“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” Is Fun but Rote

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (Jon Favreau, 2026) 3 out of 5 stars

The Mandalorian debuted in 2019 as the first original series on the then-brand-new streaming service Disney+. Set in the Star Wars universe a little after the fall of the evil galactic Empire, defeated in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi (aka Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi), the show follows the titular bounty hunter—real name Din Djarin, though most call him “Mando”—as he is forced to consider choices beyond the purely mercenary, eventually adopting as his son a small green-skinned creature named Grogu, who is of the same species as Yoda. The two form an endearing pair, and their adventures prove mostly exciting over the course of three seasons (though I have only seen two). And now, they hit the big screen in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by series showrunner Jon Favreau.

The result is about what one would expect: a charming-enough, if unexceptional, two-plus hour episode of The Mandalorian. This is the way. It works on your TV, and it works here, but could just as easily be enjoyed at home as in a theater. I was fortunate to see it in the IMAX Theater of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and I will not lie to you and say that the experience was not enhanced by the location. But otherwise, this is pretty rote material.

Which doesn’t mean it’s not good fun. Grogu is, as always, very cute, and Pedro Pascal (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), despite being helmeted for the majority of the time, delivers the action and the emotional beats in a manner befitting an actor of his caliber. The world-building is boilerplate Star Wars stuff, and the characters—both good guys and villains—are true to form. Nothing new, but also nothing overly disappointing.

We open with a bang, which helps those who, like me, may have missed an entire season (or more) of backstory. Mando and his little sidekick are hunting remaining Imperial Warlords and catch one on an icy planet in an extended sequence filled with jokes, cartoon violence, and some genuine thrills. From there, we’re off to the next plot point.

Sigourney Weaver (Dust Bunny) plays Colonel Ward, the rebel commander in charge of giving Mando his assignments. She’s not too happy with the fact that he killed his last target instead of bringing him in alive and asks that he do better this next time. His new prey? Lord Janu, another remnant of the Empire off somewhere creating more mischief. Apparently, the ones who know where to find him are the ruling Hutt Twins of the planet Tatooine. He kidnapped their nephew, Rotta. So off Mando and Grogu go to pay them a visit, using the intel they receive to proceed further.

And on and on, each new development leading to an additional adventure (or misadventure). Some famous people do voices; there’s director Martin Scorsese as a multi-limbed monkey-like vendor and Jeremy Allen White (The Iron Claw) as the aforementioned Rotta. The technical elements are solid and the sentimental moments keep us involved.

There’s just never a sense of the kind of epic grandeur that has marked the best of the Star Wars franchise. Things happen, and then they resolve. Yes, it’s nice to go to the cinema and I am generally a fan of theatrical viewing, but this really could have been just another streaming episode.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Chris Reed is the editor of Film Festival Today. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.