It’s been nearly seven years since Star Wars has graced the silver screen. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s gone anywhere. Since the disastrous conclusion of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars has found its comfortable place on the small screen. The quality, lore, and force have all but dissipated and been left as remnants of nostalgia found only on Disney+.
One series that had managed to be generally accepted as entertaining was The Mandalorian. Maybe it was pandemic desperation, or that it was a fun serialized adventure, but it hit just right for many fans. So, with Star Wars scrambling for big screen relevancy, they’re turning to the little green mascot that took Walmart shelves by storm.
After three seasons of becoming a tight-knit little family, The Mandalorian and Grogu are happy taking on bounties and bringing remnants of the old Empire to justice. Their new bounty leads them to the heir of the Hutt Family Mob, and face to face with several monsters that would happily consume the both of them.
Director Jon Favreau, who ran the series is back in the director’s chair, and is working alongside writer Dave Filoni, who many have given the mantle of Star Wars sage, at this point. Both of these guys have created some of the more fan-favorite characters and lore in the later Star Wars universe. So… this has to be good right?
Well, no. This movie isn’t good. It’s… fine. It’s fine in a way where the bar is on the floor, and even Baby Yoda could jump over it. And let’s be honest, his leaps are adorable. He’s such a cute character that it’s easy to ignore just how bad things have become for the once iconic film franchise.
It’s immediately clear that this feature film was truly Frankensteined from the parts of what would have been season four. There are hard cuts and subplots ending every 30 minutes. The episodic feel of this movie truly made me question why they didn’t just release it on Disney+ (other than Disney loving money). Truth be told, if this were a four episode mini-season, I’d even consider it a much more improved experience compared to the abysmal season three. But, to be expected to sit through a poorly-filmed, poorly lit, poorly acted, and poorly paced movie; only makes the flaws feel bigger.
There are a handful of battle scenes that focus on hand-to-hand combat and I was hoping for some great choreography. Sadly, there are so many cuts, I could have sworn that Liam Neeson was jumping over a fence again in Taken 3. The edits take over and it’s difficult to even know or care what’s happening on screen.
For the past few years, I have really taken to composer Ludwig Goransson’s film scores. He made something memorable and iconic with the Mandalorian’s TV theme. Yet, he somehow decided to join Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, and Sigourney Weaver and taking a paycheck with no consideration to putting any effort in. There are so many oddly-placed music cues and ill-fitting tracks.
Mandy and Grog is hardly all bad. In fact, I can see why many people will enjoy this. It takes away any need for extensive knowledge of Star Wars deep lore. This is an adventure movie through and through. The first five minutes are exciting and deliver the movie’s best action scenes. This movie brings in two elements that are sure to delight fans and children – It is rife with monsters and droids. These elements make it feel like a big-budget Ewoks: Battle for Endor. The monsters and visuals feel at times almost stop-motion. They add variety to a movie that desperately needs it.
Also, we can’t avoid the Baby Yoda in the room. He’s truly the reason the movie exists. He’s cuter than ever, and has a bigger appetite than ever. That little green merch can do no wrong, and even in a drawn-out subplot gets plenty to do. (Even if his portion feels like an MJ mission. I’m looking at you PS4 Spider-Man fans).
The Mandalorian and Grogu is a below-average film experience. Though it would have been the third-best season of the streaming series. It doesn’t feel cinematic or necessary. It’s not embarrassingly bad, it just doesn’t feel like a movie. C-
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