Not too long a time ago, in a galaxy not far away, The Mandalorian TV show was to Disney+ what Stranger Things was to Netflix.
With both shows being part of the select few I have had time to watch over the years (I really need to get going on season two of Andor), these two shows did manage to have their first seasons be borderline brilliant, only to falter in their third. Various ingredients were added to each (including the superfluous Boba Fett series), but at least The Mandalorian ended its TV run after the third season. Well, until now.
The first Star Wars film in nearly seven years, it was obvious why Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu would work from a marketing perspective. Sure, The Mandalorian character helped shoot star Pedro Pascal into the next level of stardom, but it was Grogu (formally known as “Baby Yoda”) that caught the eye of every viewer’s soul.
Director Jon Favreau (who also created the original series) and the rest of those behind the camera really double down on Grogu’s adorableness, and it is evident on screen (hard to resist those eyes). Sadly, the plot is lacking in anything biting or fresh.
Simply put, Din Djarin/The Mandalorian (Pascal) and his companion are helping members of the New Republic, led by Ward (Sigourney Weaver, looking in need of an energy drink). The newest mission: find Rota the Hutt, the son of the infamous/now deceased Jabba, at the request of Jabba’s twin siblings (not sure why anyone would need a photo to identify a Hutt, but oh well).
With a (literal) universe as vast as this, the Star Wars films must always find a way to bring in something new aesthetically. Here (as shown in the trailers), it is a basic gladiator pit in which Rota (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) is a basic celebrity fighter. Unlike other Hutt’s we have seen, Rota is clearly ripped, but his character is not like that of his father.
While a new character (at least to me), Rota may have worked on paper, but not entirely in execution. The casting of Jeremy Allen White is one of the reasons (that is not to say he is not talented: he is just not the right fit). I kept looking at his character, realizing it is not easy to make a humanized Hutt.)
Regarding the aesthetics, I noticed that the stormtroopers were all CGI. I’m not talking about just the action scenes, but scenes when they are just standing on the side while the antagonists are speaking. Is that more budget-friendly than having extras in costumes? I don’t know, but it definitely looked cheap.
Then there is the music. Three-time Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson composed the original (and rather catchy) theme for the series, so bringing him back made sense. Still, there are moments when my mind just couldn’t compute the combination of his score with what was happening on screen (granted, I am a superfan of all things related to John Williams, so I could be biased).
Parents, the film is tailor-made for kids (despite its PG-13 rating). There are some scary moments of peril, but nothing worse than what was in the show (or almost any other Star Wars film, for that matter).
It is clear that the film is directed to kids under the age of 6 or 7 (sorry, that was unavoidable). There are moments of dialogue when the Mandalorian is almost breaking the fourth wall as he is giving lessons to Grogu:
“Always wear a seat belt.”
“We will save these until after dinner.r”
“Do you promise to play nice?”
These are not at all bad lessons for kids (or adults, for that matter), but it is more proof that the film would have played better on Disney+ than in the movie theater. It truly plays like 3 or 4 episodes of a new season, and you can find at least one or more moments when you can picture credits rolling (the actual credits don’t roll for some time: it is a rather tedious two-hour-plus experience).
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu may play to the very young, but not to the young at heart.
And that should not be the way.
Overall:
Nothing else to say 