Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (dir. Jon Favreau)
By: Adam Freed
A galaxy-sized gulf exists between the best and the worst that the Star Wars universe has to offer. Since Disney’s 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm, that yawning expanse has only become more pronounced. For every degradation of the franchise’s once sterling reputation like The Rise of Skywalker (2019), there exists a laudable counterbalance, best represented through the Disney+ production Andor (2022), a series that expands the boundaries of visually rich storytelling through a tale of character-driven intergalactic rebellion. In reality, the mixed bag of Star Wars’ cultural impact on the 21st century is almost perfectly epitomized by its first large screen release in seven years, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Director Jon Favreau’s energetic expansion of the streaming series The Mandalorian (2019) is equal parts satisfying escapist entertainment and frustrating evidence of how little Disney has learned from the sins of prior Star Wars installments. Engaging worlds, gripping action set pieces and an impactfully vacillating tone are met with some cumbersome computer generated character work, resulting in what is likely to be a highly divisive science fiction action-adventure.
The Mandalorian and Grogu opens after the fall of the Galactic Empire, leaving the titular mismatched duo of an intergalactic warrior and his diminutive green companion responsible for hunting down what remains of the Imperial Warlords on behalf of the rebellion. The episodic nature of The Mandalorian (2019) felt a perfect fit for this style of á la carte bounty hunting, allowing audiences to focus on one objective, and one conflict at a time. Director Jon Favreau (Chef, Iron Man) expands the boundaries of this successful formula to include a more meandering, yet equally singular objective. In addition to Pedro Pascal (The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Eddington), who reprises his role as the elite member of the Mandalorian warrior clan, the Chilean-born actor is joined by Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters, Aliens) and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear, The Iron Claw), that latter of whom voices the painfully conceived and miserably rendered Rotta the Hutt, son of famed gangster Jabba the Hut. Almost everything about Rotta the Hutt’s existence within The Mandalorian and Grogu actively works against the success of the film. From the inconsistencies of the character’s CG appearance, to his unexplainably human speech patterns (he speaks fluent English), Rotta the Hutt is the closest thing to Disney doubling down in defense of the existence of Jar Jar Binks. Somewhere there is a far superior version of Favreau’s film that avoids the younger Hutt all together, much to the benefit of the middling production.
The Mandalorian and Grogu rights many of its wrongs by unveiling multiple immersive and visually stunning intergalactic locations. Most notable of which is the underground city of Shakari, a perpetually dark and saturated metropolis illuminated only by the glow of neon signage. Shakari is very likely to draw stylistic comparison to the set design of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). In addition to the darkness of Shakari, the thematically murky forested world of Nal Hutta provides a perfect backdrop for the home turf of The Hutt Twins, a brother / sister duo who inherited the criminal enterprise once ruled by their cousin Jabba the Hutt. Nal Hutta represents what remains of a former Imperial stronghold much akin the the Forest Moon of Endor made famous in Return of the Jedi (1983). While most of the events that take place on Shakari and Nal Hutta may not burn into memory, the locations themselves are rather inspired. At its best, The Mandalorian and Grogu is just good enough to satiate audiences starving for meaningful Star Wars content, but can’t overcome its glaring shortcomings to rank amongst the franchise’s best.
Target Score 6/10 - Offering a frustrating alchemy of possibility and eye-roll inducing character creation, Star War: The Mandalorian and Grogu is likely to divide audiences straight down the center. Jon Favreau’s film flexes its creative muscle just enough to tempt audiences to consider what might have been in this on again, off again intergalactic adventure.