This is not the way.
It has only been seven years since we had a new Star Wars movie on the big screen, but in that time, a new Star Wars project has gone from being a huge cultural event to an expectation of disappointment. Unfortunately, The Mandalorian and Grogu carries on that trend, which was visually represented by the mere 10 seats filled in my opening weekend screening.
I had many concerns going into this movie, mainly: how were they going to justify taking this series and transforming it into a huge cinematic experience? The opening five minutes of the film are actually quite fun. The familiar, grand Star Wars scale, with the use of AT-ATs mixed with Mando’s slick dispatching of Stormtroopers, really worked. Unfortunately, that is more or less where the praise ends.
I will say that the animatronics used are a joy to watch. One of my favourite aspects of the Disney era has been the blend of practical and CGI effects. Unfortunately, it is not enough to save the film.
The stakes in the previous series, despite receiving mixed reviews, connected fans from all corners of the Star Wars fandom, from those who love The Mandalorian to fans of The Clone Wars and the original movies. This film, however, just throws out a random, meaningless plot that is rendered completely pointless by the end of the movie.
The main problem with this film is that there is not a single point throughout where you care about what is going on. Hearing a Hutt talk in a Midwestern American accent is so bizarre that it is almost like watching a Family Guy skit. Sigourney Weaver gives quite possibly the worst performance of the year so far and takes you out of the movie every time she delivers dialogue.
I have had the lucky chance to see The Mandalorian and Grogu twice. When I first watched it, I walked into the theatre expecting a fun adventure with both characters and that is exactly what we got.
The story had its classic The Mandalorian series story structure, which is something I quite liked. However, I do understand that the story didn’t quite move the story of The New Republic era much but I do theorise we’ll see certain events with The Imperial Remnant ripple into other series or movies (such as Ahsoka season 2).
I do feel like the movie’s pacing was a bit all over the place. It started very fast paced and then slowed down towards the middle of the movie. I think on my first watch that was very noticeable but on the second, I very much enjoyed it.
I did notice quite a few Easter eggs to the overall Star Wars universe. All from there being no A-Wings on Adelphi Base (what’s up with that? A-Wings are pretty dope!) to Grogu eating what looks like Mantell Mix which first appeared in The Bad Batch.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing both The Mandalorian and Grogu on the big screen and welcoming some older Star Wars characters back to the overall story. However, this was never going to be the “magnum opus” of Star Wars (because it’ll never be The Empire Strikes Back or Revenge Of The Sith, let’s be honest)
Review by Alex
The Mandalorian and Grogu is a film I wanted to enjoy, but it proved lacklustre at almost every turn. From its poor pacing to Grogu focused scenes that rarely land, it feels more like an extended television special than a feature film. Some of the performances were genuinely painful to watch, particularly those of Sigourney Weaver and the voice work of Jeremy Allen White. The film’s only real saving grace is its electrifying score and a handful of decent action sequences. Overall, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a disappointing experience.
Review by Eccy
This is not the way
A poorly structured two part episode disguised as a comeback cinematic event for the franchise that fails to live up to its own promise and expectations of a grander stage. The animatronic work of Grogu and the Anzellans help guide us through some truly troublesome scenes, but in the end, this bounty hunting duo will dull your brain to the point you’ll ask them to put you out of your misery.
Review by Epicz
After three seasons of what some folk would argue is the best piece of Star Wars in the modern era, and after a seven year lay off from any Star Wars cinematic release, the Mandalorian and Grogu finally landed on our screens. Once again, we’re presented with a lacklustre Star Wars film, which unfortunately doesn’t surprise me
The intro of the film was promising it pulls you back into the grandiose scale of a starwars cinematic event, and for a moment I felt genuinely excited However that excitement quickly disappeared due to the long winded, drawn out scenes and uninspired plot points, More than anything it simply doesn’t feel like a film. It feels like two episodes stitched together. There are so many scenes that drag on, and as much as I love Grogu, do we really need a 15-20 minute compilation of him collecting fish?
Let’s give some praise where it’s due because it’s not all negative we got an incredible score from Ludwig Göransson and there were some genuinely solid action sequences throughout and of course, the dynamic between Din Djarin & Grogu is still as sweet as ever
Sigourney Weaver was probably my biggest surprise, and not in a good way. She delivered a lacklustre, uninspired performance, which was a real shame. And don’t even get me started on a Hutt speaking with a full American accent.
The plot is shocking. Where are the stakes? At times, it makes no sense, but the bigger issue is that I didn’t even care about what was going on. I left the cinema asking what went wrong. Why and how couldnt they pull this off
It’s a shame because I really wanted this film to work, but it feels like a couple of TV episodes edited together rather than an actual movie.
The best part of the experience was getting to watch it with my fellow Bunkhouse fellas.
Review by Luke