After defeating Moff Gideon in the third season of The Mandalorian series, Din Djarin hunts down the remnants of the Empire. He carries out orders for the New Republic — hunting high-ranking officers of the defeated regime, but has not yet managed to capture one of them alive for interrogation.
During another attempt to capture a "tongue," the Mandalorian had to contact the Hutt Twins, who wanted to seize Jabba's business after his death. Now Din has to complete a task where he faces a moral choice. And as before, the Force-sensitive little Grogu will help the hero.
Although it is a feature film, it resembles a mini-series of several episodes stitched together. This is evident in the story's structure: characters complete a task, then there's a break, after which a new problem arises. And so it goes several times. Because of this, the film loses its rhythm: dynamic action is sharply replaced by prolonged pauses. There is no sense of integrity.
The plot of the film is simple: it is a story of two protagonists, not claiming grandeur or genius. The events of the film have almost no global impact on the far, far away galaxy, except for minor consequences for its criminal underworld.
"The Mandalorian & Grogu" is also a partial sequel to the 2008 animated film "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," which launched the animated series of the same name. The plot there was connected with Jabba the Hutt's son named Rotta, who plays an important role in this film. And I'm glad they remembered him.
Nevertheless, as a one-off story, the project works. Despite its simplicity and fluctuating narrative pace, "The Mandalorian & Grogu" doesn't overwhelm the viewer with pathos or high stakes. After all, the film is primarily made for fans of the series: it beautifully showcases the chemistry between Din and the little one, on which several scenes are built — both important and fan-service or comedic. I was pleased to meet my favorite characters again, albeit not without nuances related to their development.
Mandalorian — no, Grogu — yes
The authors handle the characters strangely. Some characters here act as functions, not developing at all, while others serve as references for fans of other franchise projects.
The problems with character development are most evident in the Mandalorian himself. Din remained true to his principles, but he has no plot arc whatsoever in the film. The Djarin we saw in the series is the same Djarin we see here. The script doesn't challenge him, doesn't break his worldview, and doesn't show the character from an unexpected side. There's only a mercenary and his mission.
In battle, the Mandalorian fearlessly rushes into crowds of ordinary opponents, easily scattering them, because they behave foolishly. It looks spectacular, but it's impossible to worry about the character — in battle, he seems invulnerable. Even the final opponent, who caused difficulties before, could do nothing against Din.
And an example of a fan-service character was Zeb Orrelios. He is one of the main characters of the animated series "Rebels" — the only one from the team who had not previously debuted in live-action. The character is very interesting, but here he appears only a few times, participates in one combat scene, speaking rarely and to the point. If you don't know who he is, the film won't even hint at his story, leaving him as an faceless assistant to the protagonist.
The same applies to one of the antagonists — a mercenary named Embo. He appeared in other projects, for example in "The Clone Wars," but here his name is not even mentioned.
Sigourney Weaver's character is also very simple. She plays an ordinary colonel of the New Republic forces and appears in only a few scenes, without much sophistication. It's hard to say anything more about her.
The Hutt Twins, however, are shown quite well. They are no better than Jabba, and even quite the opposite — they love to inflict not only physical but also moral suffering on their victims. This pleasantly surprised me, as it doesn't look as banal and flat. However, it's not a very rich image, and it would have been difficult to mess it up.
The main stars of the project were Rotta and Grogu. Rotta directly states that he wants to live independently, without regard for his lineage. To my memory, this is the first time we've seen a Hutt like this — his muscular design only emphasizes the difference.
It's easy to empathize with the hero: at first, Rotta seems naive, but gradually learns from his mistakes, which reveals the character. He has his own philosophy, which not only doesn't break under the pressure of circumstances but also strengthens. It's a pity he doesn't have much screen time. Although then the film would have to be called "The Mandalorian and Grogu and Rotta."
Grogu has taken a step forward. He is no longer the defenseless baby Din protected; he is a full-fledged apprentice who plays an important role in the narrative. The character helps in battle: sometimes using the Force (though such moments are few), sometimes helping to bypass enemy defenses and traps, sometimes using grenades. And once he even participates in a chase. Many of these scenes are reduced to humor or fan service, but some moments are important.
For example, Grogu saves the Mandalorian's life several times, to which a significant part of the film is dedicated. At one such moment, the narrative pauses, becoming very slow, but showing the hero's growth. Although he didn't utter a single word throughout the plot, one wants not only to admire the baby's actions but also to be genuinely proud of him. This is the way.
Action and Style
Visually, the picture is not abundant in beauty. We are shown several planets, but their image does not stand out in any way.
Among these worlds was the homeworld of the Hutts — the planet Nal Hutta. There are several scenes here where the connection with these creatures and hints at their development as a species are clearly visible, but all of them are background and last for a few seconds. Otherwise, it's an ordinary planet with forests and swamps. The potential for expanding the lore is ruined.
Another planet is a city, of which there are plenty in the far, far away galaxy. However, the music here is good. It is not related to the usual "Star Wars" motifs, but it somewhat resembles electronic compositions from the 1980s, which is interesting in its own way. I had a pleasant association with 8- and 16-bit themes from games of that cozy era.
The rest of the music is also good, but not always suitable for what's happening on screen. For example, a pompous soundtrack plays, which should emphasize the power of the New Republic squadron, but the battle itself looks like a training exercise.
The action in the film is well-staged. The battles are beautiful, but there's nothing special about them. Only the Mandalorian's charisma, which is felt even through his opaque helmet, saves it.
However, there is one impressive battle scene. I can compare it to a boss fight in Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Almost literally: there's a large darkened arena that's difficult to navigate, a terrifying opponent, and a duel divided into two phases. This is the only significant challenge for Djarin that got the nerves tingling.
In places, the battles lack brutality — the film's PG-13 rating takes its toll. This is most noticeable when Din and Rotta fight a crowd of monsters, and in the scene that follows this battle. It looks ridiculous: as if in "Attack of the Clones," Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé could only punch monsters in the arena.
Little Grogu in the series was created using animatronics. On the one hand, this makes the character look more alive and real than if he were drawn. But on the other hand, it sometimes affects the animation, which seems jerky. This is best seen during his jumps, when the character comically pops out of the frame. It reminded me of cheap sitcom effects.
Verdict
"The Mandalorian & Grogu" is an action film in a well-known universe without frills. The story hardly affects the franchise, but it also doesn't burden it with anything superfluous. If you've watched the trailers, you already know the entire plot.
There's a lot of action in the film — every 10 minutes there's a shootout or a fight on screen. You'll hardly get bored.
Rotta and Grogu were especially pleasing. The former became the deepest and most unusual Hutt in the far, far away galaxy, and the latter received enough screen time and became an important hero, not just a comedic and fan-service element. If we get a sequel or the characters appear in other projects of the universe, the little one could become a very important character for it.
But be prepared for the film to resemble a mini-series more than a cohesive work. Sometimes the story distracts from itself, breaking immersion, even though all events are logically connected.
The film can be watched once, but only if you love "The Mandalorian" series and its characters and want to spend an extra two hours with them. The project doesn't claim more than that.