It’s the mighty return of our favorite space cowboy and his little green trusty sidekick — and no, it’s not on Disney+ this time. It’s on the silver screen, and if you’re a mega fan, do yourself a mega favor and see it in IMAX. Since its debut on Disney+ in 2019, we’ve all become familiar with the formula of “The Mandalorian:” the bounty is set, and he can either bring you in warm or he can bring you in cold — the choice is yours. So, what warrants dismissing the TV program, getting me off my couch, and heading out to the theaters? What’s different?
Well, for one, it’s been seven years since we last had blasters and lightsabers flashing across movie projectors in a theater, so it’s safe to say fans of the franchise needed — if not wanted — to experience that feeling again. Spoiler: there are no lightsabers in this film. Two, it’s a “Star Wars” picture. The name alone should — and has — been drawing crowds worldwide since 1977. So, a lot of the hype around this film is due not only to the adorable nature of Grogu eating everything he comes across, but also to witnessing a new character who has easily become a fan favorite since Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, finally appearing on the big screen.
An Exciting Pace from Start to Finish
Directed by Jon Favreau, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” is a fun space quest overloaded with laughs and action that immediately draws you in by offering nostalgic visuals while maintaining the exact same rhythm as the show. Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us,” “Fantastic Four”) as Din Djarin has won over viewers throughout the years by being an exceptional bounty hunter who lives by a code of honor, and once the price has been set, there’s nowhere in the galaxy you can run where he won’t find you. Alongside him is his Force-wielding ward, who has also won over hearts simply by being cute.
This intergalactic duo is tasked with a simple rescue mission by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) of the New Republic: return Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White) to his ever-so-caring twin aunt and uncle (first introduced in “The Book of Boba Fett”) in exchange for valuable information. Sounds like exactly the type of shenanigans those two would find themselves in, so I’m game.
The film maintains an exciting pace from start to finish, with great action sequences from the father-and-son team. Personally, it’s good to see that Grogu is learning from these encounters instead of simply being dragged along on these dangerous “take my kid to space” adventures without some sort of defense.
The Story Stays Safe in TV Land
As fun as this may be, and despite the joy I got out of watching it, the film still feels very much like the TV show instead of a new story with higher stakes. Sure, exploring the final frontier in search of interesting characters has its risks, but at no point did I feel like there were any real fatal consequences to their actions.
Unsurprisingly, the film finds its heart by showcasing the lengths the two leads are willing to go to in order to guarantee each other’s survival. It hits you like a ton of bricks seeing our little bounty hunter-in-training scared and alone, regardless of the powers he has lying dormant. Without saying a word, the film makes us feel the love and devotion between the two as we watch the roles reverse — the old taking care of the young, and in return, the young taking care of the old. This is the way.
But it’s Disney, so we all know they aren’t going to let the Pascal kid go anywhere, and they definitely aren’t letting anything happen to our precious Baby Yoda. We ride at dawn if they do.
Not a Challenging Film, but Lovable
Usually, “Star Wars” films have a message behind it all: “Rebellions are built on hope” (“Rogue One”), or how the path to hell is often paved with good intentions (“Revenge of the Sith”), and so on. Ideas are mentioned here that could have served the story well — such as being your own man and stepping out of your father’s shadow through the character of Rotta the Hutt — but it all remains surface level, and we’re ultimately left with little more than a nice monologue.
Whether you’re a fan or not, this is a wonderful film that almost anyone can enjoy and find hard to hate. However, it’s also a project that will likely be loved by everyone while challenging no one. Instead of feeling like a bold new adventure, it comes across more as a glorified two-part episode that happened to get its shot at the big leagues.
*”The Mandalorian and Grogu” is currently in theatres.
