes of the novelisation of the Star Wars movie as well as a sequel, Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye before Empire Strikes Back was even on the blocks. He also wrote the novelisations of the Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 movies. The only thing is – that the royalties on all these books, which still continue to sell, have stopped. And he is directly blaming Disney.
I don’t read many movie novels, but have actually read Alan Dean Foster’s take on Alien and also read Star Wars: Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye. Both were done well. I’m not a big fan of movie tie-in novels. I’d rather a movie be adapted from a novel like Doctor Sleep from Stephen King, but I see the value in these novelizations. Regardless, the authors should always be paid royalties.
Let’s hope this is just some accounting mistake at Disney. Pay the man his royalties.
Season 2 – Episode 4 of 8 Disney+ Air date: November 20, 2020 Run time: 38 minutes Directed by Carl Weathers
Chapter 12 – “The Siege”
The Razor Crest is badly in need of repair, especially after botched repair attempts in Frogland, so Mando tells The Child they will make a stop at Navaro. There, they meet up with old, friendly contacts: Marshal Cara Dune and Magistrate Greef Carga and Mando’s bounty in the first episode is unfrozen from carbonite and trying to help the cause.
Cara Dune busts in and takes down a bar full of seedy thieves. She makes a friend of a tiny furry creature, grateful that his life has been spared. The Razor Crest lands at the port and Greef Carga orders his people to fix the ship like new. The Child is put in a school with other kids and a 3-P0 like teacher.
While waiting for repairs, Greef and Cara ask Mando to help to take out an imperial base located in Navaro near a lava pit. The team sets out, soon running into conflict.
What happens with the side mission? What is the empire doing in this base? These questions and more await in this week’s exciting episode.
Another solid episode, this one light on The Child and heavy on Greef Carga, Cara Dune and that guy bounty in the season one first episode for comic relief. We’re treated to pure Star Wars action including Stormtroopers and Tie Fighters in a trench. Some good progress on the main storyline, this is an excellent, entertaining episode.
S2:E4 Chapter 12 “The Siege” rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To read all our coverage related to The Mandalorian see search results. We watch and review every episode, usually on the day it is released.
Time to get into SPOILER territory. To offer additional perspective and insight, I went looking, reading and grabbed pull quotes from some other reviewers that I came across, there is no specific order otherwise below.
Reviews by Others
What do others think of The Mandalorian S2:E4 Chapter 12: “The Siege”?
… you’ve been warned, SPOILERS ahead …
The Future Of The Force / Max (Grade: B+): “In the end, we have a pretty good picture of what the Imperial Remnant is planning and as always, we are excited to see the outcome. B+ all the way.”
The Sandcrawler Blog / Jacob Mahady: “Overall, this episode was fantastic. It had great action, it gave great backstory to characters, there were dogfights, chases, and shootouts. But, once again, the episode was way too short. This one felt like it blew by. It seems that is the only consistent complaint with the show, is the fans demanding more. I’d say they are doing an excellent job on this show. “
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis: “…while this felt a little like rehashing old territory, the production qualities are so high that it just works. There were some hints to the broader Star Warsstory in this episode, and we will need to see how that develops in the future.”
We’ve Got (Back) Issues: “Din Djarin is quickly becoming a galactic version of the ‘Littlest Hobo’ (showing my age with that reference). He wanders into town, solves someone’s problem, then moves on. This a standard template for classic American television and has been used for years in shows like ‘The Fugitive’, ‘The Incredible Hulk’, ‘The A-Team’”
What did you think of Chapter 12: “The Siege”? We welcome your comments — good, bad or indifferent — below.
Season 2 – Episode 3 of 8 Disney+ Air date: November 13, 2020 Run time: 34 minutes
Chapter 11 – “The Heiress”
The adventure to find where the other mandalorians are at continues. Mando, the frog lady with her jar of eggs and The Child crash landing into a port with aquatic pirate-like creatures. Frog lady reunites with her frog man. Frog man tells Mando to ride on a boat to a nearby place. Mando and The Child are on the boat with some unsavory alien types that throw The Child into the mouth of a creature being transported on the ship. Mando dives in, they trap him in a cage and the battle is on. Several more Mandalorians storm the ship to save Mando and The Child.
Will Mando and The Child get out of the boat? What’s up with these other Mandalorians? Are they the real deal or imposters like the last city?
