The Main Issue with Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Courtesy of Lucasfilm

A new Star Wars movie is out, featuring popular characters Din Djarin (the Mandalorian) and Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Pedro Pascal. In a post-empire world, the New Republic tasks Mando with catching those who worked for the empire, and in the process, he gets caught up in the drama of what is left of Jabba the Hutt’s crime family. This is the first Star Wars movie to come out in nearly seven years since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker came out. Star Wars has been like a roller-coaster ride during the Disney era. Some fans like some movies and shows, and other fans hate them.

At the same time, fans want to see Star Wars on the big screen. Last year’s rerelease of Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith was proof that fans will go out and watch Star Wars in theaters.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is far from being the worst Star Wars movie. It’s a fun, enjoyable adventure that fans of the characters Mandalorian and Grogu will likely enjoy. It still has that unique tone from The Mandalorian, Ludwig Göransson’s fantastic score, and fun Grogu moments kids will love. The action when it does that, John Wick, but for Star Wars style, is great. It does not make the stupid choices that the last Star Wars movies made. Pedro Pascal is still great as Mando. It gives some interesting backstory on what the Hutt family has been up to after Jabba the Hutt’s death and does something surprising with his son Rotta the Hutt. Having said that, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu plays it safe.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu does not move the needle for Star Wars movies. It feels like four good, not amazing nor bad, episodes of The Mandalorian. At times, the action and special effects feel more like a show than a movie. Other times, it feels like it’s meant for a movie. The movie also doesn’t feel special. Usually, Star Wars movies feel like an event, even those that aren’t in the main Skywalker Saga, like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Mandalorian and Grogu more so feels like a decent, enjoyable movie made because Lucasfilm knows The Mandalorian is a popular show, the character Grogu is popular with families, and the merchandise sells well, and they wanted a movie out right away.

For fans who may have forgotten that a year before The Mandalorian and Grogu was announced in 2024, other Star Wars movies, including an old Republic movie directed by James Mangold, and a movie where Rey creates a new Jedi Order, were announced. Neither project has gone into development. Lucasfilm feels like DC before James Gunn took over, where the studio is throwing ideas on the wall and seeing which ideas stick and make those ideas into movies. The issue is that The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a play-it-safe kind of movie. It does nothing fresh to build up the brand. Unless you are someone who has never seen The Mandalorian and only watches Star Wars movies, this might be a unique experience as you are unfamiliar with the show’s style, score, and tone. For the rest of us, we’ve seen three seasons of The Mandalorian and the second half of The Book of Boba Fett, where it was more Mandalorian-focused.

Does that make Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu a bad movie? No, as it is still a solid Star Wars project. It is far from being a bad movie.  For the first Star Wars movie in nearly seven years, though, it’s disappointing. Fans want an experience when they see a Star Wars movie. Instead, they got four episodes of The Mandalorian that aren’t the best, but better than the last season. At times, the action makes you feel like it’s a Star Wars movie, but other times it feels sloppy. While it does not take stupid risks as past Star Wars movies did, it overall took no risks to push the boundaries that could pay off like other great Star Wars movies. It’s a small step in the right direction, but Star Wars needs a big step or multiple steps in the right direction. So far, it has the lowest opening weekend for a Star Wars movie. That’s not a promising sign, and now next year’s upcoming Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, has more pressure to deliver both big quality that Star Wars fans want and a strong box office. If not, it may take several more years for fans to get new Star Wars movies in theaters.

My final grade for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is a B-. If you love these characters and the show, I highly recommend this movie. What are your thoughts on The Mandalorian and Grogu? Let us know in the comments below.