Frustratingly, no, not really. The Mandalorian and Grogu is a decent popcorn flick with some exciting action, nice humour, a killer score from Ludwig Göransson (no surprise) and a Hutt thirst trap - but it is lacking narratively, tonally messy, and feels rather inconsequential by the time the underwhelming finale hits. To say it is ‘bad’ would be incorrect (for me), but maybe ‘misguided’ is the better word. The introductory text sets the galactic scene, however, don’t expect them to follow the plot set out, especially in regard to the Empire. The opening act, until around the 40 minute mark, is strong and has that classic season one and two feeling coursing throughout it. After this, it feels less assured and, despite the film's generally breakneck pace, meanders somewhat through its middle section, and, during these moments, the lack of any true spark is apparent. Star Wars has always been about that sense of wonder and excitement, and they are lacking from large parts of The Mandalorian and Grogu.

 

The film does have a lot of solid action sequences that are well shot and varied enough with our leads getting a handful of crowd-pleasing “hero” moments; however, as we reach the finale, some of the action does feel a tad repetitive and the editing lets some of the latter chaos down. That said, the dogfights looked great and really benefitted from the IMAX format. The film, as a whole, generally looks great and the vast array of aliens and species again shows just how incredible Industrial Light & Magic really are, with this film acting as a real showcase for their talents.

 

If you weren't aware of who Mando and Grogu were heading into the film, it doesn’t really provide much in the way of backstory aside from a few mentions of family but the story makes clear who they are to each other, and Mando’s role within the fledgling New Republic. Mando is given instructions throughout by the dependably solid Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward - Weaver isn’t given much to do, but provides a decent foil for Mando. Pascal’s voice work here is as strong (and soothing) as expected, though don’t expect to see much of the top-billed star. Everyone’s favourite green guy, Grogu, has plenty to do throughout and is able to develop more as a character here than we have seen previously - though Favreau absolutely continues to play on the cuteness factor (which will always be a winner). As Rotta the Hutt (son of Jabba, first introduced in The Clone Wars animated series), Jeremy Allen White provides a curious voice performance, one that took a bit of getting used to and one I’m not entirely sure was the best choice.

 

My key concern going into the film was the lack of detail regarding the story in trailers and marketing, and now, having seen the film, it’s clear there was a reason for that, another concern I had was the lack of true antagonists in the build-up. Again, it can be said that there are no real antagonists in the story, hence why the marketing was so thin regarding them. It’s easy to note or highlight that the remaining Imperials are the true enemy, but a pair of greedy Hutt twins provide problems for our lead pair, as does a cabal of droids, but the biggest missed opportunity was in the character of Embo, another character from The Clone Wars brought into live-action. Now, watching the film as a non-Star Wars fan, you would have no idea this bounty hunter was called Embo, as I’m struggling to remember whether he was even named. Either way, the character is presented and shot as a big deal, but he never felt like one in the film, instead coming across more like a secondary villain.

 

The question can be asked, “does The Mandalorian work better on the small screen?”. When The Mandalorian and Grogu is at its best, it’s when it is channelling the strongest aspects of the series. However, it cannot maintain those levels throughout its 130-minute runtime. As much as I love Star Wars (and I LOVE Star Wars), and as much as I enjoy being in that wonderful galaxy far, far away, is it enough to just accept “fine”, “risk-free”, “safe” and to “just go with it”? From a Star Wars perspective, the film delivers enough of the adventure and fun we would expect without ever threatening to escape its own boundaries (it’s very much a standalone piece). Outside of that, it is lacking narratively and in purpose, inconsistent tonally, and, at times, struggles to justify its need for a big-screen outing.