The latest “Star Wars” offering, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” is fine at best. It has some exciting moments and imaginative sequences, but nothing too inventive or engaging. What I thought most about it was…why was this a movie? Borne out of “The Mandalorian” TV series, why does this story necessitate a cinematic spin-off? Presumably it has to do with finances—both Disney wanting to make more money off their property but also requiring certain budgetary changes as well. But from a strictly story perspective, there’s nothing about “The Mandalorian and Grogu” that feels like it had to have been told, certainly not in film form. Maybe a Disney+ special, or a mini-series, or just three episodes of the next season. But by making it this big standalone (and attempting to make a summer tentpole movie out of it), director Jon Favreau and company actually do the property a disservice, like putting it in an ill-fitting suit that never makes any damn sense.
The Mandalorian (voiced by Pedro Pascal, played by Pascal, Lateef Crowder, and Brendan Wayne) is a bounty hunter who has adopted a new code and a son. The code is that he isn’t just taking any jobs from anyone (including criminals) but instead works with the burgeoning New Republic to hunt down Imperial scum left over from the Empire to make sure it doesn’t happen again. And his adopted son, Grogu, has lots of Force powers but still needs someone to look after him in this vast galaxy. When The Mandalorian’s dispatcher, Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), assigns him with a new task, the bounty hunter and his ward rescue Rotta The Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) while trying to not run too afoul of various criminal and imperial enemies.
Anything can be a movie. I was a newly formed teenager when I first saw “Clerks” and realized “ohhhh, film can be about anything if it’s done well enough.” A woman frittering away her afternoon, a musical freakout by a manufactured pop band, a band of misfits hitting the road, a documentary about the insects that live in our backyard…there is no subject that cinema cannot cover. But there does need to be some justification for why the filmmakers felt compelled to use the medium to tell their story—especially when making the leap from one format to another. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” just never answers that question, as Favreau and company deliver an okay movie that doesn’t feel special or necessary or pressing or anything vital that is deserving of two hours of your time.
Make no mistake—there’s fun stuff in it: Phil Tippett came back to do stop-motion for a sequence! Grogu is ridiculously cute and gets lots of moments to shine! There’s a couple of decent fight scenes/choreography! Sigourney Weaver! But none of these parts coalesce into a greater whole that makes any sort of impact, nothing that isn’t fleeting smirks and gentle laughter, anyways. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” doesn’t pay off anything new or unexpected for fans of the show, and it also doesn’t really put its best foot forward to non-fans. If you hadn’t seen any of “The Mandalorian,” you’d walk away thinking it’s a fun series that’s awkwardly tied up in “Star Wars” lore and nothing else. The Western riffs and actual character arcs are faintly present in the film, but nowhere near the heights that the Disney+ show has hit at its peak.
But it’s hard to truly hate “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” It would be akin to beating up the adorable titular puppet—unnecessary and just plain mean. Favreau’s film is pleasant and fine, it boasts all those fun parts I mentioned, plus another great score by Ludwig Göransson (the man can do no wrong), and it even highlights in the credits the stunt performers (Crowder and Wayne) who also play The Mandalorian alongside Pascal. But again…it’s just not enough to get over the hurdle of its own reason for being. It never feels like you’re seeing something you’ve never seen before or anything special or touching or…human, I guess. It feels like an assignment that no one was passionate about but they all still did fine jobs completing.
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” isn’t some new low for “Star Wars.” Hell, “The Rise of Skywalker” makes this film look like “Lawrence of Arabia.” At one point, though, probably due to scarcity, “Star Wars” felt special. If there was a new “Star Wars” story, it was important or worth your attention. And yet, with the glut of the property on Disney+ and more, that cool veneer has worn off. So now, in order to stand out, the films actually need to be even more special. They need to matter—not necessarily in terms of canon or lore or whatever nerdy stuff, but matter to the viewers. It needs original spectacle and heartfelt moments to make a true impact that will engage audiences and dazzle them once again. Unfortunately, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” just reminds people of one thing: that they have “Star Wars” at home.
3 / 5 Stars
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Lateef Crowder, Brendan Wayne, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White
