The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 14, 2023

OK, are we finally long enough into this series to assign actual character monikers? As those who have watched The Mandalorian since it inception will know, the first season of the series in particular might have been called (if I may be permitted to pun horrifically yet another time) The Man(dalorian) with No Name. So, let's give him an actual identity by revealing his name is Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), for whatever that's worth. And while we're at it, we can also get formalities out of the way with the "baby Yoda" character, who admittedly is still referred to regularly in the series as simply "the Child", but who officially goes by Grogu, again for what that's worth. Kind of interestingly, joking about character names aside, is how the second season of The Mandalorian arguably ups the tethers to the general context of the original Star Wars trilogy. There are referents and outright allusions aplenty in the first season of the series, some of which I mention in passing in my The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season Blu-ray review, but this second season starts to develop any number of what might be termed generally contextual events that firmly place this series in the wake of what supposedly transpires after Return of the Jedi, including the participation (somewhat allusively at the beginning of the season) of the Jedi themselves.

While the callbacks to the original trilogy are fast and furious in this second season, there may also be a tendency to pad things even more than in the first season, with any number of detours keeping Din Djarin from his announced "quest" to get Grogu back to the Jedi, where he (i.e., Grogu) belongs. It's not necessarily a bad thing, since the writing of creator Jon Favreau in particular is so attuned to the Star Wars universe (and/or galaxy), and when so many "greatest hits" from the first three Star Wars films are alluded to so regularly. But the pace of this second season, while still brisk, seemed more prone to sidebars that in a way reminded me of series of old that had a "goal" that was frequently never reached, or if it were reached, only in the series finale (The Fugitive 's "quest" for the one armed man springs instantly to mind, though it might be more salient to cite Lost in Space, where you knew whatever else happened, the Robinsons were not going to get back home).

Those "callbacks" to the original trilogy are pretty much there from the get go, as Din Djarin travels to Tatooine to try to find some other Mandalorians to help him with his quest. There he finds a guy with a Mandalorian suit of armor, though it turns out this "sheriff" type, Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) actually got the dilapidated uniform from Jawas. This episode is perhaps a salient example of the "detours" this season takes, as the bulk of the tale actually deals with Din Djarin and Cobb teaming up to defeat a local beast known as krayt dragon, which in and of itself does little to move the "real" narrative forward, but which admittedly provides a fantastic climax with an absolutely visceral battle. Rather interestingly and perhaps just a little perplexingly, this last sequence suddenly "opens up" its aspect ratio from 2.39:1 to 1.78:1 (see screenshot 8 from the 1080 The Mandalorian - The Complete Second Season Blu-ray review for an example). I found some online articles which didn't have a definitive answer for this kind of odd decision, but which posited a potential IMAX exhibition as the reason, which seems a bit odd to me, but may in fact be true.

That "detour" sensibility is perhaps only strengthened in the second episode of the seasons, which finds Din Djarin and the Child crash landing on an ice planet in an attempt to evade X wing fighters who are supposedly out to arrest the Mandalorian. The entire episode plays out with Din Djarin and his passengers supposedly trying to stay hidden in precarious circumstances (arachnophobes are warned to take a deep breath before watching this episode), which then ends in quasi-Gilda Radner as Emily Latella fashion with what amounts to a big "never mind", allowing everyone to take off again for another adventure.

All of the foregoing may suggest that the second season of The Mandalorian may be a letdown, but that's actually not the case, again due to smart writing which, while darting hither and yon time and time again, still manages to drive things forward and keep an emotional subtext very much alive. In that regard, while it won't be spoiled here, any longtime fan of the original Star Wars trilogy is going to have to be pretty darned hard hearted not to have a sizable lump in their throat at a late breaking development in the season finale. Sometimes journeys do have quasi-conclusions, reinforcing that maxim from another venerable franchise that all who wander are not lost.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Disney's standalone 1080 The Mandalorian - The Complete Second Season release. Per Disney's standard operating procedure vis a vis television outings in particular, this release does not include 1080 discs.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1 (with the one 1.78:1 exception noted above). As with The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season 4K, this is another stunning presentation virtually every step of the way, offering the same admittedly subtle at times but still noticeable upticks in fine detail over an already excellent 1080 presentation that the first season evidenced. Once again, an artfully seamless blend of CGI and practical sets and costumes provides ample opportunity for some really precise fine detail levels, and for just one whimsical but good example, pay attention to the fine hairs atop Grogu's adorable little head when he's a passenger on a hovercraft zooming through the desert. Virtually every episode, though, offers fantastic arrays of beautiful production design and cinematography that receive reference quality support on these 4K UHD discs. As I mentioned with regard to the first season in 4K UHD, the palette may not be materially changed courtesy of HDR, but in this second season there are a couple of noticeable differentiations. The ice planet episode is one good example, where HDR adds just a hint of a teal undertone to already appropriately cold blue tones. The second half of the season has some really dark material and HDR can help with shadow detail, but I have to say there are still some very brief passing moments of crush (as in the very first episode's opening in fact, as the Mandalorian and Grogu traipse through a nighttime scene). That said, HDR at least aids in providing a bit more nuance and detail in black tones.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season follows its first season sibling by offering yet another example of a clear uptick (in more ways than one) in the audio department when compared to Disney's 1080 release, since these discs are graced with a really effective Dolby Atmos track (the 1080 release has DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio). As I mentioned in the reviews of the first season, this is a sterling example of when an Atmos track can add to an already incredibly immersive "traditional" surround track. The glut of flying scenes in this season provide some of the best examples of this improvement, but while there is clear engagement of the Atmos speakers, it has to be stated that a lot of the aural "fun" of these sequences is the rush of panning effects as, say, hovercrafts go marauding through desert environments. Several "further out" (like space) flying sequences also benefit from some Atmos verticality. On the "flip side", so to speak, LFE is also forcefully employed in several action sequences. Regular ambient environmental effects dot the many outdoor scenes, and a lot of the interior spacecraft material also clearly engages the side and rear channels with little tidbits of "high tech" sound effects. Dialogue and score are always presented without any issues whatsoever. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Designing the New Republic (HD; 4:46) is an interesting if frustratingly brief look at some of the production design approaches.


• Forging the Covert: Part Two (HD; 6:02) continues with the featurette offered on the first season release, with an emphasis on "secret" Mandalorian lore.

Note: Both of the above supplements are found on Disc Two of this two disc set.

Additionally, Disney is packaging these releases in SteelBooks. Season Two repeats a bit of the gold tones which are predominant in Disney's SteelBook of Season One, but has an overall more blue-green-teal color scheme. The front panel offers a couple of views of the Mandalorian, one with Grogu, and the back panel features Grogu. The interior image offers another view of the focal pair of characters. The SteelBook also houses concept art cards.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yes, some may join me in my curmudgeonly complaints about how long The Mandalorian takes in this second season to get where he and/or it is going, but those niggling qualms aside, the series provides a glut of Star Wars references in a genuinely exciting and multifaceted way that does indeed build to an incredibly emotional wrap up to the season. Technical merits are once again first rate, and the supplements relatively brief but very enjoyable. Recommended.