Review: 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' proves Baby Yoda was the worst thing to happen to 'Star Wars'
This movie isn’t for children, and it’s not for “Star Wars” fans either. This one is for shareholders
In November 2019, Disney struck “Star Wars” gold.
“The Mandalorian” debuted alongside the launch of Disney+, and with it, the galaxy fell in love with Baby Yoda… er, Grogu.
Weeks later, “The Rise of Skywalker” was panned by critics and fans alike, and Disney became paralyzed with fear. The big screen was their new Darth Vader – a terrifying enemy they couldn’t figure out how to defeat.
But hey, at least the Baby Yoda plushies and Funko Pops were flying off the shelves.
After seven years of indecision, “Star Wars” is finally back in theaters with “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and Disney is betting big on the little green guy.
But what the latest installment in a galaxy far, far away forgot is that it takes more than cute merch to make a good movie.
Three seasons of “The Mandalorian” got fans acquainted with Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter and his begrudgingly tender father-son relationship with his apprentice, Grogu. The first season and a half delivered strong serialized storytelling as the duo went from mission to mission, taking out targets and earning paydays, but the latter episodes highlighted the “Marvel-ization” of “Star Wars” as the show became increasingly hijacked to launch spinoff after spinoff.
Now, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” doesn’t properly function as either a continuation of the TV series or a satisfying film on its own. None of the major plot lines from three seasons of television carry over into the movie outside of the two central characters — which is understandable in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience — but it also makes the film feel like three episodes of TV stitched together into a feature-length runtime.
Once again, we watch Mando and Grogu accept a mission, track down their target, and either take them out or capture them… over and over again. The repetitive structure prevents the film from ever truly establishing stakes, especially when viewers have been conditioned to watch the duo escape every close call unscathed.
There’s no escalation from the small screen to the big one, just more of the same — which makes the ending feel entirely underwhelming. What’s next for our heroes? Probably another mission just like the last one.
It’s truly impressive how Disney created an instantly sensational character in Grogu and, over the course of 3 seasons and now a movie, has done almost nothing with him beyond merchandising his existence. What has changed for this character since we first met him in “The Mandalorian” premiere? A bit more Force sensitivity, but that’s about it.
The stagnation of Grogu’s character growth goes hand in hand with the lack of evolution within “Star Wars” itself since “The Last Jedi” – outside of the miracle that was “Andor.”
Calling the movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu” also feels like cheating when your co-titular character doesn’t do anything of consequence until 95 minutes into the movie. Up until that point, Grogu is mostly reduced to comedic relief through cutely timed sneezes and snack time jokes.
Meanwhile, the Mandalorian is doing his best John Wick impression, taking out Stormtroopers, droids, and everything else in his way, but the routine gets stale when it lacks the combat creativity and visual flair of the Babayaga.
Yes, “Star Wars” movies are for children, but even when prior entries have leaned into juvenile entertainment with Ewoks, Gungans and cute droids, there were still elevated emotional arcs balancing out the silliness.
But this movie isn’t for children, and it’s not for “Star Wars” fans either. This one is for shareholders.
A Disney executive told The Hollywood Reporter, “The impact it [‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’] will have on Disney+ is critically important to us. Not only could it ultimately end up on the service and get tens of millions of hours of watch views, it will also have an impact on Mandalorian seasons one through three.”
This was not a movie made in good faith for the purpose of cinematic storytelling or even “Star Wars” fan service.
Instead, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is simply another cog in the Disney Industrial Complex meant to prop up its streaming service, push theme park tickets and move merchandise – and it shows.
Star Rating: 1.5 out of 5
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is now playing in theaters.