The Wasteland Reviewer

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) Written Review

Are we ready to go back to a galaxy far, far away on the big screen for the first time in years? There has been a large void in Lucasfilm productions coming to the big screen. But they have been busy bees over on Disney+ with animated anthologies, animated series, and live-action series that have expanded and explored the greater lore of George Lucas’ creation. In the hands of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, we got an exciting and lovable show like The Mandalorian which leans heavily into the western and samurai roots of Lucas’ original films. Bringing Din Djarin and Grogu to the big screen is an exciting new prospect. The Mandalorian and Grogu is a new sprawling tale about Empirical remnants, the rising New Republic, criminal underworlds, and the Hutts. 

Does this story from Favreau, Filoni, and Noah Kloor make a worthy leap to the silver screen? Structurally, this is a sprawling tale of bounties, backstabbing, and father/son adventure. The film opens with a fun and action-packed cold open that acts as a nice bridge from streaming to cinemas for Din and Grogu (as it sets up Din’s mission to take down forward warlords in the Empire). Din is offered a mission by his New Republic contact to find Rotta the Hutt, return his to his relatives, and get information about a warlord hiding from the New Republic. The narrative is adventurous as it takes Din to a variety of planets as he must get up to some detective work and get physical to take down some evil characters. The worlds are uniquely visualized, have plenty of danger and action, and produce a classic Star Wars feel. At the heart of the film, Din and Grogu’s connection is fleshed out and our heroes have new dimensions to explore. Most of the other characters are quite basic and even when they have some potential depth (like Rotta) they are bluntly explained through the dialogue. The dialogue in the film is a bit too clunky and blunt (in some classic Star Wars fashion). Luckily, the film is full of fun set pieces, cute character moments, and plenty of charm to overcome those shortcomings (mostly). 

Does Favreau bring the goods with his return to cinematic direction? One of the brightest spots of the film is the way that Favreau and company lean into practical effects when they can. Characters like Grogu and Babu Frik are adorable puppets and are real standouts in the film. The character CGI looks quite good as well with the Hutts characters standing out along with a gladiatorial match full of wild creatures. The special effects are quite impressive with only moments of heavy CGI action coming into play and you can see some of the seams. There are a few moments where the backgrounds look a little too fake. The action in the film is quite fun and dynamic as well. The opening action sequences have plenty of dynamic camera angles as the hand-to-hand combat stands out. The action that relies heavily on the CGI can feel a little over edited and clunky at times though. There are plenty of action beats throughout the film as well as some well-directed tension and suspense. Pacing-wise, the film does have its uneven moments. The film moves greatly until it gets to a prolonged down period in the late 2^nd act into 3^rd. This sequence is charming, endearing, and moving (with some great character developments for Grogu) but it does slow the pace to the point that the long runtime is felt. The film is a great mixture of heart, charming, laughs, action, thrills, and sense of wonder. This is one of the most fun Star Wars films you are going to find. Arguably the greatest element of the whole film is the towering score from Ludwig Goransson. The theme from the show is epic in that theater and all the other synth work and other musical elements elevate every single scene. Each place and situation has a distinct personality as Goransson shows, yet again, why he is one of the greats working today.

Does the cast get to shine through in this effect-driven space adventure? To be honest, the actors are not going to be the biggest selling point of a film like this but there are still some standouts. Pedro Pascal is not in the film as much as you would probably expect (his face is only shown for about 5 minutes). His voice performance as Din is also assured, calm, and engaging. The combination of Pascal and his stuntmen make Din such an engaging presence as they sell all the physicality quite well. You might not think of Grogu as a “performance” but all the puppetry and vocalizations make him an infinitely adorable character that is the true heart of the film. Babu Frik and his crew are given so much charming and fun personality by Shirley Henderson (they steal the whole film out from everyone under everyone). Jeremy Allen White is such a talented actor and his voice performance as Rotta is a little flat, but his dialogue is so bland that it would be hard to make this character truly stand out. There are few wonderful moments between Rotta and Grogu that are adorable, but they work due to the teams behind the effects and puppets. A great talent like Sigourney Weaver is mostly wasted with a character just spouts expositional dialogue. It is nice hearing Steve Blum and seeing Zeb back in Star Wars after Rebels. One of the fun highlights is a voice performance from Martin Scorsese (which is certainly unexpected in a Star Wars film). You will also hear and see plenty of familiar voices and faces along the way, which is a charming treat.

Is Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu a good addition to this acclaimed franchise? This is one of the most entertaining rides in the franchise and strips things back to that classic adventure serial vibe of the original films. The core of the film is impressive with Din and Grogu offering up plenty of heart and charm. The action delivers and the galaxy world-building is a welcome aspect. This score is going to be stuck in your head for a long time as well. This shows you how much fun there is still left in the Star Wars franchise and let’s hope for more adventures with Din and Grogu.