For me, there’s not a lot that compares to sitting down in a theater to take in some Star Wars goodness. Sure, recently it’s been hit or miss, but in general, I’m always happy to leave the daily grind behind to venture off to a long time ago, in a galaxy…well, you get the drift.
Set after season three of The Mandalorian, The Mandalorian and Grogu picks up essentially right where things left off. This really isn’t a surprise, as showrunners Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni had written an entire fourth season before 2023’s labor strikes in Hollywood (for the film, they share writing credits with Noah Kloor). After that, Disney execs decided to put their chips on a movie of Mando, and I think it generally pays off.
The film is essentially two episodes back-to-back, and despite how this may be portrayed in other corners of the ‘net, for me it works just fine. I went in looking for more of The Mandalorian, and that’s exactly what I got – with a bigger budget. We start en media res and things run along at a good clip, dipping here and there to let you get used to new characters or locales, but I never felt bored. After three seasons of the show, we know what’s being served up and I’m ready to eat.
Our titular bounty hunter is again played by Pedro Pascal, with set doubles Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder in the suit for certain scenes. Pascal delivers what we’ve come to expect: a solid, believable performance of a character that can be a bit one-note at times. Baby Yoda – sorry, Grogu, is as adorable and believable as he’s always been. In this film, he gets to have more of his own moments as he’s becoming more able and independent. Nice to see the needle move a little.
We get introduced to Ward (Sigourney Weaver), a no-nonsense New Republic colonel who acts as Mando’s handler for the film. The role is written to Weaver’s strengths, but to be honest, I feel like she could read out of the phone book and I’d be rapt. There is a surprising amount of Zeb from Rebels (Steve Blum), and I’m here for it. Even Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White) is a breath of fresh air when viewed against the stereotypical portrayal of the galaxy’s sluggish crime lords. We also get a smattering of cameos from other Star Wars shows, and I’m always happy to see things that add to the feel of a living, breathing setting. In addition, we’re treated to a callback to the very first Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope for the younglings), and it actually had me chuckling in appreciation.
I found the visuals engaging and imaginative. Ships, aliens, droids, locations — they all evoked a sense of coolness and wonder that I want in my Star Wars. There’s nothing ground-breaking, but I’m not sure we needed that for this film. I think if you get ‘immersive’ and ‘fun’ right, you’ve understood the assignment, and this film has those in spades.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to the score by Ludwig Göransson. While he’s working with themes set up in the series, there are some interesting additions that enhance set pieces in a way I wasn’t expecting.
As for critiques, I’d say that the writing could be better. While everything is workmanlike, there can be times when the actual character of the dialogue is vapid. People are saying things, but sometimes it feels like you could switch all of the roles around and not really notice the difference, if that makes sense. It was telling to me that, besides Mando himself, two of the CGI characters had more inflection and characterization in their speech than a lot of the human characters. I hate to even say this, but there was a point listening to some of it that I couldn’t help but wonder if it was AI-generated. Not fair, I know, but it pinged my radar.
Again, the plot is simple and low stakes, so for some, that might not be what they want out of a Star Wars movie. I don’t think you need to have seen the show to enjoy this, but the filmmakers certainly assume you have. If that’s something that rankles you, I can see that being annoying.
Overall, I’d say The Mandalorian and Grogu is a fun, family film that does what it sets out to do: entertain. There’s plenty of exciting action, humor, and a little bit of heart. All things I look for in my Star Wars experience. Judging by the crowd reaction in the seats around me, I’m not alone in that.
Already seen The Mandalorian and Grogu? Share your thoughts in our spoiler discussion thread here.
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