Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau might be forgiven for wishing they were in a galaxy far, far away on Wednesday after their new Star Wars spin-off was torn apart by unimpressed critics. The science-fiction adventure, directed by Favreau and starring Pascal as the enigmatic Din Djarin, is the latest big-budget addition to the rapidly expanding franchise following its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company in 2012.
With the film reuniting Djarin's titular Mandalorian with loyal ward Grogu, an infant member of the same alien race as Yoda, expectations were high after both characters were warmly received by fans in previous spin-off shows The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. But critics have clearly embraced the dark side of the Force ahead of its general release on May 22, with many claiming the forthcoming release is light years away from the standards set by George Lucas and his original trilogy of blockbuster films.
Scathing Reviews from Major Outlets
Leading the charge with a one-star review on Wednesday morning, The Times dismissed Favreau's offering as the final nail in the Star Wars coffin. 'You wouldn't leave a dying dog like this,' they write. 'But that's what Star Wars has become. Putting it down would be a mercy killing.'
Elsewhere, The Telegraph awarded the film a marginally improved two stars, while delivering an equally scathing review. 'Disney has been trying to turn Star Wars into another Marvel-like franchise for some time,' they write. 'And in that respect The Mandalorian and Grogu is a roaring success, insofar as it feels like a skippable new episode in a soap opera you lost interest in years ago.'
In another two-star review, The Independent criticises Favreau for an over-reliance on CGI effects, adding: '... as much as little Grogu, with his fuzzy, twitchy ears and chubby-cheeked smile, remains a slam dunk on the cuteness scale, Favreau has reduced him here more to strategy than character – something to cut to when the characters have run out of things to say. What ingenuity there is in the practical puppet work is undercut by how often, and jarringly so, they force him to interact with fully CGI characters. With The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars has lost all sense of wonder.'
Mixed Reactions from Other Publications
The Hollywood Reporter offered a more enthusiastic response, describing the film as an 'exciting and entertaining, fast-paced space adventure' that 'looks and feels like a Star Wars movie.' But the publication reserved criticism for its shaky plot, adding: '... it still feels stubbornly small in its relatively inconsequential storyline and themes. It's hard to imagine anyone experiencing this as their first Star Wars film and getting hooked for life as those who saw the original trilogy in theaters did.'
Reiterating the film's apparent paucity of plot, The Guardian adds: 'The film is watchable and barrels along capably enough, but perhaps there isn't enough of the humanity, humour and extravagant space melodrama which has made and continues to make Star Wars lovable.'
Film magazine Empire also decries the film's slender narrative structure, while awarding it a lukewarm three out of five stars. They write: 'Oddly, it feels like the least consequential Mandalorian chapter yet, with previous episodes from the TV incarnation - or even segments of the much-maligned Book of Boba Fett - having more impact on the narrative. It's thinner than skimmed blue milk, with longtime series stewards Jon Favreau (director and co-writer) and Dave Filoni (co-writer and new Galactic Emperor of the entire franchise) largely playing it safe.'
Additional Critical Responses
Fox News noted: '... here we are in 2026 - a full seven years removed from the last Star Wars movie - and nobody cares. Worse yet, the folks who care about the release of The Mandalorian & Grogu aren't painting a great picture ahead of next week's worldwide release.' Vulture described the film as 'drab and stone-faced to a fault,' struggling 'to capture the inventive vitality of the better Star Wars movies with action scenes that feel frustratingly pro forma and lifeless performances that seem determined to lull us to sleep.' Den of Geek concluded: 'The Mandalorian and Grogu isn't a bad film, per se, it's just a disappointingly average one set in a universe that once inspired awe... it might be the first summer tentpole blockbuster that feels like a small screen rerun.'
Cast and Release Details
It has been nearly seven years since there was a new Star Wars movie released in theaters, and Favreau - a self-confessed fan of the franchise - has added Hollywood heavyweights Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White to the cast in the hope of giving his offering a broader appeal. 'I want to make the next generation feel the way about Star Wars that I did when I saw it for the first time,' Favreau said in April. 'George [Lucas] has always understood that you have to fit into the mythic structure. There are certain story types that we connect with and understand and even if we might not know the particulars of the story he's telling, we could drop right in and understand and know who to cheer for.' The Mandalorian and Grogu is released in cinemas from May 22.
