The Mandalorian and Grogu
Directed by Jon Favreau
Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jonny Coyne
“Star Wars returns to theaters and remembers it used to know how to make people cheer. The Mandalorian and Grogu is the safest possible reentry point. It is also the most enjoyable Star Wars movie in nearly a decade.”
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The Review
It has been almost ten years since Star Wars released a theatrical film. The franchise has spent that decade in the Disney+ trenches, producing television that ranges from genuinely good to genuinely embarrassing, and a lot of the audience checked out somewhere in the middle. The Mandalorian and Grogu is Lucasfilm's attempt to remember how a Star Wars movie is supposed to feel, with the safest possible pair of leads carrying it.
Jon Favreau directs his own scripts again, which is the right choice. The plot is straightforward. Mando and Grogu pick up a new mission, run into someone played by Sigourney Weaver chewing every available surface, and end up at a set piece that any kid in the theater will quote on the way home. There is no attempt to reinvent the saga. There is a real attempt to make the saga fun, which is what fans have been quietly asking for since 2019.
It is not a movie that will end up on serious best of lists. It will end up on a lot of let me revisit lists. The lightsaber moment lands. The Grogu reaction shots land harder than they should. Pedro Pascal continues to deliver an emotional performance through a helmet, which remains an underrated craft achievement. The franchise is in recovery and this is exactly the kind of small bet that lets it heal.
What It Nails
- +Pedro Pascal's helmeted performance is genuinely affecting
- +Sigourney Weaver as a villain is a casting decision that should be illegal it is so good
- +Visual language is clearly modeled on the original trilogy and it shows
- +The set piece in the third act is the best Star Wars action sequence since 2017
- +Grogu is still Grogu, which is the entire point
What It Botches
- -The villain plot does not give Weaver enough to work with despite her performance carrying it
- -Some television-budget visual effects make it into a theatrical film and it shows
- -A subplot about the New Republic exists and then mostly does not pay off
- -Will inevitably be compared to the original trilogy in ways it cannot win
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Who It's For
Anyone who liked the Mandalorian show. Parents looking for a kid friendly blockbuster. Fans who have been waiting for Star Wars to remember it can be fun without being mythological.
Who Should Skip
People hoping for a course correction across the entire franchise. Hardcore expanded universe loyalists. Audiences expecting an Empire Strikes Back tier emotional gut punch.
Marketing Roast
Disney is selling this as the return of Star Wars to cinemas, which is technically true and tactically smart. The marketing has been restrained, which is the most encouraging sign the studio has shown about this property in years.
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