Lucasfilm Misses The Mark With “Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu”

After seven long years away, “Star Wars” is finally back on the big screen. Kind of.

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is technically a movie, released in theaters and even given an IMAX release, but every part of it feels weirdly beholden to its origins as a TV show. Despite the film clocking in at well over two hours, there’s rarely a moment where it doesn’t feel like an extended episode from the middle of the first season of the show.

Gone are the galaxy-defining stakes of movies past – replaced by a handful of isolated adventures in which the titular Mandalorian and Grogu go about their day, catching bad guys and meeting an appropriate number of goofy aliens. Like the TV show, it’s undeniably a fun time that the whole family can enjoy, but as the flagbearer of the “Star Wars” franchise’s grand return, it’s very lackluster.

The movie attempts to bridge the gap between continuing the story that began on Disney+ in 2019 and being a clean entry point for fans whose only exposure to our two leads is the near-endless advertising over the last few years. On both counts, it’s a struggle.

As the former, there’s very little to work with. There are virtually no returning supporting characters, and Mando’s story, which ended with him choosing to settle down with his adopted son, isn’t explored any further.

As the latter, it assumes a certain knowledge that casual fans simply won’t have, replacing Mando’s usual crew with characters from other shows. His pilot Zeb, an undoubtedly fun addition regardless, originated in a cartoon that ended a decade ago, and no attempt is made to explain who he is beyond what he does here. Further key characters from the Boba Fett miniseries, as well as the animated “Clone Wars” movie and TV show from 2008, add even more homework for fans hoping to get the full experience. It’s an odd balance that doesn’t prioritize either audience, and in the process, it loses them both.

But if you’re not bothered by that, and the inclusion of half a dozen deep lore characters doesn’t upset your enjoyment, then there is a lot to love here. The opening sequence, which sees Mando take down a series of AT-AT walkers first seen in “The Empire Strikes Back,” is spectacular, and immediately promises the audience that yes, despite how it may seem, this is a real “Star Wars” movie. While there may not be any lightsabers onscreen this time, a first for the franchise, the creative team makes up for it with some really solid blaster action, and a higher proportion of quirky aliens than we’ve seen since the cantina.

Pedro Pascal does a praiseworthy job alongside his body doubles, but the real star of the show here is Grogu, known to most of us as Baby Yoda. While Grogu was always a real draw for this series, the movie steps things up considerably. The puppetry work onscreen is second to none, and the best they’ve done since the original Yoda. Despite being made of plastic and felt, he’s so characterful throughout, and every connection he makes has as much chemistry as you’d expect from human actors. The way he interacts with the Anzellans, a team of tiny, cheerful spacefarers last seen in 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” is a clear high point of the movie.

Truth be told, there’s very little bad with this movie on a technical level, but there’s just not a whole lot of good either. If you’re a “Star Wars” fan who is desperate to keep up with the lore and never miss a beat, this could still be an easy skip. Nothing of note happens on a personal or galactic scale, and if a fourth season of “The Mandalorian” ever materializes, there isn’t a whole lot you’d miss by not seeing it.

As a slick, action-packed sci-fi romp, it’s perfectly serviceable, but given the increasingly dismal placement of “Star Wars” in today’s pop culture landscape, it needed to be a bit more than that. A decade has passed since Disney first brought the franchise back, and there’s a new generation of kids who need to be introduced to that galaxy far, far away. If this is that introduction for today’s young people, I can’t see the series continuing as it has for much longer.