Film Review: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Very Average Joe

Sep 12

2 min read

Title: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Director(s): Jon Favreau

Screenwriter(s): Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni & Noah Kloor

Studio: Lucasfilm

Released: 2026

Runtime: 2h 11m

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White

To some, the series comes across as The Blandalorian. This is arguably a bit harsh but not entirely unfair. There is a lot of potential and there are many cool elements, but they don’t seem to be as consistent and/or go as far as they could.

For example, Djarin is meant to be capable but is initially presented as too ordinary. One does not want him to act like he has superpowers but he needs a few Jack Bauer moments.

As for Grogu, it is hinted there could be some intrigue, and whilst the narrative has (so far) avoided him being a literal Yoda clone from some military experiment, that backstory didn’t really go anywhere either. And then there is him leaving and coming back way too soon, which cheapens him leaving in the first place.

Despite all that, at least the series does look into the universe as the New Republic tries to assert itself and involve the Mandalorians. If one doesn’t like the series, then one will not think much of this film.

Either way, it picks up from the end of the series with Djarin working for the New Republic as it struggles to deal with ex-imperial officers acting like warlords. Djarin is tasked to bring in some faceless dude which the Hutt Twins know about. They have agreed to provide intel in exchange for rescuing their nephew, Rotta.

Of course, nothing goes according to plan and the narrative runs through its motivation-and-obstable cycle. The plot follows Djarin and Grogu as they deal with the Hutts. It is arguably a bit crude but it flows well enough.

The action sequences are decent enough and Djarin is presented as he should have been in the first place. The problem is that there are scenes when it is clearly not Pascal. It is cool that Rotta is not like a typical Hutt but hearing a Hutt speak so casually in English and in a somewhat normal voice doesn’t quite work either.

Visually, the environment and the vehicles generally look solid, particularly the city on Shakari moon that is obviously inspired by Blade Runner (1982). Other elements, such as the Hutts, are not bad but they could be better—they are perhaps what one expects.

The tone is consistent to the series; willing to be moderately dark but still balanced. There is good use of wider and dolly shots to emanate the western genre and/or provide a clearer sense of the action. The film editing is not bad but there are moments in which the cutting breaks up the flow of action too much.

Overall, it is a decent production. There is nothing particularly bad about the film but there is nothing particularly special either. It is predictable but it flows well. If one doesn’t mind the series, then this is a small adventure that is moderately enjoyable.