It’s been seven years since a Star Wars film last hit the big screen, and the years have not been kind to 2019’s naff sequel trilogy closer Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
While the prospect of heading to the multiplex for a brand-new adventure in a galaxy far, far away should have been a source of excitement and provoked nerdgasms aplenty, a sense of trepidation had become warranted. Since 2019, the Star Wars overlords have banked on the small screen to revive its live-action fortunes, starting with The Mandalorian. Results have been mixed.
Andor was excellent, but the other offerings were bafflingly bland. At best. The Book of Boba Fett; Obi-Wan Kenobi; Ahsoka; Skeleton Crew… None left a lasting impression.
We don’t mention The Acolyte, which was just plain awful.
As for the show that started the franchise’s small screen migration, the first season of The Mandalorian was a Western-styled breath of fresh air, following a masked gunslinger and a cute baby Yoda, all to the tune of Ludwig Göransson’s synthy score. The second and third seasons bogged themselves down with dense mythology and lather-rinse-repeat storylines, which further dampened anticipation levels when it came to The Mandalorian And Grogu – a somewhat perplexing choice for Star Wars’ return to theatres.
To writer-director Jon Favreau and co-scribes Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor’s credit, the big screen continuation of the series does three things right.
Firstly, they present a straightforward story that requires the minimum amount of series knowledge, thereby allowing more casual viewers to slip into the narrative without having to do homework.
Secondly, The Mandalorian And Grogu starts off with an all-guns-blazing bang. We reteam with bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal – and suit performers Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder), who singlehandedly takes down a group of Stormtroopers. We then see him and Grogu get enlisted by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), who needs the duo to rescue Rotta The Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), who is the son of the late Jabba.
Yes, Jabba procreated before he snuffed it in Return of the Jedi. Don’t dwell on that detail – or how a captive space slug got washboard abs – for too long, for your own sake.
Rotta needs to be freed in exchange for information from the Hutt clan on a missing Imperial fugitive. Thus begins a decently paced first act, which boasts several strong set pieces.
The third thing they get right, you ask?
There’s a four-armed alien deli owner named Hugo who flips paninis and is voiced by Martin Scorsese.
Yes, that Martin Scorsese.
And that’s it. The rest is a thoroughly middling and low-effort mash-up of episodes that were clearly destined for the aborted fourth season of the show, which resumes itself to: Mando fights CGI aliens, accomplishes his mission, gets next assignment, then fights more CGI aliens, accomplishes his mission, gets next assignment, then fights more… You get the picture.
Grogu and his fuzzy little ears are still adorable, there’s no denying that. (There’s also a moment when he sneezes, which is simply delightful.) Sigourney Weaver can do no wrong, and that’s categorical. And granted, the opening minutes make for a tremendous action-packed sequence. But you can’t hang your entire Disney+ special on these pegs and expect viewers to look past the formulaic fetch quest plotting and completely inessential narrative which lasts for an intergalactically dull 132 minutes.
The Star Wars universe used to inspire awe, and the first movie since The Rise of Skywalker needed to signal a return to the George Lucas-sized space opera event entertainment that made fans want to hope again. The Mandalorian And Grogu isn’t an awful movie, but it’s far too risk averse and bland to renew the faith.
If this is the way for Star Wars moving forward, the franchise is still in a Sith hole.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu is out in cinemas now.