A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… well, seven years, to be precise, there was a Star Wars movie which ended with a whimper. That would be Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and since then, the franchise has shifted to television, offering us straight-to-Disney+’s live-action series from The Mandalorian to Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Skeleton Crew with varying degrees of success. I particularly enjoyed the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, but the series unfortunately faltered in the third season.
When Lucasfilm was planning to make a big-screen version, I barely cared. That undeniable sense of anticipation typically associated with the release of a new Star Wars movie is now replaced by a muted feeling, making me wonder if The Mandalorian and Grogu is going to be another cinematic disappointment. The good news is that it isn’t as bad as the somewhat underwhelming trailers that I have come across so far. Besides, you gotta give it to Jon Favreau for starting his movie with a bang: a riveting, action-packed prologue focusing on Mando (Pedro Pascal) infiltrating the base of an Imperial warlord from the Galactic Empire and taking down an army of Snowtroopers… in style.
Imagine Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name crossed with the physical agility of John Wick as Mando shoots lasers and fires with pinpoint accuracy, even showcasing his impressive martial arts moves in close-quarter combat. It gets better from there, escalating to the encounter with the towering AT-AT walkers on the side of a snowy cliff, with cinematographer David Klein, who is no stranger to lensing several Star Wars series episodes such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, maintaining consistently dynamic camerawork that feels immersive on IMAX.
No doubt The Mandalorian and Grogu is off to a promising start, before Favreau, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor, continues getting down to business with the main plot: A new mission where Colonel Ward from the New Republic, played by Sigourney Weaver in a casually authoritative turn, requires Mando to track down the long-missing Imperial remnant named Commander Coin. If you are familiar with the storytelling beats revolving around the titular bounty hunter from the series, the movie offers a similar vibe, albeit a longer duration and a bigger budget at Favreau’s disposal.
Mando soon finds himself needing to rescue Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), the son of deceased Jabba the Hutt, after a meeting with the Hutt twins in exchange for information. Unlike his late, sadistic and tyrannical father, Rotta the Hutt is given a significant character arc as Favreau grounded him with a surprising mix of emotional vulnerability and a heart-of-gold empathy behind his imposingly giant exterior.
And kudos to Allen, who does a good job of voicing his character with enough grit and soul. His character’s presence also contributed to an added odd-couple dynamic with Mando, the kind of two polar opposites – one is rebellious and assertive, and the other is bound by his by-the-book stoicism — straight out of the buddy-comedy tropes. The whole Mando and Rotta the Hutt conflict even extends to a few high-stakes moments, one of which includes The French Connection-like chase along the busy streets, complete with a tense you-are-there POV shot.
Not to worry, though, as Favreau still retains the mentor-and-protégé/father-and-son-like chemistry between Mando and Grogu as the main focal point. The only thing I wish Favreau would go the extra length to evolve this titular duo beyond what we have already seen in the three seasons of the series. The second half is a mixed bag, and at one point, there’s a curiously lengthy sequence focusing mainly on Grogu that could have used a tighter edit, making the movie’s 132 minutes feel like it overstretches for its own good.
The movie does pick up the pace, even though the otherwise frenetic third act suffers from a few uneven CGI, but the special effects team still deserves praise for their amazing creature design (the giant albino Dragonsnake comes to mind) and the stop-motion animation technique used for the battle-equipped droid characters, Arges and Bullethead.
