Introduction
Did you know it’s been seven years since the last Star Wars movie (The Rise of Skywalker) was released? It’s hard to believe, but that’s because Disney has released seven different streaming series during that time, two of which have had multiple seasons (Andor and The Mandalorian). The obvious question here is, why send The Mandalorian and Grogu to the silver screen? The short answer is The Mandalorian and Grogu scratches that Star Wars itch.
Much of what I want to say about The Mandalorian and Grogu is basically the same as what I had to say about Solo: A Star Wars Story. This latest entry in the Star Wars universe is a perfectly adequate film that plays things very safe. It does the things we want it to do. But doesn’t really give us anything new to play with in our heads.
Synopsis
The Mandalorian and Grogu feature the titular characters hunting former Imperial officers who are up to no good. The film opens with an action sequence where Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (Grogu) take out one of these officers. They then return to a New Republic base for payment and their next assignment. The base is run by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), who scolds Mando for killing the Imperial instead of bringing him in alive for questioning.
Ward then offers him a new Razorcrest ship as payment for that mission, as well as for the next mission. She wants Mando to rescue a kidnapped Ratta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) and take him to the Hutt twins (Jabba the Hutt’s cousins). Ratta is Jabba’s son. In exchange for Ratta, the twins will provide the whereabouts of Imperial crime lord Janu Coin.
Discussion
Since the Hutts have never been fleshed out in official Disney Star Wars canon beyond crime lords, this film seems like the perfect opportunity to do that. Or rather, a full Season Four of The Mandalorian seems like the perfect opportunity to do that. Two hours and twelve minutes is not enough time to develop a crime syndicate and spend more time developing Mando and Grogu.
In addition, you need to develop a storyline where it feels like there is something more to Mando and Grogu than just hunting down former Imperials. You also need to develop a brand new character in Ratta. Plus, the film has to spend a significant amount of time on action scenes because this is, of course, a Star Wars movie.
Since this film is called The Mandalorian and Grogu, and not The Hutt Gambit or is subtitled with something Huttese, the Hutt twins and their syndicate receive the barest minimum of development. Ratta does get a decent amount of attention; however, his character is barely more than what amounts to a side quest for our title heroes.
Likewise with Janu. In fact, midway through, Mando and Grogu complete the greater task regarding the capture of Janu. This just reinforces the perception that the movie is really just a couple of episodes of a series. The latter half of the film is an extra Ratta side quest.
Further Analysis
Despite those shortcomings in the story, the rest of the film reminds us why we keep coming back for more Star Wars. For one thing, the visuals are downright awe-inspiring. The ships look amazingly real. As real as the full-scale models filling Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World and Disneyland. Also, the creatures, particularly the dragonsnake, appear just as real. So, when the battles and action scenes play out, you can’t help but soak them in without ever blinking.
The film doesn’t have any glaring flaws. It takes care of business, giving us some new and interesting characters and some simple plots to follow. And it gives us a bit of playfulness with Grogu and Pascal. The closest thing to a flaw was the choice to have Ratta speak English the entire time. I know it was done to help disassociate him from being an evil Hutt, but it was weird the entire time.
Conclusion
The Mandalorian and Grogu is a solidly entertaining movie. But not one that makes you crave more. Unless, of course, you crave more because you’re the kind of Star Wars fan who says “May the fourth be with you” on May 4. The obvious expectation going in is that it will just feel like an extended episode of the series. That’s not a bad thing, by the way. The Mandalorian and Grogu does not feel so much like an extended episode, but more like an entire season condensed down into an extended episode.
Without a doubt, this film would have worked much better as a limited series, if not a full season of The Mandalorian. But I’m not going to complain. It’s been seven long years since we got a new Star Wars film, and Andor is the only other series that people would like to see a movie from. You know, like Rogue One.
