It’s been seven years since The Rise of Skywalker left the Star Wars saga on a divisive note. As Star Wars fumbled on the cinematic front, a new hope arose on Disney+ with The Mandalorian, reminding audiences why they fell in love with this franchise. Of course, even The Mandalorian struggled to maintain momentum, as Season 3 fell short of the previous two. There was also Season 2.5, or The Book of Boba Fett, as Disney brands it. Now Din Djarin and Grogu make the leap to the big screen, looking to revive Star Wars on a theatrical front. While Jon Favreau turns in a rip-roaring action adventure, The Mandalorian and Grogu may be the most blatant example of how TV and film are merging into one.
You know how Moana 2 was going to be a Disney+ miniseries, but then got repurposed as a movie? While this might not have been the case with The Mandalorian and Grogu, it feels like that. The film essentially plays like several episodes of The Mandalorian Season 4 tied into a feature. At one point, it appears the film is wrapping up, only for the audience to realize they’re halfway through. It’s paced like a season of television, although the action and production values do make it worth a trip to the theater.
Director Jon Favreau offers a solid blend of CGI and practical effects, with Grogu once again stealing the show whenever he’s onscreen. I swear one sequence even works in stop-motion. Speaking of which, keen-eyed Star Wars fans will notice a cool nod to the holochess scene from the 1977 classic. On a pure action level, The Mandalorian and Grogu possesses some of the liveliest set pieces since Rogue One. It’s all set to a kickass score from Ludwig Göransson. As far as storytelling goes, though, the film is closer to Solo, lacking any real development or revelations that’ll leave the audience viewing these characters in a new light.
The plot revolves around Sigourney Weaver (Yeah, her character has a name, but she’s just playing Sigourney Weaver) enlisting Mando and Grogu to rescue Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White). As impressive as most of the creature effects are here, ILM has yet to turn in a convincing computer-generated Hutt. Even almost thirty years after the Special Editions, the ripped Rotta doesn’t look much better with his father. It doesn’t help that he speaks English with a voice that doesn’t quite fit his design. Watching Rotta interact with Grogu, I envisioned a voice closer to Mike Myers as Fat Bastard. Somebody needs to redub Rotta saying, “Get in my belly!” Hey, this movie has Martin Scorsese voicing a four-armed alien, so it wouldn’t be too far-fetched.
There is a father-son theme that occasionally shines through. It’s mentioned that Mando will die sooner or later. Grogu, meanwhile, will outlive his adoptive father by hundreds of years… yet for some reason never cross paths with Rey. Regardless, the touching dynamic between Mando and Grogu remains this story’s strong suit, even if their first cinematic outing doesn’t delve as deeply into their relationship as it could. You get the sense that The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t supposed to be the culmination of their story. It’s merely another chapter, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you like these characters and this world enough. I do, but we’re getting to the point where a new Star Wars movie isn’t so much an event as it is an episode.