Photo via IMDb
By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
After seven years of “Star Wars” being absent from the silver screen, this is what Disney pumps out: a shallow puppet show with a bunch of CGI. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” is the continuation of “The Mandalorian” series, which has three seasons on Disney+, and this film is certainly an extension of that wildly popular TV show. In fact, the story feels very episodic to the point where it seems originally intended as the fourth season but was smooshed together as a sleazy attempt to cash in at the box office.
No longer a mercenary for hire, Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his baby jedi apprentice Grogu are employed by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) and the New Republic to find former Imperial officers and take them off the board. One such mission takes them to the Outer Rim, where Mando has the unenviable task of dealing with the powerful Hutt siblings to find and deliver their nephew Rotta (Jeremy Allen White) in exchange for information on the whereabouts of a high-ranking Imperial officer nearby. Of course, as ulterior motives come to light, the dynamic duo must adapt or succumb to the lethal traps set for them.
This story, co-written and directed by Jon Favreau, can barely be called a film. It feels more like binge-watching several episodes of the TV series in succession, complete with chokepoints that viewers could identify as the end of one episode and start of another. While the series has been well-crafted, particularly the first two seasons, successfully building the characters and plots, there is no such development for this movie. Favreau neglects character development and he doesn’t even present a story that advances the “Star Wars” universe in any meaningful way. There are no heavy stakes at play like there are in every other film in the franchise, creating a dramatic void. It’s seemingly a side quest that nobody asked for or will remember. The result is a pointless product that cannot justify its own existence, hoping to simply win over a rabid fanbase with cuteness.
If Jon Favreau came out and said he employed the wonderful creators of “Sesame Street,” gave them the biggest budget they’ve ever seen, and told them to produce something vaguely resembling the “Star Wars” franchise, it would not be surprising. The puppetry/animatronics are very prevalent throughout the film with Favreau emphasizing every scene involving Grogu (aka baby Yoda) to be as cute as possible. To this end, he succeeds, whether it’s Grogu’s voracious appetite or his uncontrollable desire to touch everything he’s not supposed to or his sweet disposition to protect the Mandalorian, audiences will be eating out of his green three-fingered little hands. Little kids especially will be drawn to him and should result in an uptick of plushy sales. If there was an award for cutest sidekick character, Grogu gives Rocky (from “Project Hail Mary”) a run for his money.
As far as the action is concerned, there is plenty of it, but without real stakes at play, Favreau fails to attach any emotional connection to it, leaving those scenes fun yet forgettable. The visuals and sound effects of these scenes are what viewers would expect with Favreau utilizing Dolby Atmos, breathtaking and reverberating. Favreau also incorporates tidbits of nostalgia to appease longtime fans of the franchise. The Embo character and his fearsome pet, who first appeared in “The Clone Wars” animated series, returns as the ruthless gun for hire in this movie. There are also heavy references to Jabba the Hutt with the Rotta character being his son. Favreau even gives a nod to “A New Hope” with a full-scale battle scene that replicates the Holochess game Chewbacca and R2-D2 were playing aboard the Millenium Falcon. However, audiences will be disappointed if they’re expecting the same intro space scrawl accompanied by the infamous John Williams soundtrack that is showcased in most other “Star Wars” films. The score composed by Ludwig Göransson feels very underwhelming, using heavy electronic synthesizers that should have prompted a glow stick giveaway for every theater ticket purchase.
There’s not much to say about the acting considering most of the performances come from CGI, puppet, or masked characters. Pedro Pascal’s flat line delivery behind his metal helmet does nothing to manufacture any sense of excitement or importance. Having Sigourney Weaver appear in the film is nothing more than a novelty, incorporating the franchise queen into the biggest cinematic universe after already being a staple in the “Alien,” “Avatar,” and “Ghostbusters” films.
Simply put, even if you’re fans of the TV series, the compelling storytelling with richly deep characters is completely abandoned in favor of meaningless spectacle. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” seeks to challenge “Episode I” and “Episode II” as being the worst movie of the franchise. At least those other two films had more of a point that progressed the overarching story with much higher stakes. Even Jabba the Hutt would call this “Bantha fodder.”
This movie earns:
