The Mandalorian and Grogu ☆☆☆

Starring: Pedro Pascal,
Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Star Wars’ current cinematic history has been something of a mixed bag to say the least. Following Disney’s purchase of the IP, things got off to a strong start with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, then entered more divisive territory with The Last Jedi and Solo, before landing in firmly disliked waters with The Rise of Skywalker. It also doesn’t help that Lucasfilm has developed a bad habit of announcing too many projects and then letting them rot in development hell for eons, as with Rian Johnson’s trilogy, Simon Kinberg’s trilogy, Taika Waititi and Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron film.

Still, that hasn’t stopped Lucasfilm from exploring further potential for Star Wars movies, and it found a contender in Pedro Pascal’s fan-favourite character, Dinn Djarin AKA The Mandalorian. After leading three seasons of his own titular series, Disney, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau decided Mando and his little green friend Grogu should get the big screen treatment, and considering how popular both characters are, it’s not a hair-brained endeavour.

Sadly, though, The Mandalorian and Grogu’s fun action and cute moments can’t save one of the most empty and hollow theatrical feature films ever to grace the Star Wars galaxy. The Mandalorian and Grogu picks up after Season 3 of the Disney+ series, which, in the timeline of the movies, places it after the Fall of the Empire and between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Following his long rivalry with Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Mando is now hunting down Imperial war criminals for the New Republic with his adopted son Grogu at his side. Soon, a mission from New Republic Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) has Mando and Grogu forming an uneasy partnership with the Hutt Cartel, who enlist the famed bounty hunter to find the long-lost heir of Jabba the Hutt, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White).

Before getting too much in the weeds, The Mandalorian and Grogu manages to get off to a legitimately great start with some really inventive action sequences. From a hallway fight from the perspective of a Mouse Droid to an impressive oner that has Mando tearing through Snowtroopers, this opening is the closest Star Wars has ever gotten to a John Wick film. Ludwig Göransson’s immaculate score is also given prominence here. But all that being said, the cold open doesn’t have much in the way of meaningful plot or gripping dialogue and that’s an issue that only progresses as the movie continues.

The Mandalorian and Grogu has one of the most bare-bones screenplays of any Star Wars film in history. No subtext, no themes, no character arcs, everything from start to finish is just one character telling Mando and Grogu to go to X location to pick up Y MacGuffin and then rinse and repeat. There’s little to nothing that ties back to the original Disney+ series, bar a few visual references.

Much of the dialogue also raises red flags, not in the same way that “I don’t like sand” or “Somehow Palpatine returned,” because all the dialogue here is serviceable but not believable. It’s just expository, with every single character explaining every minute detail to the audience. There are few moments where the characters just take a moment to learn about each other as individuals, making it so Djarin doesn’t have any chemistry with anyone else on screen, even his little green son.

“The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a return to form for the Star Wars IP, but only in terms of 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie. That movie felt like a tightly condensed series of episodes instead of a proper feature film and this is no different. The pacing, structure and dialogue are aggressively by the book, so it lacks the charm and magic that make this franchise so special.”

Mando feels more one-dimensional than he ever has in the newest Star Wars movie, but Grogu thankfully fares a little bit better. Many of the film’s greatest moments consist of Grogu being so flipping adorable, and it’ll be a challenge not to smile whenever he’s interacting with the Anzellans. But even he’s not immune to some of the film’s flaws. It’s unengaging story and bland dialogue make the 2-hour and 12-minute runtime creep at a snail’s pace and one sequence involving Grogu goes on for a longer portion than it should.

The side characters are also a mixed bag. Jeremy Allen White’s Rotta has a surprisingly beefy amount of screentime in the film, and it’s nice to see a different side of the Hutts. Rotta has even more screentime than Colonel Ward or Star Wars Rebels fan-favourite Zeb (Steve Blum) both of whom are not given nearly enough to do. Sigourney Weaver not having much to do in her Star Wars debut feels downright criminal for the sci-fi icon. The one character who does get a bit more time to shine is Star Wars: The Clone Wars icon Embo, who thankfully brings forth a much-needed physical challenge for Mando.

Apart from Embo, one of the biggest flaws with Mandalorian and Grogu’s characters are its villains. The Hutt Twins and the Imperial Officers whom Djarin is hunting are, without a doubt, the most forgettable and uninteresting antagonists in a franchise that is legendary for some of the greatest villains in film history.

The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a return to form for the Star Wars IP, but only in terms of 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie. That movie felt like a tightly condensed series of episodes instead of a proper feature film and this is no different. The pacing, structure and dialogue are aggressively by the book, so it lacks the charm and magic that make this franchise so special.

A forgettable Star Wars movie is one thing, but a project that damages a once-great character is another. Ever since Book of Boba Fett, the forward momentum and progression that made Din Djarin so interesting has been repeatedly walked back. Being separated from Grogu so he can train with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill)? That lasted a few months. Losing the Razor Crest ship? He gets the same ship in this movie. Wielding the Dark Saber? He hands it over to Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) almost instantly. The Mandalorian and Grogu is just another case of Disney and Lucasfilm feeling like they don’t really know what to do with the character.

Is The Mandalorian and Grogu the worst Star Wars film ever made? Far from it, as there is much fun to be had here. Is it the best in the franchise? Also not the case, as it could very well be the most forgettable and inconsequential entry the franchise has produced yet. Andor, Maul - Shadow Lord, The Acolyte, Visions and especially the earliest seasons of The Mandalorian proved that Star Wars can be so much more than a few gunfights and starship battles. In the right conditions, it can be a truly unforgettable cinematic experience, even when the movie isn’t that good. The Mandalorian and Grogu are neither great nor awful and that’s what makes it so frustrating.

– Courtesy: Collider.com

Rating system: *Not on your life * ½ If you really must waste your time ** Hardly worth the bother ** ½ Okay for a slow afternoon only *** Good enough for a look see *** ½ Recommended viewing **** Don’t miss it **** ½ Almost perfect ***** Perfection