The Mandalorian and Grogu review: not even Baby Yoda can save Star Wars’ return to the big screen in this formulaic and harmless film that should have been a Disney+ exclusive
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Full spoilers follow for The Mandalorian. Mild spoilers also follow for The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Seven years is a long time for a franchise like Star Wars to be away from the big screen. Of course, the wait for new cinematic entries in Lucasfilm’s iconic galaxy far, far away has been much longer in the past. In an age where entertainment titans are milking everything they can from their iconic brands, it’s surreal to think that an entire generation of fans hasn’t seen a Star Wars movie at their local theater.
Well, now they can. The Mandalorian and Grogua cinematic sequel to The Mandalorianaka the wildly popular Disney+ TV series starring the aforementioned couple, aims to replicate the success of its parent show and recapture the magic of seeing the legendary sci-fi franchise on the big screen for the first time. Unfortunately, it achieves none of its goals.
Wherever I go, he goes
Resumption some time later The Mandalorianthe season 3 finale, The Mandalorian and Grogu reunites us with the titular duo as they continue to perform their contract work for The New Republic. That being said, hunt down Imperial warlords still devoted to the Galactic Empire to prevent them from reviving the autocratic regime.
The Mandalorian and Grogu feel like two-hour episodes of its parent show that were smashed together
To that end, the Mandalorian known as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his Force-wielding buddy are given a specific mission by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver): saving Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) for his crime lord parents known as the Twins. In exchange, the latter will provide information on the location of Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne), the next target of The New Republic.
Sounds simple, right? I think you already know the answer to this question. Long story short: Mando and Grogu get more than they bargained for in what turns out to be their most dangerous quest yet.
Truth be told, they should be used to life-threatening situations, as they have embarked on many perilous missions before. The Mandalorian.
And this is my first big complaint with The Mandalorian and Groguas it feels like two hour-long episodes of its parent show that were smashed together.
There’s a clear disconnect between the two halves of The Mandalorian and Grogu
It’s hard to explain without going into major spoiler territory but, despite The Mandalorian and Grogu possessing a narrative thread, there is a clear disconnect between its two parts that occurs exactly halfway through.
Indeed, with Mando and Grogu apparently completing their Rotta-based search and rescue mission faster than expected, I fully expected the end credits of this “episode” to roll before the follow-up chapter began. So you can imagine my surprise when I not only realized that wasn’t going to happen, but also that there was an hour of story left to tell when 95% of the plot details had apparently been resolved.
Director Jon Favreau could argue this, rather than reusing The Mandalorian season 4 scripts for this film, he had to “start from scratch with The Mandalorian and Groguthe scenario of.
Still, given the notable split halfway through this film’s story, it’s my opinion that some of this season’s unrealized plot threads were repurposed and, whether by design or not, give it the structure of a multi-episode arc that was sewn together. Think about how The Clone Wars The first few episodes of the animated series were put together in a similar way to make it unnecessarily a big-screen offering, and you’ll get the idea.
Light and darkness
The Mandalorian and Grogu However, it earns points for its action sequences. Their composition isn’t entirely original, but whether it’s large-scale or small-scale battles, chase sequences, or vehicular combat or duels, each is as entertaining and well-executed as it needs to be.
Grogu is the highlight of the show
Speaking of entertainment, Grogu is – if it must be said – the highlight of the show.
Several scenes involving Mando’s apprentice are played for laughs (and rightfully so, as he’s an adorable little boy), but he also gets enough character development that indicates he’s not only establishing himself as a protagonist, but also firmly positioned as the next big Star Wars star. Suffice it to say, newcomers will fall head over heels in love with the individual affectionately known as Baby Yoda, while established fans will fall in love with him all over again.
Equally attractive is The Mandalorian and Grogu follow in the footsteps of its parent show and introduce us to fascinating new corners of the galaxy.
With growing criticism from fans that Star Wars was reluctant to move away from exploring desert planets, The Mandalorian has given us new worlds – and some old fan favorites, like Mandalore – to explore since its initial release on Disney+, aka one of the best streaming services.
It’s time for Star Wars to move beyond its overreliance on nostalgia lure
It’s a stick that The Mandalorian and Grogu is only too happy to start again too. Indeed, by transporting us to new places like Nal Hutta and Shakari, one of many new Star Wars movies and shows to come builds on its television predecessor’s desire to visit uncharted regions of the galaxy, particularly in the lawless Outer Rim. I’ll take more with other projects you have in the works, please, Lucasfilm.
While I’m making requests, it’s also time for Star Wars to move beyond its over-reliance on nostalgia bait, including The Mandalorian and Grogu is as guilty as its franchise contemporaries.
Despite the spoilers, it’s a film dripping with Easter eggs and callbacks to other Star Wars projects, especially in its back half. This won’t be a problem for diehards looking to emulate Captain America’s line “I got that reference” from The Avengers or Leonardo DiCaprio’s finger-pointing meme from Once upon a time in Hollywood. Yet, for me at least, the large number of nods to The Mandalorian and the larger Star Wars universe seemed more and more indulgent with each one I picked up.
My verdict
Look on it
The Mandalorian and Grogu How’s it going. It’s a safe, inoffensive addition to Lucasfilm’s catalog that will still perform admirably at the worldwide box office due to the fact that it’s a Star Wars film and the inclusion of Baby Yoda that’s sure to attract new viewers and die-hard fans of the lovable green goblin.
For those who grew up with the original films and/or wish Lucasfilm and Disney would make bigger creative changes in the direction of AndorHowever, The Mandalorian and Grogu it will feel like a missed opportunity. After all, this is the franchise’s first big screen outing since the incredibly controversial 2019 film. The Rise of Skywalkerand I suspect some will have hoped that Mando and Baby Yoda’s latest adventure would help erase the lingering bad aftertaste of the aforementioned film.
Sometimes pleasant as it may be, The Mandalorian and Grogu fails to do just that and, as much as it pains me to say it, this is not how Star Wars should have returned to the big screen.
The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters worldwide on Friday, May 22.
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