The Mandalorian and Grogu
(Tumblr is being dumb with photos, sorry in advance.)
So Star Wars has been touch-and-go for me over the past 8 years, and I have been toughing out the lull period of the franchise's tenure with the house that Mickey built.
Despite the modern trajectory of this I.P., it has had a few bright spots; one of them has been The Mandalorian. A series that tells the story of Bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young force-wielding apprentice, Grogu.
After 3 seasons, Disney moved forward creating a film. But did it seamlessly translate between mediums? Let's get into it! This is The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Taking place after Season 3, The (titular) Mandalorian bounty hunter, Din Djarin, and his pint-sized progeny/apprentice, Grogu are hired to hunt down the son of the late Tatooine despot, Jabba the Hutt.
Here’s the thing, I hampered my expectations going in and I will lead in saying that this is NOT a bad movie, moving on…
Narratively, I think there is a great story here… but 2 hours was clearly not enough time to tell it.
Disney understands that you can’t approach the Star Wars name with half measures, and you can see this visually and with the sound direction.
The set pieces are phenomenal, Jon Favreau’s vision is an amazing take on the urban landscapes from the various CGI animated shows. From bright and shiny to dark and dingy.
Composer Ludwig Göransson, understood the assignment giving the soundtrack a level of intensity that would make John Williams proud.
The cast, both returning and new gave strong performances.
Jeremy Allen White as prodigal son, Rotta the Hutt gave an impressive voice over performance, sounding like he was impersonating Seth Rogen.
Sigourney Weaver, the archetypical female action star is on brand as Ward, commander of the Adelphi Rangers.
Jonny Coyne didn’t really leave an impression on me, but this happens in Star Wars a lot.
And for some reason, Mr. “Superhero movies are not cinema”, Martin Scorsese is in this movie for a reason.
Steve Blum reprised the role of Zeb Ourelius, being one of the GOATs of voice acting, this makes my heart happy.
And Pedro Pascal, The Manadalorian is the parton saint of Dave Filoni’s vision for EVERY SINGLE PROTAGONIST THAT HE WRITES!!!!!! Pascal has a charisma that supersedes the stoicism of his character.
As stated earlier, this should not have been made into a movie; a lot of ideas were placed into one film, which played with the pacing of the film.
I have had a strained relationship with Star Wars lately, and I was really hoping this film would give me hope for the franchise. It's given me a morsel, but it still has a long way to go.
I give the Mandalorian and Grogu a 3 out of 5.
So until next time, keep it on the reel.