There is a recurring theme developing with Mandalorians and the whole helmet on or off thing so far in season 2. Can kind of see why Pedro Pascal was reportedly annoyed that the storylines kept having Mandalorians taking their helmets off (see: Do “BIG” problems exists with The Mandalorian Season 2?) and yet he’s the real Mando and must keep his on (or does he?). There is some explanation provided here surrounding this mythology.
The first part of this adventure is good, and the second half provides a very quick side mission that ties together some hanging plotlines from season 1. But hey, can we get Mando to the other Mandalorians, or rather to the Child’s true origins, please? Or is this going to be a little like Gilligan’s Island every episode where Mando can’t ever seem to get to the major end goal. I suppose all the things getting in the way is one easy way to drag out a series, but it works for a couple episodes and becomes tiresome after that. Let’s hope episode 4, the halfway point, has more actual main story progression. Or are we just going to keep The Child’s origin story always out of reach? (I trust Favreau will pull back the curtain before the series is canceled, but it might be drawn out a lonnnnnnnng time).
For the reason mentioned above, this is still recommended, but I took away two stars. Yes, The Child does cute things, the sea beast on the ship encounter was cool, but we want to learn more about The Child’s origins. It’s ok to divert the storyline here and there for side adventures, but hopefully that doesn’t become too regular an occurrence. Having not watched Rebels and the Clone Wars TV shows, I’m probably missing out on some history here, especially from reading other reviewers reference that say this tied up some things. I’m getting that sense, but there are some of us who have really only followed the movies, this and some books and stories, not everything that has ever come out.
This episode seemed on the brief side too at 34 minutes. I mean, can’t they run out longer episodes consistently? Like minimum of 45 minutes? I don’t mean make 45 minutes just to say it was 45 minutes, but there is so much story available in the Star Wars galaxy that I find it difficult to believe that they can’t roll out more meatier run time episodes. This is a good episode, it’s not amazing. Even when The Mandalorian isn’t amazing, it’s still way better than pretty much any other streaming TV show. So, keep that in mind with my three-star rating. A very respectful 3-stars it is.
S2:E3 Chapter 11 “The Heiress” rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
To read all our coverage related to The Mandalorian see search results. We watch and review every episode, usually on the day it is released.
Time to get into SPOILER territory. To offer additional perspective and insight, I went looking, reading and grabbed pull quotes from some other reviewers that I came across, there is no specific order otherwise below.
Reviews by Others
What do others think of The Mandalorian S2:E3 Chapter 11: “The Heiress”?
… you’ve been warned, SPOILERS ahead …
Josh / Star Wars Thoughts (10/10): “So yes, overall, this was a fantastic episode, and it was probably my favorite one yet. The action sequences were tremendous, the intrigue and drama was high, the pacing and story was perfect, and the way it tied into a larger storyline was the best of any episode we’ve seen.”
Murphy’s Multiverse: “By hitting it out of the park in more ways than one, Chapter 11 has shown the way for what Season 2 could end up becoming, with the certainty that what got achieved in this episode can and will be a focal point of what Star Wars can aspire to accomplish in the coming years. Long live (this) Star Wars.”
Sean Hussey / Comic Book Debate: “Truthfully, this episode fired on all cylinders for me. As a longtime fan of The Clone Wars and Rebels, this episode was a lot of great fan service for me, but I also think it provided a lot to new fans of the saga as well. Something that I immediately appreciated was the explanation as to why some Mandalorians remove their helmets and some do not.”
Talking Films: “I continue to be amazed at the practical and special effects of the show – this week it was the semi-aquatic life forms of Trask that took centre stage for me. The Mon Calamari and the other mouth-tentacled species were incredibly crafted and so, SO realistic. The full-on, non-stop reliance on practical prosthetics and makeup to create alien life is maybe the best part about the new Star Wars productions since 2015”
The Canon Padawan: “After what I consider one of the weaker episodes last week, the show has jetpacked back with a truly great episode!”
The Geek Freak Podcast (Grade: A): “My grade for this episode might be inflated because of the return of Clone Wars legends. I think for an unfamiliar viewer, it should be close.”
What did you think of Chapter 11: “The Heiress”? We welcome your comments — good, bad or indifferent — below.
The Bonnie and Clyde death car sure seems analogous to the movie theater business in 2020
Argh, more bad news on the theater release front.
