Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
- Ben Pivoz
- a few seconds ago
- 3 min read
The Star Wars franchise has struggled a bit following the conclusion of the sequel trilogy in 2019. The plan for a continuous series of spinoff movies died fast even before that, thanks to the failure of Solo in 2018. There have been seven different live-action series on Disney+ since then, with very mixed results. The one that has been the most well-received, especially commercially, is The Mandalorian. It is no surprise that Lucasfilm and Disney have decided to milk everything they possibly can out of it with a big-screen feature film. The question is: will the gambit work? Can they lure people off their couches for what is essentially a between seasons special episode of a tv show?
That remains to be seen. However, if fans flock to the awkwardly named Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, many of them are likely to walk out wondering why they couldn’t just watch this from home. It comes off as a standalone entry that doesn’t really further the plot of the show in any way, almost like it was designed to appeal to audiences who have never seen the show.
Our heroes are sent on a mission more dangerous than expected and must use their unique skills to survive. It does absolutely nothing to justify its existence as a movie, as opposed to being the beginning of a new season. The story is routine and uninteresting and the action feels perfunctory. This is content for the sake of it; pretty common for this streaming era, yet quite disappointing considering what George Lucas started half a century ago.
Bounty-hunting Mandalorian Din Djarin and his adorable little Jedi foundling, Grogu, now work for the New Republic, targeting those looking to continue the legacy of the now-defeated Empire. When they make a deal with the Hutts to find the deceased Jabba’s son, Rotta, and bring him back in exchange for the whereabouts of a former high-ranking member of the enemy, they wind up taking on more than they bargained for.
The sense of wonder and imagination, the size of the universe, world-building and storytelling, are all completely absent from The Mandalorian and Grogu (125 minutes, not including the end credits). It is very tightly focused on this individual situation, which has no larger ramifications for the characters. The two protagonists are in the exact same position at the end of the story as they were at the beginning.
I say “two protagonists” even though Grogu is treated more as a mascot here. Yeah, he gets his heroic moments near the climax, but he is mainly used for cute reaction shots while The Mandalorian does the work. He eats cookies, makes gurgling noises and waddles around. Anything we know about them was learned on the show. This movie keeps them one-dimensional.
It mostly uses the bigger screen (this was filmed for IMAX) to display The Mandalorian’s fighting prowess, using heavily CGI’d movements that are hard to follow. This isn’t a bad movie; there are some cool creatures and the locations are decently crafted. It is just a thoroughly unnecessary one, with nothing specific to recommend it. At no point did I feel like I had to see anything that was going on. The magic is gone from this franchise, and the enthusiasm from viewers seems to be slipping as well. Wait to watch this on your television; that is where it belongs.
2 out of 5
Cast:
Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian
Jeremy Allen White as voice of Rotta the Hutt
Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward
Jonny Coyne as Lord Janu
Directed by Jon Favreau
Written by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor