Film Review: Star Wars - The Mandalorian and Grogu
"This Is The Way"
Introduction
This is a quick review of the newly released film Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
Plot
Via Letterboxd: The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu.
Review
Apologies for the belated review to such a big event film, but unfortunately Disney did not provide a press screening for Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu for my neck of the woods of Tampa Bay, Florida, so I had to go seek this out on a Friday afternoon after work and juggle getting to write about it while dealing keeping up with Cannes and raising a newborn.
If you caught my last podcast episode, I was in the minority and I was not a big fan of last weekend’s big new release, Obsession. Well, for the second straight weekend in a row, I walked out of a new movie feeling like I somehow attended a completely different screening than everyone else online. Because honestly? Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu is the most fun I’ve had with a Star Wars movie since The Force Awakens, and maybe the first one in years that actually remembered these movies are supposed to feel like adventurous crowd-pleasers first and lore dumps and fan service second.
Maybe part of it comes down to the fact that I’ve never actually watched a second of the Disney+ series. I went into this almost completely detached from the larger “Mandoverse” lore, the endless callbacks, and whatever expectations longtime fans had built up over the years. So instead of spending the movie comparing it to episodes of television or trying to figure out where it slots into the wider canon, I just got to experience it as its own thing. And as its own thing? I had a blast.
What surprised me most was how quickly the movie got me invested in the dynamic between Mando and Grogu. I obviously knew who these characters were through cultural osmosis, but actually sitting down and watching them together for two hours totally won me over. There’s a lot of fun and sincerity to their relationship that keeps the movie grounded even when it gets goofy or chaotic. Pedro Pascal continues to prove that he can create an emotional connection through basically body language and voice work alone, while Grogu (who is brought to life thanks to some amazing puppeteering) is just as charming and cute as the years of online discussion about the show promised he’d be.
And honestly, this movie is loaded with the exact kind of “Star Wars stuff” I love seeing onscreen. Weird aliens. Strange little critters running around in the background. Dusty planets. Shady bars filled with danger. Rusty ships that look like they’ve actually lived through something. There’s a tangible sense of adventure throughout the entire film that I feel has been missing from a lot of modern franchise filmmaking. So many big blockbusters today feel overly polished and sterile, but this movie embraces the messy, lived-in quality that made the original trilogy feel special in the first place.
More than anything, The Mandalorian And Grogu reminded me of the kind of sci-fi adventure movies I grew up loving in the eighties and early nineties. The pacing is fast, the action scenes are easy to follow, and there’s this playful energy running through the whole thing that kept a smile on my face for most of the runtime. The film just wants to take you on a fun ride through a galaxy full of strange worlds and lovable characters.
That’s not to say the movie is perfect. There are definitely moments where the plot feels a little thin, and a few emotional beats rely heavily on your pre-existing attachment to these characters. I can also understand why some people wanted something bigger or more ambitious from the return of Star Wars to theaters. This isn’t some grand epic on the scale of Empire Strikes Back or Revenge Of The Sith. It’s much smaller and simpler than that, and this lacks those films’ cinematic gloss which in turn can make it feel like you’re just watching a straight-to-Disney+ special on the big screen.
For the first time in a while for me though, a Star Wars movie felt comfortable just being an adventure movie. Not setup for five future projects. Not two hours of franchise maintenance. Not a giant nostalgia trap desperately trying to recreate old magic beat-for-beat. Just a straightforward sci-fi journey with fun characters, creative worldbuilding, and a sense of excitement.
Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I just caught this movie in the exact right mood. Maybe had I actually watched the show I might feel like others do that I’m just watching back-to-back would be episodes. But sitting in that theater, watching Mando and Grogu bounce from one dangerous situation to another while surrounded by bizarre creatures and practical-looking worlds, I felt something I haven’t felt from Star Wars in a long time. Thus I have to be on the higher end of this than most of my colleagues and give Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu an intial grade of B+. The bar isn’t that high, but this is one of the better Star Wars films in the Disney era of the franchise.
“TL;DR”
Pros: Brings back the sense of adventure that has been missing from recent Star Wars films; Smaller scale story that doesn’t get wrapped up in the bigger lore of the series; Tons of cool creature designs; Will do the job as a popcorn flick for family friendly audiences
Cons: If you’ve watched the show this could just feel like two would-be episodes of the series shown back-to-back; For some this will feel like just a pointless side quest that doesn’t expand enough on the series lore; Lacks the cinematic gloss and scale of previous Star Wars films
Grading