AMC executives must have woke up with night terrors, because Disney took the axe to their December theater releases. We’ve been seeing frequent previews for Free Guy and Death On The Nile, but those movies now will not be coming to theaters next month as planned.
Disney has officially pulled their 20th Century Studios movies Free Guy and Death on the Nile off the December calendar, leaving a grim immediate future in place for exhibition which was praying to make buck on the holiday moviegoing season.
The reality is during the pandemic there just isn’t much studio support left for movie theaters in 2020. Studios are retreating and realigning their distribution to focus first on streaming, including VOD. Of the big movies remaining for theatrical release, it’s basically down to Wonder Woman 1984 next month, followed by Monster Hunter. Rumors have already been circulating — nevermind this news — that WW1984 will be pushed back, but nothing official from Warner Bros. on that — yet.
My guess is that WW1984 will be pushed back again. 2020 will end much as it began: waiting for the big movies come out. This pandemic will subside at some point and whether or not AMC is still in business is in doubt. Cinemark and Regal can last longer, but not even sure about their future at this point. A very sad, depressing year for movie theaters. When you consider how huge 2019 was at the box office, 2020 fell off the cliff.
Regardless the fate of the biggest theater chains, the movie entertainment business isn’t going anywhere. Movies will continue to be made and will be shown in whatever theaters remain open and in greater number on streaming services, including VOD. We might very well see a surge in creative, independent ownership of theaters and that might become the primary way in the not too distant future to see movies outside the home.
We were at the movie theater the last two nights and thoroughly enjoyed Let Him Go ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you have a theater in your area and feel it is safe to visit theaters again, there are a (very) small few movies worth seeing in theaters right now … or just wait for these films to hit streaming. It won’t be that long. Safety first. Should note we feel very safe in the movie theaters in our area. Hardly anybody else is there.
Season 2 – Episode 2 of 8 Disney+ Air date: November 6, 2020 Run time: 42 minutes
Chapter 10 – “The Passenger”
Mando and the Child are heading out on the speeder and trapped by scavengers who want to steal and kill them. A fight ensues and The Child is held at knifepoint. Mando fights his way out and then bargains for The Child’s life.
They head into town and get a lead on the location of the other mandalorians thanks to a poker game with The Mandible (lol, this giant ant in a cantina). The price to travel is to bring along a passenger with precious egg cargo that can only travel at sub lightspeed.
Mando is worried about the dangers of traveling sub-light but agrees to the mission. What follows is an adventure full of shocks and surprises. Will Mando and his cargo arrive safely or encounter danger?
This episode has everything that makes Star Wars beloved. Baby Yoda/The Child up to cute mischief by attempting to eat the cargo. Several great flight scenes involving the Razorcrest navigating various obstacles and multiple terrestrial enemies to battle.
What is missing is it doesn’t advance the central story much, but it’s a very fun and cool sidetrack mission. Season 1 had a few of these side missions and they felt like they were taking us away from the good stuff, that they were filler to keep us from the real action, but that’s not really the case here. There is almost a cross-over Alien vibe to this episode which I found extremely cool. Imagine an Alien and The Mandalorian comic? Yeah, this feels like it.
I can’t believe this was all packed in 42 minutes of run time! Love it. If Jon Favreau keeps cranking out amazing episodes like this, he should be given all the keys to the Star Wars kingdom (if he doesn’t already have most of them — at least the Disney+ keys anyway). Don’t forget Dave Filoni too as his fingerprints are certainly on, in and around this episode. Can’t wait to see what Chapter 11 brings us next week. It’s like Christmas morning every Friday.
S2:E2 Chapter 10 “The Passenger” rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To read all our coverage related to The Mandalorian see search results. We watch and review every episode, usually on the day it is released.
Time to get into SPOILER territory. To offer additional perspective and insight, I went looking, reading and grabbed pull quotes from some other reviewers that I came across, there is no specific order otherwise below.
Reviews by Others
What do others think of The Mandalorian S2:E2 Chapter 10: “The Passenger”?
… you’ve been warned, SPOILERS ahead …
Annlyel Online: “It honestly never lets up. No, the story does not veer into the ultimate plot of this season–find Mandalorians to discover The Child’s origins–but instead chooses to take a different path, featuring a nail-biting adventure that had me loosing my mind with happiness.”
Den Of Geek: “This episode was, well, weird, in a great way. Action and absurdity piled on each other in what felt like an adventure movie. It’s not deep, and it might be polarizing, but as escapist fun, this season is off to a good start.”
