It's been seven years since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters—a film that, let's be honest, is widely considered the franchise's low point since the prequels. Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm has been a rollercoaster: strong starts with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, divisive entries like The Last Jedi and Solo, and then the much-maligned Rise of Skywalker. Meanwhile, Lucasfilm has a habit of announcing projects that languish in development hell—Rian Johnson's trilogy, Simon Kinberg's, Taika Waititi's, and Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron all remain stuck.
So it's no surprise that Lucasfilm turned to its biggest small-screen success: Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin, aka the Mandalorian, and his adorable foundling Grogu. After three seasons of the Disney+ series, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni decided to give the duo a theatrical adventure. Given their massive popularity, it seemed like a sure bet. But while The Mandalorian and Grogu delivers fun action and cute moments, it's ultimately one of the most hollow theatrical Star Wars films ever made.
What's the Story?
Set after Season 3 of the series—and between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens—the film finds Mando and Grogu hunting Imperial war criminals for the New Republic. A mission from Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) forces them into an uneasy alliance with the Hutt Cartel to find Jabba the Hutt's long-lost heir, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White).
The movie opens with a bang: a hallway fight from a Mouse Droid's perspective and a stunning one-shot sequence of Mando tearing through Snowtroopers. It's the closest Star Wars has come to John Wick, and Ludwig Göransson's score is fantastic. But that cold open lacks meaningful plot or gripping dialogue—a problem that only gets worse.
A Bare-Bones Script
The screenplay is one of the thinnest in Star Wars history. No subtext, no themes, no character arcs. It's just a series of fetch quests: go to X, get Y MacGuffin, repeat. Little ties back to the series except visual references. Dialogue is all exposition—characters explain every detail, leaving no room for chemistry. Even Mando and Grogu feel disconnected.
Grogu steals the show with his adorableness, especially with the Anzellans, but even he can't save the film's sluggish 2-hour-12-minute runtime. One Grogu sequence drags on far too long. Side characters are a mixed bag: Rotta gets surprising screen time, but Colonel Ward and fan-favorite Zeb (Steve Blum) are wasted. Sigourney Weaver's Star Wars debut is criminally underused. The standout is Embo from The Clone Wars, who provides a much-needed physical challenge for Mando.
The villains, however, are the worst. The Hutt Twins and Imperial Officers are utterly forgettable—a far cry from the franchise's legendary antagonists.
A Step Backward
The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a return to the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie—a condensed series of episodes rather than a proper film. Its by-the-book pacing, structure, and dialogue lack the charm and magic that make Star Wars special. As Jon Favreau revealed why Season 4 became a movie, it's clear this was meant for the small screen. A forgettable Star Wars movie is one thing, but this feels like a step backward for the franchise.
For more on the film's reception, check out the first Star Wars movie in 7 years divides critics.
