An action-packed adventure
Summary
The Mandalorian and Grogu wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I expected with plenty of action set-pieces and fun character moments. I like how it doesn’t rely on nostalgia bait but does its own thing in the Star Wars universe. It may be aimed at a younger audience but I just let my inner child takeover and enjoyed the ride.
Plot: The evil Empire has fallen but Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu.
Review: I don’t think anyone had particularly high expectations for The Mandalorian and Grogu; it’s been too long since the end of the not-very-good third season and I don’t know too many people who are actually hyped for this. Being a die hard Star Wars nerd I was always going to be there to check it out for myself as I think the first two seasons of Mando are prime Star Wars.
Reviews thus far have been mixed and after viewing the film I totally get it; The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn’t add anything to the lore and it is essentially just an extended episode of the TV show. If you’re looking for deep meditations on The Force then you’ll be disappointed as that’s not what this is and it was never marketed as such.
If you can get past this I was surprised by how much fun I had with this movie; it wastes no time getting going with Imperial Walkers in the opening scene and plenty of action throughout the mostly brisk runtime. We get hand to hand fight scenes, X-Wing fighters, explosions and lots of cool monsters. Is it aimed at a young audiences? Yes, but even at 48 years of age as soon as a Star Wars movie begins I can’t help but become 8 years old again. It’s a universe I love spending time in and this is just an old-fashioned, action packed adventure.
Although I think Grogu’s story ended at the end of season 2 of The Mandalorian he sells toys, so I understand why Disney refuse to let go of its cash cow. He does at least do stuff in this movie aside from be cute and eat (which he also does a lot of). I wish he would speak though as I was hoping that he would at some point turn to Mando and say “The Way, this is”.
As someone who has watched every Star Wars show (even the animated ones), it was great to see Zeb have a prominent role and I wasn’t sure what to think of Rotta the Hutt’s return after him being in The Clone Wars several years ago. Now voiced by Jeremy Allen White it’s weird to hear a Hutt speak English, but he’s actually a great character and was surprisingly one of my favourite aspects of the film. It was also awesome to see the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta in a live action Star Wars movie and it looked exactly the way I wanted it too.
The Mandalorian and Grogu’s story is straightforward with little depth, but it’s still infinitely more entertaining than any of the sequel trilogy. Despite the flaws, this captures the feel of classic Star Wars and is well paced although the part focusing on Grogu does kill the pacing a little.
The Mando theme tune is used regularly and is maybe the best it’s ever sounded; it’s soaring and heroic especially in the cracking opening 20 minutes.
Overall, I don’t want to go into any more details but The Mandalorian and Grogu was a rip roaring adventure with plenty of action and a genuine sense of fun. It doesn’t try to do anything to reinvent movies, but it’s just there to entertain and that’s exactly what it does. This indeed The Way.