The Mandalorian and Grogu
It was December 2019 when a Star Wars film last received cinematic release, the sequel trilogy crashing down with the finale of The Rise of Skywalker, desperately trying to draw together the disparate strands of a resurrection which launched enthusiastically but undeniably derivatively with The Force Awakens then watching the hyperdrive fails as it realised there was nowhere to go: somehow, they had no plan.
The Disney / Lucasfilm brotherhood in the interim having been developing an expansive range of television series to explore the far reaches of the galactic rim, it is from one of those that their new big screen adventure has sprung, the twenty-four episodes across three seasons of The Mandalorian in search of new bounty in the form of The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Directed by series creator Jon Favreau and co-written with producer Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor, the film based on the show which made Pedro Pascal internationally famous and carries his name as the lead does not benefit greatly from his presence, voicing the title character but only appearing in person when he is forced to fight without his helmet, the role otherwise played in anonymous Mandalorian armour by Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder.
Taking place in the years of instability after Return of the Jedi, the Galactic Empire having fallen but the powerful survivors of that regime having set themselves up in control of the outlying systems, the New Republic tries to bring balance to the power vacuum, the Mandalorian and Grogu, his young apprentice whom he carries into battle regardless of safety, tasked to seek and apprehend these warlords.
A universe filled with leftover technology, Battle Droids and Naboo fighters and the arena which inspired the holographic game found on board YT-1300 Corellian Freighters, the opening scene on an unnamed winter world sells the Mandalorian as the character Boba Fett was originally set up to be, dynamic, efficient, dangerous and unpredictable in his pursuit of his quarry as he takes out an encampment guarded by a trio of surplus Imperial Walkers.
Yet, as soon as the bounty is paid and the next target assigned, to rescue Rotta the Hutt, son of Jabba, kidnapped by the mysterious Commander Coin, the momentum flags upon arrival at the planet Shakari, Blade Runner’s neon Los Angeles without the rain where clanking coins down on the counter of the street vendor voiced by Martin Scorsese brings reluctant answers which lead to a Hard-Boiled tea-room shootout.
Rotta less than enthused by the possibility of freedom, voiced by Jeremy Allen White he is more engaged in his virtual role than Sigourney Weaver’s actual role as Colonel Ward, seen more than Pascal but doing nothing other than issuing orders and confirming obvious betrayals after the fact, her disinterest palpable and her involvement secondary to hovercar chases and a slug wrestling match.
Ludwig Göransson’s capturing the grandeur and whimsy of John Williams before moving to new sonic landscapes, his score is more adventurous than the story, the lack of complexity and depth marking it as aimed at easily dazzled children and indiscriminate fans yet oddly joyless even as it becomes a Muppet-fest when Grogu is joined by his diminutive Anzellan friends, Favreau reliant on their cuteness as they undertake engineering tasks yet making repairs which go nowhere fast, The Mandalorian and Grogu a filler rather than a feature.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is on general release and also screening in IMAX now
