The Mandalorian and Grogu marks a new low for the Star Wars franchise, delivering the dullest and most inconsequential film in its history. Seven years after The Rise of Skywalker, the return to cinemas feels lifeless, stitching together three episodes of a planned fourth season of the TV series without any cinematic ambition. There is not a whiff of effort here, and it shows in every frame.
A Mid-Season Arc Disguised as a Movie
As a mid-season arc for Din Djarin, Pedro Pascal's sultry-voiced bounty hunter, and his adorable foundling Grogu, this might have been adequate. But as a feature film event, blown up to IMAX with Sigourney Weaver roped in for a few lines, it fails utterly. The character development from the series is abandoned; Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze and other integral characters are ignored. Din's sole purpose is to feed Grogu snacks, and when his helmet is removed for five minutes of Pascal's face, it carries no narrative weight.
Lack of Cinematic Scale
Director Jon Favreau and co-writers Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor have lost all sense of cinematic pacing. The adventure sends Din and Grogu to the planet Shakari, a lifeless copy of New York City where a four-armed alien deli owner is voiced by Martin Scorsese. The main antagonist, Rotta the Hutt (son of Jabba), is a looksmaxxed, gym-obsessed space slug voiced by Jeremy Allen White in a completely dispirited performance. White reads his lines as if for the first time, contrasting awkwardly with Pascal's still-charismatic work.
Bored by Its Own Allusions
The film feels bored by its gangster cinema references. A smooth-talking kingpin hides in a compound resembling a big Tesco, and a deadly hitman is merely a CGI replica from Filoni's animated Clone Wars. Grogu remains cute, but Favreau reduces him to a strategy prop, cutting to him when characters run out of things to say. Practical puppet work is undercut by jarring interactions with fully CGI characters.
With The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars has lost all sense of wonder. Directed by Jon Favreau, starring Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, and Sigourney Weaver. Cert 12A, 132 minutes. In cinemas from 22 May.
