{"id":14480,"date":"2026-05-22T22:16:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T02:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/?p=14480"},"modified":"2026-05-22T22:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T02:17:09","slug":"star-wars-the-mandalorian-and-grogu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/2026\/05\/22\/star-wars-the-mandalorian-and-grogu\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong> (2026)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Disney\/Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 132 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated PG-13 (sci-fi violence and action)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Jon Favreau\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Ludwig Goransson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: David Klein\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: May 22, 2026 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Blum, Jonny Coyne, Martin Scorsese.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: ** \u00bd<\/p>\n

\u00a0I don\u2019t know why Disney thought it was a good idea to release The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong> to theaters. It feels more like three episodes of the series strung together than an actual movie. It doesn\u2019t have the epic feel of the Star Wars films. Aside from a few scenes, it doesn\u2019t feel particularly cinematic. It could just as easily have served as the first few episodes of a fourth season (if there even is one) of the Disney+ show.<\/p>\n

\u00a0That being said, The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong> isn\u2019t too bad. It\u2019s watchable, especially if you\u2019re a fan of the show. Judging by the turnout, there is something of a fanbase which brings me to my next point. How can I say this? Generally speaking, the Star Wars movies are review-proof. It doesn\u2019t matter what the critics say about them. They have a built-in audience who will show up regardless of what the reviewers say. Now whether or not this applies to The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong> remains to be seen. Fans seem to like the show, but are they willing to pay 15 bucks a pop to see it on the big screen? If its opening night gross of $12M (the lowest in the franchise\u2019s history) is any indication, maybe not.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Directed by show creator Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong> starts off fairly strong with the Mandalorian (Pascal, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and his ward Grogu (still known by some as Baby Yoda even though he\u2019s not) going after a wanted Imperial warlord who happens to have three AT-AT walkers at his disposal. It\u2019s a genuinely thrilling sequence with Grogu successfully executing a mid-air barrel roll on top of one of the walkers. The climax featuring a fierce final battle between heroes and villains is also cool. What happens in between is a mixed bag. Some of it is fun; some of it is a drag. That\u2019s not what you want to hear about a Star Wars movie.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The plot itself is no great shakes. Mando (real name Din Djarin), now working for the New Republic, receives his next assignment from Col. Ward (Weaver, the Avatar series). He\u2019s to find and capture an elusive Imperial bad guy known only as Coin. The problem is nobody knows his real name or what he even looks like. In order to get a lead on the guy, he has to strike a deal with the Hutt Twins. They\u2019ll provide him with information in exchange for rescuing their nephew Rotta (White, Deliver Me from Nowhere) from a criminal syndicate run by Lord Janu (Coyne, The Toxic Avenger).<\/p>\n

\u00a0In lieu of further plot description, I\u2019m just going to leave it at this. NEVER trust a Hutt to honor a deal. You don\u2019t have to be a Jedi master to know they\u2019ll somehow screw over Mando. That\u2019s all I will say about that.<\/p>\n

\u00a0To prep myself for The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong>, I binge-watched the entire series along with The Book of Boba Fett (the last three episodes serve as a bridge between seasons 2 and 3 of The Mandalorian). I enjoyed it very much. It was entertaining, exciting, funny and sometimes moving. I grew to like several of the recurring characters- e.g. mechanic Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), Mando warrior Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff, droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi) and mercenary Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr). NONE of them show up in The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong>. It feels like a school reunion (almost) nobody bothered to attend. The only familiar face besides the titular duo is a brief appearance by X-wing Starfighter Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). I was hoping to see the return of Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Hey, it could happen. Did we actually see him die in the Season 2 finale? No, we did NOT. Therefore…..<\/p>\n

\u00a0I was once asked by a Facebook friend to name an otherwise great movie stopped dead in its tracks by a single scene. I said They Live. The extended fight scene brings John Carpenter\u2019s smart sci-fi horror to a screeching halt. I\u2019m not saying The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong> is a great movie, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it lags in the middle section. There\u2019s a too long sequence involving Grogu tending to Mando after an encounter with a venomous monster orchestrated by the Hutts. Favreau could have cut it down or better yet, shifted focus to the Anzellans rallying support for Mando and Grogu\u2019s final battle. You have to keep things moving with these movies.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I know acting isn\u2019t a major concern in the Star Wars universe. It\u2019s fine as long as the actors can play heroes and villains convincingly enough. Pascal is fine as Mando. He carries most of the weight of the series, but he\u2019s helped greatly by a solid supporting cast. He\u2019s pretty much required to carry the whole of The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong>. Weaver isn\u2019t much help. She has a few scenes and it sounds like she\u2019s just reciting lines. Her heart isn\u2019t in it, not really. I do think Pascal has great rapport with Grogu. I can also say the latter gives the best performance by a puppet I\u2019ve seen in a long time. However, I don\u2019t think the Academy will acknowledge him come Oscar time.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The effects in The Mandalorian and Grogu <\/strong>are pretty good, nothing special. Unfortunately, the visuals are too often murky. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to tell exactly what\u2019s going on. Where is the top-notch work that redefined sci-fi movies? CGI just doesn\u2019t have the same resonance.<\/p>\n

\u00a0On the upside, I\u2019m pleased to see Star Wars back to being a summer movie. They\u2019ve always been summer movies to me. I have so many great memories of watching the tales unfold in air-conditioned theaters. The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/strong> feels disappointingly hollow compared to the originals. It\u2019s entertaining enough; it just doesn\u2019t live up to the brand name. The disjointed narrative and general lack of interest on the part of most involved parties makes it feel more like product than art. To Disney, that\u2019s exactly what Star Wars is, product. They\u2019re the real villains here. Guys, DO BETTER!\"\"<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Disney\/Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 132 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated PG-13 (sci-fi violence and action)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Jon Favreau\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Ludwig Goransson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: David Klein\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: May 22, 2026 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Blum, Jonny […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-now-playing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Mandalorian-and-Grogu-POSTER.jpg?fit=620%2C918&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14480"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14483,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14480\/revisions\/14483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}