The Mandalorian and Grogu is the first Star Wars film since 2019 and continues from the events of The Mandalorian TV show. Photo: Disney/Lucasfilm.
It’s been seven years since moviegoers last travelled back a long time ago to a galaxy far, far away.
While Disney+ has been keeping the Star Wars wheel turning with a steady stream of content of varying quality, there’s something special about seeing a Star Wars movie on the big screen.
Thankfully, The Mandalorian and Grogu, the continuation of Disney+’s first-ever original series, has hit cinemas to scratch that itch and hopefully erase the sour taste left by The Rise of Skywalker.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is set following the events of season three of The Mandalorian. The iconic chromed helmet gunslinger and his small, green, force-using companion are now working for the New Republic and accepting bounties to take out the remnants of the now defunct Empire.
The duo accept a contract that puts them in the service of The Hutt Clan, a crime syndicate led by The Twins, who are searching for a lost nephew and heir to the crime empire.
With spoilers in mind, I will leave plot details there, for this is the way (IYKYK).
The Mandalorian and Grogu is such a strange movie. There’s a lot to like, but it feels like three or four random episodes of the show cut together to make a feature-length run time.
The plot is very thin outside of visiting a planet, fighting a strange creature, grabbing a thing and then repeating for 2 hours. It’s a bit strange that this is the route Disney chose to take this film, when seasons two and three of the show veered away from a story-of-the-week format in favour of a more centralised, overarching plot.
It leaves the movie feeling like random episodes left on the cutting-room floor, rather than a story that continues the tale of the best two characters since Disney took over.
It’s a bit disappointing that after a seven-year wait, there aren’t larger stakes in a brand new Star Wars movie.
With all that said, it has also been three years since the last season of The Mandalorian dropped, and it’s still really cool seeing him blow up huge robotic crawlers, fight crazy critters and interact with other iconic characters.
All of this is exemplified by the stunning, expanded IMAX resolution you can only truly appreciate on the big screen.
Every planet and its biomes looked incredible, from snow to cityscapes to swamps. The locales, with crystal-clear resolution, made the entire production feel expensive and large in scale. It’s only a pity the stakes of the film didn’t match the same feel.
The music is also top-notch. While it’s not the flutes and whistles of John Williams, Ludwig Göransson (known for his work on Oppenheimer, Sinners and The Mandalorian show) continues to prove he is a generational talent and one of the best modern-day composers.
The score is punchy and instantly recognisable. It elevates the movie’s big moments and creates an aura around our title characters.
It’s also worth highlighting the incredible puppetry. One of the biggest criticisms of the Prequel Trilogy was its reliance on CGI characters for anything that wasn’t human. Thankfully, Disney has rectified this by striking a good balance between practical and CGI effects. It creates a sense of tangibility and immersion that was missing from the movies in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Grogu’s movements look great, and his design and detail are better than ever.
That said, it isn’t enough to make this essential viewing. As previously mentioned, the movie feels like TV episodes stitched together. It sets a frustrating pace that shifts from thrilling action scenes to very slow lulls within minutes.
For those going to the midnight release like myself, it does make it incredibly difficult to stay awake at 1:30 in the morning when there’s a plot point about Grogu stealing fish.
Attending a midnight release for a new Star Wars movie is a tradition for many fans, including myself! Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
The biggest issue with the movie is that it doesn’t feel like a movie.
It’s a strange mix-and-match of episodes stuck together, and while it is cool to see these characters back, I can’t help but feel it would have been better off as a fourth season of the TV show instead.
While I’m sure Star Wars fans from around the world will enjoy it, it’s unlikely to attract new fans, especially given that it’s based on an existing show.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently showing in cinemas everywhere.
