I watched The Mandalorian and Grogu in IMAX and this isn't the way to revive Star Wars on the big screen after a seven-year absence

Date:
Tue, 19 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
Pedro Pascal's new Star Wars movie isn't a complete Force to be reckoned with.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Full spoilers follow for The Mandalorian . Light spoilers also follow for The Mandalorian and Grogu . Seven years is a long time for a franchise like Star Wars to spend away from the big screen. Sure, the wait for new movie-based entries in Lucasfilm's iconic galaxy far, far away has been significantly larger in the past. In an age where entertainment titans are mining
everything they can from their money-spinning signature brands, though, it's surreal to think that a whole generation of fans haven't seen a Star Wars movie at their local theater. The Mandalorian (TV Series) subscription options: 1 month plan - 7.99 per month (7.99 total cost) Well, now they can. The Mandalorian and Grogu , a film sequel to The Mandalorian , aka the hugely popular Disney+ TV series that stars the aforementioned pair, aims to replicate the success of its parent show and recapture the magic of seeing
the legendary sci-fi franchise on the silver screen for the first time. Unfortunately, it achieves neither of its objectives. Latest Videos From Today's best Disney Plus deals Disney+ Monthly Standard With Ads 4.99 4.99 /mth View at Disney+ Disney+ Monthly Standard 7.99 7.99 /mth View at Disney+ Disney+ Monthly Premium 10.99 10.99 /mth View at Disney+ Wherever I go, he goes The Mandalorian and Grogu marks the pair's first adventure on the silver screen (Image credit: Lucasfilm) Picking up sometime after The Mandalorian 's season 3 finale, The Mandalorian and Grogu reunites us with the titular duo
as they continue to carry out their contractual work for The New Republic. That being, hunting down Imperial warlords still devoted to the Galactic Empire to stop them from reviving the autocratic regime.

The Mandalorian and Grogu has the air of being two hour-long episodes of its parent show that have been smashed together To that end, the Mandalorian
known as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his Force-wielding pal are given a specific mission by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver): rescue Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) for his crime lord relatives known as the Twins. In exchange, the latter will provide information on the whereabouts of Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne), The New Republic's next target.

Sounds simple, right? I think you already know the answer to that. Long story short: Mando and Grogu get more than they bargained for on a quest that
proves to be their most dangerous yet. The Twins are as archetypal as you can get with a Star Wars villain or, rather, villains (Image credit: Lucasfilm) Truth be told, they should be used to life-threatening situations as they've embarked on numerous perilous missions before in The Mandalorian . Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

And this is my first major gripe with The Mandalorian and Grogu , because it has the air of being two hour-long episodes of its parent show that have been smashed together.

There's a clear disconnect between The Mandalorian and Grogu's two halves
It's difficult to explain without getting into major spoiler territory but, despite The Mandalorian and Grogu possessing a narrative throughline, there's a clear disconnect between its two parts that occurs exactly at its midpoint.

Indeed, with Mando and Grogu seemingly completing their Rotta-based search
and rescue mission quicker than expected, I fully expected the end credits of this 'episode' to roll before its follow-up chapter began. You can imagine my surprise, then, when I not only realized this wouldn't happen, but also that there was an hour's worth of story left to tell when 95% of the plot's loose ends had seemingly been tied up. Jeremy Allen White does a solid job voicing Rotta the Hutt (Image credit: Lucasfilm) Director Jon Favreau might claim that, rather than repurpose The Mandalorian season 4 's scripts for this movie, he had to "start from scratch with The Mandalorian and Grogu 's screenplay .

Nevertheless, given the notable split midway through this film's story, I'm
of the opinion that some of that unmade season's plot threads have been
reused and, whether by design or not, give it the structure of a
multi-episode arc that's been stitched together. Think of how The Clone Wars animated series' first few episodes were similarly sewn together to unnecessarily turn it into a big-screen offering, and you'll get the idea.
The light and the dark The Mandalorian and Grogu's set-pieces will thrill
many audience members (Image credit: Lucasfilm) The Mandalorian and Grogu
does win points for its action sequences, though. They're not wholly original in their makeup but, whether it's large- or small-scale battles, chase sequences, or vehicular- or duel-based combat, each one is as entertaining
and well-executed as they need to be.

Grogu is the highlight of the show Speaking of being entertaining, Grogu is if it even needs saying the highlight of the show.

Multiple scenes involving Mando's apprentice are played for laughs (and rightly so, because he's an adorable little tyke), but he also gets enough character development that indicates he's not only coming into his own as a protagonist, but also being firmly positioned as Star Wars' next big, well, star. Suffice it to say, newcomers will fall head over heels for the individual affectionately known as Baby Yoda, while established fans will re-fall in love with him all over again. Grogu and the Anzellans provide plenty of light comic relief in the film's back half (Image credit:
Lucasfilm) Of equal appeal is The Mandalorian and Grogu following in the footsteps of its parent show and introducing us to fascinating new corners of the galaxy.

With growing fan criticism that Star Wars was reluctant to move away from exploring desert planets , The Mandalorian has given us new worlds and the odd old fan favorite, such as Mandalore to explore since its initial release on Disney+, aka one of the best streaming services .

It's time for Star Wars to move past its overreliance on nostalgia bait It's
a baton that The Mandalorian and Grogu is only too happy to pick up, too. Indeed, in flying us to new locales like Nal Hutta and Shakari, one of the many forthcoming new Star Wars movies and shows builds on its TV forebear's desire to visit unexplored regions of the galaxy, especially in the lawless Outer Rim. I'll take more of the same with other projects you've got in the pipeline, please, Lucasfilm. Sigourney Weaver's Colonel Ward doesn't get as much screentime as you might expect (Image credit: Lucasfilm) While I'm
making requests, it's also time for Star Wars to move past its overreliance
on nostalgia bait, of which The Mandalorian and Grogu is as guilty of as its franchise contemporaries are.

Spoilers notwithstanding, it's a film dripping in Easter eggs and callbacks
to other Star Wars projects, especially in its back half. That won't be an issue for diehards looking to mimic Captain America's "I understood that reference" line from The Avengers or Leonardo DiCaprio's finger pointing meme from One Upon a Time in Hollywood . Still, to me at least, the sheer number
of nods to The Mandalorian and wider Star Wars universe felt more and more self-indulgent with each one I picked up on. My verdict The Mandalorian and Grogu | Official Trailer | In Theaters May 22 - YouTube Watch On The Mandalorian and Grogu is fine. It's an inoffensive and narratively safe addition to Lucasfilm's back catalog that'll still perform admirably at the global box office by virtue of it being a Star Wars movie, and the inclusion of Baby Yoda that's sure to lure in first-time viewers and diehard fans of
the adorable green imp alike.

For those who grew up on the original films and/or want Lucasfilm and Disney to take more big creative swings in the vein of Andor , though, The Mandalorian and Grogu will feel like a missed opportunity. After all, this is the franchise's first big-screen outing since incredibly divisive 2019 flick The Rise of Skywalker , and I suspect some will have hoped that Mando and
Baby Yoda's latest adventure would help to wash away the aforementioned
film's lingering bad aftertaste.

Occasionally enjoyable though it is, The Mandalorian and Grogu fails to do just that and, as much as it pains me to say it, this isn't the way that Star Wars should've returned to the big screen. The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters worldwide on Friday, May 22. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The Mandalorian (TV Series) deals The Mandalorian 7.99 /mth View at Disney+



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