‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ movie review: This might not be the way

When the countdown used images from The Mandalorianto end with “forged for IMAX”, one was all set for high adventure in a galaxy far, far away.

In place of the opening crawl, we have a couple of title cards for those who came in late, like in the Phantom comics, and then we are off to a James Bond-style opener.

Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), a Mandalorian bounty hunter, and his ward Grogu, work for the New Republic, hunting Imperial warlords across the galaxy. After successfully completing a mission, replete with hulking AT-ATs smartly dispatched into snowy crevices, Din and Grogu head to the New Republic base, where Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) gives Din his new assignment.

The crime lord Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotto (Jeremy Allen White), has been kidnapped. Jabba’s twin cousins, who are running his empire after his death, have information about the warlord Coin and are willing to reveal his location when Rotto is returned to them.

Din is not too keen on the task but goes anyway, meeting the twins before heading to the planet Shakari, where Rotto is supposed to be. Din finds Rotto… and a different truth.

Many gladiatorial combats, gross and glorious creatures later, all is well that ends well, with the New Republic squadrons flying in and all sorts of mansions and hidey holes exploding with satisfying bangs and blasts of fire.

A continuation of The Mandalorian, which ran for three seasons from 2019 to 2023, The Mandalorian and Grogu suffers from the same problems that plagued the later seasons of the show, where Din just seemed to be going from point A to B, doing things. Whenever the narrative flagged, Grogu would step in to do something impossibly cute.

So while there is some nifty action, and touching sequences of Grogu caring for Din, slimily wonderful creatures (ooooh that dragonsnake!) surprisingly flat visual effects and Martin Scorsese is a hoot as the Ardennian shopkeeper, Hugo, whom Din approaches for information on Rotto, The Mandalorian and Grogu feels underwhelming.

This cannot be the Star Wars reboot Dave Filoni, President and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Lucasfilm, who shares writing credit with Favreau, could have been aiming for.

The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a bunch of episodes of Season 4 strung together to Ludwig Göransson’s lush musical score. There are quests and journeys, helpers and hinderers, weird and wonderful creatures, shiny spaceships and buckets of bolts jumping into hyperspace.

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Just like The Mandalorian came at a time when the world had turned on its head thanks to an evil virus, the little green guy’s first screen outing comes at a time when the world feels even more off-kilter.

So you could forget about real-life bombings and online trolls to lose yourself in Grogu’s big ears and coos, but do not expect a life-changing movie experience.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently running in theatres