DiscussingFilm: “Chapter 10 may not turn out popular with everyone, as it does retain the episodic nature that the series is known for and could come across as kind of pointless at some points since we don’t know the full scale of what’s been presented to the audience. Despite this, the show definitely seems to be pushing for more than just single episodic tales. It finds a balance of humor and distress that fits just right with the genre play”
filmdecrypter: “With The Passenger being little more than a transitionary episode, the best description for it at the moment is filler. Believe me, it pains me to give that term to any episode of this show.”
Nerds On Earth: “After the explosive action of this season’s premier episode, “The Passenger” definitely feels like a pumping of the brakes. But that’s not to say it is without its merits.”
The Cutprice Guignol: “I don’t think any show should be pumping out filler content, really, but for one like The Mandalorian, with such a tight eight-episode run, a story like The Passenger feels downright frustrating. By the time the episode comes to an end, we’re still at the same point we were when we started, and that’s frustrating given that we’re already a quarter of the way through the entire season.”
The Sandcrawler Blog: “…is doing a great job of giving us some monsters fear. I mean fear, to the point of going back to your roots and hop like your ancestors did thousands of years ago. “
What did you think of Chapter 10: “The Passenger”? We welcome your comments — good, bad or indifferent — below.
Just when we thought Disney wasn’t creating anything new comes along this study involving making more realistic robot gazes. Must admit from looking at the video below it looks like something out of the movie They Live. You can see the box art to the right, now compare to the image below for the robot gaze study. Yeah, it’s skeleton time!
…the new robot can imitate human facial movements, specifically blinking and subtle head movements. A sensor in its chest area (covered by a shirt, because the face is unsettling enough, thanks) alerts the robot when to turn and face a person in front of it, and its eye movements shift from direct eye contact to the rapid eye movements known as saccades. It also moves slightly up and down to mimic breathing.
I will see you through a camera in my shirt, face you and blink with my strange, not-so-robotic hypnotic gaze (see below video for proof!)
Now the video in action …
Can you imagine walking along to some random Disney animatronic exhibit and seeing eyes like this checking you out? We could be heading toward Westworld, folks.
Empty theater seats are breaking major theater chains financially
Motley Fool is posing the question: Should Disney Buy AMC?
It’s linked in the quote below for full context. I’ve seen estimates that AMC is losing double digit millions per month. At that negative cash burn rate — assuming these are accurate figures — no sane business should or would buy them. Even a company as large as Disney.
And here to think Motley Fool is an investment website? The second part of their name applies to anybody at Disney seriously considering this deal.
More after the jump.
Certainly Paramount or Universal, or even Netflix and Amazon, as was rumored earlier this year, could also benefit from buying the theater operator. But Disney’s size, scope, and branding potential would make acquiring AMC Entertainment a blockbuster event.
I’m on record suggesting that streaming channels should buy some theaters. They just need to wait until AMC goes into fire sale mode or full on liquidation, swoop in and buy up prime locations in key cities and states. Boom, now they’re in the theater exhibiting business, but on their own terms. They buy AMC in the shape its in now, it’s like buying a house that’s already on fire. Who does that?
As for Amazon and Netflix? You bet they should get in on the same deal. I think this is where the future of cinema is headed with studio-branded theaters. Paramount+ Theater, Amazon Theater, Netflix Theater and so on. It’s a great path to giving moviegoers the best of both worlds. They can day and date release whatever they want without a theatrical window. Burn that obsolete window down — except for the biggest of big budget films. In those cases, exclusively show them in theaters for a short window (see: Collapsing Theatrical Windows Are Not The End Of Cinema Life As We Know It)
My opinion is admittedly unpopular with business insiders. Some might even say my recommendations are a little crazy. Like a fox! This is a crazy world in the pandemic and a new theater model will need to emerge. I can see all kinds of reasons that Motley Fool lays out and more for studios to buy up theaters. The main caveat is buy at the optimal price. Not now, not when the assets are seriously distressed. A little patience for your shareholders.
They’ve already pushed off most of the major movies to 2021, which should all but seal AMC’s fate, unless they can get some more cash help. I don’t wish AMC to fail, but don’t see any way that makes sense for Disney, Amazon, Netflix, etc buy into AMC right now.
Movies, Movies, Movies 