The Mandalorian and Grogu
Director: Jon Favreau
Mould: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, Jonny Coyne, Steve Blum, Martin Scorsese
Rating: ★★★.5
If there’s one thing that’s true The Star Wars sequel trilogy as a franchise after 2010 has largely disappointed (except for a few moments), but the standalone films and shows have saved the franchise’s aura and pride. The Mandalorian has been one of the shining lights of IP in recent years. And in the spinoff film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, everyone’s favorite galaxy-traversing duo is back, bringing the same sense of camaraderie and sweetness, even if it’s a little diluted.
What are the Mandalorian and Grogu doing?
In the film, Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), now works as a bounty hunter for the New Republic, capturing Imperial loyalists but mostly eliminating them, much to the irritation of his handler, Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver). After the twins, the heirs of Jabba the Hutt, are asked by the New Republic to rescue Jabba’s son Rota the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), Din and Grogu begin their adventure. But crossing the twins cost them dearly, forcing both the Mandalorian and the younger one to find the hero within themselves.
A fun ride on Grogu’s beauty begins
I’ve always said that Star Wars is a ripe buffet of genres. The original trilogy was a space opera, while the prequel was a political thriller mixed with lightsabers. Spinoffs have ranged from heists (Rogue One) to westerns (The Mandalorian) and even high fantasy dramas (The Acolyte). The Mandalorian and Grogu carry forward the show’s gunslinger-for-hire trope, but abandon the episodic plot for a nicely two-hour arc. It blends the western with arcade style action and some good old 70s chase scenes to create a quintessential Star Wars film.
Does this make the army stronger?
The film benefits from existing characters we care about, who we know, and whose stories we’ve seen before. This means that you won’t have to waste a lot of time displaying it. Having said that, the film won’t look too different to non-fans of the show or anyone seeing a Star Wars story for the first time. It’s a nice standalone story about a father and son on an adventure, with Star Wars lore mixed in somewhere in between. The way the backstory is introduced as throwaway lines is done in a way that makes it feel like exposition for new viewers and fun Easter eggs for hardcore fans.
The USP of The Mandalorian and Grogu is the chemistry of its leads, or rather, Pedro Pascal pretending to have chemistry with a puppet for two hours. But props are given to the person for expressing emotions without looking at their face for more than two minutes. With only his voice modulation, he makes Mando a likeable character again, and also expresses his protectiveness and love for his ward. Grogu’s character design is perfect (to sell toys but also to surprise the audience). In the scenes where Grogu takes center stage without Mando, he carries the film beautifully, like an adorable Little Groot, without the sass.
Jeremy Allen White is a nice addition to the Star Wars universe, bringing some vulnerability and depth to the Hutts, who were previously seen as one-dimensional bad guys. The cameos from Martin Scorsese and Sigourney Weaver were nice little cherries on top, but the thing that made me most happy was seeing Steve Blum again as Zeb, tying together so many Star Wars titles.
But The Mandalorian and Grogu is not a perfect film. It’s super fun, don’t get me wrong. But Wicked One was also like that. And he had more heart. It seems to lag in places where the stakes seem unrealistic. It doesn’t make for spectacular, intense viewing when the outcome is already felt. This is something that Star Wars is fighting in its new incarnation. The Mandalorian and Grogu increasingly falls victim to genre fatigue, saved only by the charm of its leading man and the overwhelming cuteness of his ward. And despite its flaws, it somehow works. Maybe this is the way!