‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Review: Cracks in the Beskar Armor

When The Mandalorian first released in 2019, it captivated audiences and ushered in a new era of Star Wars live-action series. Grogu aka the Child aka Baby Yoda became an overnight sensation and an absolute merchandising behemoth for the franchise and Disney. Meanwhile, the role helped boost Pedro Pascal into becoming a household name. Even though we rarely saw his face, who could have guessed we’d be seeing so much of him in television and film in the years to come. Three seasons and nearly seven years later, Mando and his apprentice in training are finally making their hyperspace jump from Disney+ to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu. Simple in name and likewise simple in story, the film feels like an extended episode of the series as Din Djarin and Grogu venture across the galaxy on a mission for the New Republic. It’s average at best and despite the bigger screen, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Grogu’s adorableness can only do so much, and the once indestructible beskar armor is starting to show some cracks with its wear and tear. It’s not terrible, but this is not the way, either.

Mandalorian Din Djarin and his apprentice Grogu now work for the New Republic hunting down the last remaining imperials of the Empire. Their latest bounty is a mysterious high ranking officer named Coin who no one knows what he looks like. Thankfully the Hutt Twins have intel on Coin, but they only agree to give up their information if Mando can rescue their nephew Rotta, the son of Jabba the Hutt and heir to the throne, from his imprisonment within a crime syndicate. It’s no easy task and will take all of both Din and Grogu’s skills if they are to survive.

The big question surrounding The Mandalorian and Grogu is whether or not the story, visuals, sound, and everything else warrants a trip to the theaters, and honestly I would have to say no. The film could have easily been split in half and called two episodes of Season 4 and everyone would be none the wiser. The story itself is nothing special and doesn’t really do anything to develop the Mandalorian franchise or the greater Star Wars universe as a whole. The relationship between Din and Grogu remains static. Din does most of the heavy lifting/fighting while Grogu acts as an adorable accessory to his armor. He helps out on occasion with his force powers, but it still feels the same as it was back in Season 1. While we can’t definitively say how much time has passed in the series, there should still be some development to the characters and their relationships together. The stakes of the film are all but absent as well. We’re not sure why Coin is so important to the New Republic other than he’s a bad guy who has information. Din never feels like he’s in any real danger thanks to his beskar plot armor. He’s impenetrable from basically every weapon in the galaxy and his Mandalorian armor apparently can absorb any force that is put on Din. At one point Rotta squashes him with his entire Hutt body, and it doesn’t do much. Even in the strongest armor, you’re going to feel that. Mando often gets thrown around and bashed into walls and because he’s wearing beskar it’s all good. I can understand how strong his armor is, but when it makes him nearly invincible, there’s no tension or danger left.

The visuals are fine, but are nothing that is leaps and bounds above what we’ve already seen from the series. Zeb returns for a bigger role in the film, and he looks a little out of place as an entirely CGI character especially when compared to a fully animatronic Grogu. Jeremy Allen White as Rotta is a little off as well. There’s a strange filter over his voice that doesn’t work, creating an uncanny separation between the character on screen and his vocal performance. The fight scenes are entertaining and well choreographed, although there are times where there are one too many quick cuts in succession. It’s nice to have a Star Wars property where the action doesn’t revolve around lightsabers, and Mando is the prime example of that. There are a few scenes where the picture opens up to capture the scenery or dogfights in space in IMAX, and it does look beautiful, especially when you actually see the screen transition to fill the entire frame. Having a bigger screen allows you to see more of the detail, both the good and unfortunately the bad.

Where the film succeeds most is with its score. Ludwig Göransson returns with more of the same Western-inspired melodies from the series, and hearing them in a theater setting is fantastic. A lot of the score is just building on the iconic main theme of The Mandalorian. It’s a prime example of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule. The booming score brings the action scenes to life and makes the world come alive. There are times where the film feels like Blade Runner or Dune and a lot of that has to do with Göransson’s score.

In the end, The Madalorian and Grogu is more of the same fans have come to expect from the Mandoverse. It’s an okay addition to the franchise but there was no need for it to be a film. It works as a self-contained story but only because there’s barely any story at all. I still get enjoyment out of seeing Din Djarin and Grogu hunting down bounties, but the novelty of it all is starting to wear thin. Din’s stoic demeanor and Grogu’s cuteness can only carry the series so far. I’m not sure what the future holds for The Mandalorian franchise, but it needs to stop playing it safe if it wants to return to the glory days of that first season. This is the only way.