After three seasons, the stars of The Mandalorian TV show are making the jump to the big screen in their spin-off adventure.
After concluding the Star Wars sequel trilogy with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Lucasfilm officials decided to take a break from films and focus on streaming TV shows.
Their first live-action series, The Mandalorian, started that year, introducing fans to the helmet-wearing bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his Yoda-like sidekick Grogu.
After the show was scrapped ahead of a planned fourth season, series creator Jon Favreau decided to create a spin-off film featuring those two characters.
The new film, directed and co-written by Favreau, finds The Mandalorian and Grogu going around the galaxy, eliminating remaining Imperial warlords after the fall of the Galactic Empire.
Taking orders from Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) of the New Republic, Mando’s next mission is to rescue Jabba the Hutt’s son Rotta (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) and receive important information about a target in return.
Given that these characters began in a TV show, you might (rightfully) assume that you need to do your homework and watch all three seasons to follow this spin-off film. But that is not the case; this is a standalone story with mostly new characters. Complete Star Wars newcomers may struggle to understand everything, but casual fans who have seen the previous films will be fine.
Unfortunately, The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a few TV episodes stitched together instead of one strong movie. The structure is unusual, the pacing is off, and the adventures feel episodic, like a TV show.
However, there are so many fun moments in here – particularly any scene involving the adorable Grogu – that fans may be able to forgive the weak overall story.
It’s very hard to root for a monotone, helmet-wearing character like Mando – the eyes are the window to the soul after all – so Grogu is the saving grace. He is hilarious, cute, lightens the tone and is brilliantly brought to life by talented puppeteers, just like the funny Anzellans (voiced by Shirley Henderson).
There is impressive craftsmanship on display, from extravagant sets and incredible CGI, and lots of inventive characters and intriguing environments to appreciate, not to mention Ludwig Goransson’s futuristic score.
There are also several action setpieces, but these have mixed degrees of success. Some are really cool and exciting, whereas others are dull and unengaging. Battles between CGI monsters are a particular low point.
The Mandalorian and Grogu offers enough to keep fans entertained, especially with its wholesome Grogu scenes, but Lucasfilm needed a stronger story to herald its return to feature films after an almost seven-year break.
In cinemas Friday 22nd May
By Hannah Wales
© Cover Media