Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Review by Mark Woodring
Well, it’s finally here. The first Star Wars movie to hit theaters in nearly 7 years and enthusiasm has been at a mediocre pace.
Granted, The Mandalorian is one of the most successful and loved projects Disney has put out into the Star Wars Galaxy since acquiring Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4 Billion, so expectations should be over the (that’s no) moon for this cinematic version of the streaming series.
But, it’s not. Not like it should be.
**NOTE: this post will be updated with audio/video once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
132 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Noah Kloor
Directed by Jon Favreau
Synopsis:
Once a lone bounty hunter, Mandalorian Din Djarin and his apprentice Grogu embark on an exciting new Star Wars adventure.
Look, let’s cut to the chase here: Disney has put itself in this position through its own mediocre efforts with this franchise. Sure, the usual hate-mongers on the internet have fed the increasing disdain and outright hatred of Disney (and by extension, Star Wars, not to mention Marvel) in the service of revenue-generating clicks and views, but Disney has provided more than enough ammunition for them to amplify into those clicks and views and drive the narrative farther into the negative.
So nobody is really expecting SW:TMaG to be an exceptional film, and the haters are hoping that it won’t even be good.
Because clicks. Clicks and views.
And people suck.
But does this movie?
In a word sure to annoy a vast segment of the internet: No.
It does not, in fact, suck.
It isn’t an insult to that galaxy far, far away. If he was dead, George Lucas wouldn’t be turning over in his grave, or any other insanely hyperbolic take you might see or hear.
Now, what IS this movie, if it isn’t all those things?
Well, it’s a solid addition to the streaming series. It feels the same, which makes sense because Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are behind it. It has the same commitment to practicality whenever it can, and the amount of creatures means they needed to find way to do a lot of it.
Of course, the giant, white, snake-worm-monster is CGI, but deal with it.
The effects are generally good, although the opening sequence in the snow with the AT-Ats sometimes felt off, but I couldn’t decide if that was a function of the CG or if it was just the near-black-and-white palate or not, regardless, it’s pretty spectacular to watch.
Pedro Pascal does the heavy lifting hear, obviously, with a big helping hand from his alter-egos Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder with the stunt work and gun play. At least they get billing just after Pedro and Sigourney Weaver.
Of course, Grogu is adorable, ready to use his developing force abilities alongside misbehaving cutely, whether by touching buttons in the cockpit of the nice-to-see return of a Razorcrest or stealing Sigourney Weaver’s food.
Star Wars gotta Star Wars, amiright?
Honestly, the only real “problem” I had with SW:TMaG is the whole Rotta the Hutt subplot. It felt long until it became clear what they were doing with it, but I wish they had chosen a different vector to more the narrative forward here.
But it didn’t ruin it for me, by any stretch.
I will complain a bit about Hollywood’s tendency to “stunt cast,” by bringing in a “name” to try and stoke excitement. In this case, we get science fiction legend Sigourney Weaver as New Republic Colonel Ward, who works with “independent contractor” Din Djarin in bringing back remnants of the Empire for investigation like Nazis to Nuremberg after WWII.
And don’t get me started asking why we need Martin Scorsese to “appear” in this movie.
Fans of the (Dave Filoni created) animated series Rebels will be excited for Zeb Orrelios showing up as Mando’s New Republic wingman, though.
There are, of course, some readily-identifiable Easter Eggs in the film, which I won’t spoil for you, so see if you can pick them out. They don’t ruin the movie (coughcough THE RISEOFSKYWALKER coughcough
The most unusual aspect of SW:TMaG, though, is Ludwig Goransson’s score, which vacillates from Mando’s theme to variations on John William’s timeless works to some… more modern pieces that are almost out of place, but somehow still work for me.
Overall, if this one doesn’t do “well,” however you define that (but it’ll take a miracle and some incredible word-of-mouth to hit $! Billion), it won’t be because of the film itself, it will be because Disney has made its audience gun-shy. A Star Wars movie can’t just be “okay” or “good” at this point; it needs to “oh my God, you need to see this movie!” good so audiences will spread the word regardless of what the click-baiters and rage-mongers try to push.
And that will be the biggest hurdle; I don’t think it’s THAT good. It’s entertaining, it’s fun… it’s good. And I think if you’re a Star Wars fan, you should see this on the big screen. We saw it in IMAX and I recommend it if you have a screen near you.
Regardless, though, make your own decision about whether the film is good or bad.
Don’t listen to folks who get paid to make you hate stuff without seeing it.*
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu jumps into theaters this Friday, May 22, and stars Pedro Pascal, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum, and Hemky Madera.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
*No money was earned in the writing of this review.
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