by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
When it was first announced that Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu would be the first film in the franchise to get a theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker, my initial reaction was, “Ooooh, don’t like that.” Not only did it feel like a cheap ploy to score points with the fans, it felt at least a few years too late.
Damnit, do I hate being right.
But that isn’t even the biggest problem. The biggest problem with this film is exactly what I was concerned it would be: It feels like nothing more than an extended episode of The Mandalorian.
Din Djarin and Grogu are taking bounties from the New Republic and Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward, and right from their first mission, the visuals do not feel up to the task. They look cheap and something I would have perhaps been more forgiving of if it was on my TV screen with a TV budget, not projected in a massive theater. And it wasn’t a one-off either. The set pieces as a whole are a letdown. When it’s not the visual effects, it’s the editing and color grading. I couldn’t tell what was happening during most of the action scenes. Even the “oner” in the film feels like it’s behind the times
Aside from the visuals, the story also feels like something that would take an episode or two in an arc of The Mandalorian. It doesn’t feel special. There’s nothing about this mission that feels different than a run-of-the-mill job from the show. Even the characters that are brought in from other properties don’t help it shake the feeling you’re watching a big budget TV movie. I love Star Wars: Rebels. Zeb is a great character. But he does not work in live action. He looks stilted and just off. Even Jeremy Allen White’s Rotto the Hutt is a throwback to the time Star Wars literally cut episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars together for a theatrical release. And while the son of Jabba is much less annoying in this version, the character is just one big nothing burger. It’s another character that looks out of place and the performance doesn’t elevate it at all.
The Mandalorian and Grogu also suffers from the same thing that made Rise of Skywalker such a disaster. Now, before I go any further, this film is not the absolute insult that Rise of Skywalker was, it’s merely disappointing. However, it shares one of its fatal flaws. It’s a safe play solely designed to just give “Star Wars” “fans” what Disney thinks they want. In a period of turmoil for the franchise, one of the best things Disney did is bring Grogu to the masses. However, that show debuted a month before Episode IX, and, for some of us, the feeling that the little green guy can do no wrong has since faded. The move not only feels cheap, but also one that’s come years too late. The Book of Boba Fettside quest and a lukewarm Season 3 already drained the high I was on with this particular part of the property by the end of Season 2.
But I was denigrating the internet’s favorite baby who’s not a baby. Yes, he’s cute. Yes, the fact that he’s a puppet is cool, but I’m getting to the point where I need him to get some more characterization. To be fair, the film does what it can to give him growth. He’s got whatever version of agency they feel comfortable giving him and he does have to step up and make some of his own decisions. What I’m getting at is they seem absolutely terrified of having him develop beyond cute expressions and gurgles. I know I’m not the first to say it, but it’s true–I feel like Disney painted themselves into a corner with the “Baby Yoda” thing and now aren’t willing to give him any real personality growth or speaking ability beyond that. It’s been 3.25 seasons and a movie at this point; I need more than what we’ve gotten so far.
Because my overwhelming feeling is one of disappointment, I’ve been harsher so far than my overall rating will suggest I feel about the film. I don’t hate it; I just sat through it most of the time in the daze it seemed like Sigourney Weaver was in while reading her lines. I mostly felt nothing—but that’s not to say there’s nothing positive to take away.
As I said, a good chunk of my theater still seemed like they were under Grogu’s spell. He generated quite a few laughs and did so pretty consistently (not even I was immune to his charm). Also, despite my dismay of how most of the film looks, there are moments when it pulls off something particularly striking. I just needed those moments to be much less few and far between.
The biggest highlight, though, should come as no surprise. Like John Williams before him, Ludwig Göransson is blameless. He’s the best part of the movie by far. Whether he’s just copy and pasting or iterating on them, the original themes never fail to do their job. The original music also rocks. The man can do no wrong.
I suspect for some, The Mandalorian and Grogu will give them exactly what they want after a six-and-a-half-year theatrical hiatus. I was hoping for more. If my audience is anything to go off of, I expect people to flock to the theaters to see this one. Whether they come back repeatedly after the holiday weekend will be the interesting thing to track.
Rating: Just Okay
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently available to watch in theaters.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd