The film feels too safe, a tad too predictable, and a little too faithful to its small-screen iteration.
A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, a mother and her son waited with bated breath for a hit streaming series to make its big screen debut. When it finally hit the silver screen, the duo made a beeline to the nearest theater at the earliest possible screening time.
They came in excited. They waited over two years for the film after all. They came out quite happy, but not fully satisfied. They left with the nagging feeling that something was missing.
This was not the way.
What it got right
But first, some context. The movie in question is Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first theatrical Star Wars film to follow the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019-2023), and also the first in seven years after The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Set after the fall of the Galactic Empire, we learn that bounty hunter-turned-mentor/dad figure Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his apprentice/adopted son Grogu (Baby Yoda to his swooning fans) have started taking on one-off contract jobs for the fledgling New Republic (a.k.a. the good guys).
In the film, Mando and Grogu are handled by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), leader of the New Republic’s Adelphi Rangers, who tracks Imperial remnants in the Outer Rim. For their new mission, Colonel Ward wants them to track down a notorious Empire holdout and bring him in, dead or alive.
Information about the mysterious target is scant; nobody even knows what he looks like. This leaves Mando with no other choice but to seek out the equally infamous “twins,” a.k.a. Jabba the Hutt’s relatives, who have taken over his criminal syndicate. In exchange for valuable intel, the slimy (literally and figuratively) twins ask Mando to “rescue” their nephew, Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), who has been held hostage and made to compete in gladiatorial games on a distant planet.
What follows is classic Star Wars fare and The Mandalorian fans already know the drill: each mission comes with intergalactic chases, well-choreographed fight scenes, and a slew of quirky characters (watch out for the Ardennian shopkeeper voiced by the Martin Scorsese). At the heart of it all is everyone’s favorite duo after Han Solo and Chewbacca—the delightfully stoic Mando and his infinitely adorable son/sidekick Grogu.
Put simply, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a love letter to the series’ fans.
What it lacked
The Mandalorian and Grogu ticks all the boxes, save for what is perhaps the most important one. Sure, it has thrills, laughs, and even some tear-jerking moments. There is, of course, a lot of heart by way of Mando and Grogu’s unbreakable bond. The Mandalorian fans would be happy to know that it is faithful to the series’ template, from the opening set piece down to its final frame.
As mentioned earlier, Nico and I left the theater happy—but we were not entirely satisfied. We could not pinpoint the exact reason right away. It was only after a rather earnest discussion over Japanese beef hamburger that we finally arrived at the answer—The Mandalorian and Grogu did not feel epic. It feels too safe, a tad too predictable, and a little too faithful to its small-screen iteration.
I couldn’t pin the entire blame on director Jon Favreau, who co-wrote the film with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor. The film arrived with too heavy a burden on its shoulders. Expectations were sky-high, given that The Mandalorian was seen as the series that would save the Star Wars franchise, which has been in the doldrums for quite some time already. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), for example, severely underperformed at the box office. A year later, The Rise of Skywalker—the final episode in the Skywalker saga—was panned by critics.
The first two seasons of The Mandalorian were like a breath of fresh air, but alas, the third season was afflicted with a nasty case of the MCU syndrome, or the over-saturation of interconnected superhero media, leading to viewer exhaustion as it forces audiences to watch everything to understand the broader narrative.
Despite this, fans such as me and my son never lost hope (also, thank god for the much superior Andor, which kept us hooked on Star Wars), hoping that the film would put the beloved series back on track. While The Mandalorian and Grogu did not further derail the franchise, it failed to be the much-needed boost that brings Star Wars back to lofty heights. The movie should have been a promotion, but it felt more like a two-episode special, a footnote to the lackluster third season.
I wish it didn’t limit itself to The Mandalorian formula as that has already been milked dry. I wish it had taken more narrative risks. I wish it had taken advantage of the heart-tugging father-son relationship of Mando and Grogu. Looking back on the film, I realized it didn’t take us anywhere new, and the characters, despite their charisma, lacked any significant development whatsoever.
While the film was a fun romp across galaxies far, far away, I lament how Favreau, Filoni, and Kloor failed to use the Mandoverse’s greatest assets: its characters and fascinating lore. It would have been more enjoyable had the Mando and Grogu gone beyond their cookie-cutter roles. The film would have been more memorable had there been higher stakes than just a mission involving criminals and warlords. In fact, I was hoping for some build-up to Thrawn being the biggest threat to the New Republic.
The dismal box office numbers say it all. The Mandalorian and Grogu is well on its was to becoming the lowest-earning Star Wars movie ever, which breaks my heart a bit. As of writing, it has grossed only US$298 worldwide, almost a hundred million lower than that of Solo’s, which previously held the undesirable title. I can’t help but wonder, had the film come out after the second season, would it have been more successful?
The Mandalorian and Grogu, unfortunately, is NOT the way. Not the way, at least, for Star Wars to regain its old glory. Only for now, I hope.
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Finding its way
Not all is gloom and doom, however. Despite a rather lukewarm reception from critics, The Mandalorian and Grogu still logged in a decent 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than The Rise of Skywalker (51%) and The Phantom Menace (54%).
It is also a genuinely fun watch. Audiences seem to agree, as it scored an impressive 87% on the same review aggregator. That is the highest audience score for a Star Wars film in the Disney era, and above the prequel trilogy, too. The only movies to beat it are the OG three.
Still, fans are left worried that with the less-than-stellar box office numbers, any plan for a fourth season for The Mandalorian might be as good as dead. I still want to be a witness to Mando and Grogu’s adventures and the friendships they build along the way. I still hope to see more of the Mandoverse and its many quirky and lovable characters. It would be such a waste to have it all end with this film.
May Favreau et. al. find the way.
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