Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, Jonny Coyne, Steve Blum, Martin Scorsese
Rating: ★★★.5
If there is one thing that holds true for Star Wars as a franchise post 2010, it’s that the sequel trilogy has largely disappointed (barring some moments), but the standalone films and shows have salvaged the franchise’s aura and pride. The Mandalorian has been one of the IP's shining lights in recent years. And in the spinoff film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, everyone’s favourite galaxy-traversing duo is back, bringing the same spirit of camaraderie and cuteness, even if it is slightly diluted.
The Mandalorian and Grogu review: Cue a billion more toy sales after this film.
What are The Mandalorian and Grogu up to?
In the film, Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), now works for the New Republic as a bounty hunter, capturing Imperial loyals, but mostly eliminating them, much to the annoyance of his handler, Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver). After the twins, successors of Jabba the Hutt, ask the New Republic to rescue Jabba’s son Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), Din and Grogu begin their adventure. But crossing the twins costs them dearly, forcing both the Mandalorian and the little one to find the hero within.
Movie Review
The Mandalorian and Grogu
3.5/5
Science-fiction, action
The Mandalorian and Grogu find themselves in the crosshairs of Jabba the Hutt's successors after a heist gone awry.
Director
Jon Favreau
Cast
Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, Jonny Coyne, Steve Blum, Martin Scorsese
Verdict
Insanely fun, largely cute, and positively charming, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a nice cross-sectional adventure from the Star Wars universe.
A fun ride propped up on Grogu’s cuteness
I have always maintained that Star Wars is a ripe buffet of genres. The original trilogy was a space opera, while the prequels were a political thriller mixed with lightsabers. The spinoffs range from heist (Rogue One) to Western (The Mandalorian) and even high fantasy drama (The Acolyte). The Mandalorian and Grogu carries forward the show’s gunslinger-for-hire trope, but discards the episodic plot for a well-rounded two-hour arc. It mixes Western with arcade-style action and some good old 70s-esque chase sequences to form a quintessential Star Wars film.
Is the Force strong with this one?
The film benefits from having existing characters that we care for, who we know, and whose stories we have seen before. That means it does not have to waste a lot of time in exposition. Having said that, the film will not feel too alien for non-fans of the show or anyone watching a Star Wars story for the first time. It is a nice standalone story about a father and son on an adventure, with Star Wars lore mixed in somewhere in the middle. The way the backstories are introduced as throwaway lines is done in a manner that it feels like exposition for new viewers and fun Easter eggs for diehard fans.
The USP of The Mandalorian and Grogu is the chemistry of its leads, or rather, Pedro Pascal pretending to have chemistry with a puppet for two hours. But props to the man for emoting without having his face seen for more than two minutes. With just his voice modulation, he makes Mando a likeable character again, and also conveys his protectiveness and love for his ward. The character design of Grogu is perfect (to sell toys but also make the viewers go aww). In sequences where Grogu takes centre stage without Mando, he carries the film so beautifully, like a cuter Little Groot, minus the sass.
Jeremy Allen White is a nice addition to the Star Wars universe, bringing some vulnerability and depth to a Hutt, earlier seen as one-dimensional bad guys. Martin Scorsese and Sigourney Weaver’s cameos were nice little cherries on top, but what made me happiest was seeing Steve Blum as Zeb again, nicely tying in so many Star Wars titles together.
But The Mandalorian and Grogu is no perfect film. It is insanely fun, don’t get me wrong. But so was Rogue One. And that one had more heart in it. This one seems to lag in places where the stakes feel unreal. It doesn’t make for great, immersive viewing when the outcome feels foregone. That is something Star Wars has been fighting in its new incarnation. The Mandalorian and Grogu falls prey to the ever-expanding genre’s fatigue a bit, only saved by the charm of its leading man and the overwhelming cuteness of his ward. And despite its flaws, it somehow works. Probably, this is the way!
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well.
A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism.
Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day.
Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More
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