I went to Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu with my lightsaber blazing, thirsty for alien blood. As someone who loathed the Disney+ TV series due to its lazy writing, bland storytelling, underwhelming action, and faceless protagonist, I began to drool as the early reviews—from people I know and trust—began to surface. The trailers were bad, the film title was embarrassing, and this just looked, sounded, and smelled like a stinker.
Low expectations reaped rewards, however, because unlike my fellow critics, I enjoyed this new, low-stakes Star Wars movie.
Is it a Star Wars classic? No. The plot is basic, and it feels like an extra-long episode of the TV show. But going in expecting Mandalorian TV show-level quality and instead getting a two-hour, fast-paced adventure with some solid action sequences and a cast of amusing characters, it was not hard to be entertained.
Director and co-writer Jon Favreau sets the stage immediately with a well-constructed if rushed action scene—“Mando” (allegedly played by Pedro Pascale) appears guns blazing. There’s little time for scene-setting or a sense that Favreau cares to build suspense before unleashing PG-13-rated hell; like the show, there is little care for filling in the gaps or aiming to become something bigger than its parts.
And that’s okay—as long as you know what to expect. Mando goes from one situation to the next courtesy of a basic and predictable “hunt the bad guys, rescue a character, battle monsters” story that exists primarily to get its helmeted lead into risky situations. Grogu, I see, has developed little since he first appeared as Baby Yoda (I skipped the final season of The Mandalorian and could only suffer through one episode of that Boba Fett mess), as he’s pretty worthless most of the time (aside from an adorable if over-long sequence where he attempts to nurse his friend back to health). Thankfully, he’s a cute little critter who does cute, mischievous things.
The Mandalorian and Grogu introduces a variety of other creatures in true Star Wars fashion, some more effective than others. The four miniature mechanics are pretty amusing, while Rotta the Hutt (son of some dude named Jabba and voiced by Jeremy Allen White) is fun even if he feels too Americanized in terms of how he talks and behaves.
The most spectacular thing about this new Star Wars movie: my seven-year-old daughter loved it. In recent weeks she has watched most of the original trilogy and The Force Awakens, but this was her first big-screen Star Wars experience. She spent much of her time, when she wasn’t munching on candy or popcorn, covering her mouth out of surprise or excitement. I had never seen her so fixated on a movie.
I long for another top-tier, epic Star Wars movie as much as the next fan, and The Mandalorian and Grogu is certainly not that movie. But for what it is—a straightforward, small-scale action-adventure—it’s serviceable entertainment. More importantly, my kid had a blast, and there is no better feeling as a movie loved than watching your child become the same.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.