SYNOPSIS: In “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first “Star Wars” film to be released in theatres in almost seven years, the New Republic hires bounty hunter The Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to rescue Rotta the Hutt in exchange for information from the Hutt clan on a New Republic target. “This isn’t about revenge,” says Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver). “It’s about preventing another war.”
CAST: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Sigourney Weaver. Directed by Jon Favreau.
REVIEW: “The Mandalorian and Grogu” feels like spending an afternoon binge watching the Disney+ show that inspired the movie. It captures the show’s vibe with big action tempered by the heartwarming father-son dynamic between the title characters.
The action begins years after the fall of the Galactic Empire. Former Rebel Alliance pilot Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), now of the New Republic, recruits Din Djarin a.k.a. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) to hunt down Imperial warlords who still rule parts of the galaxy.
Part ninja, part knight and full-time dad who keeps Grogu safe, and makes sure he doesn’t ruin his dinner by eating too many cookies, Mando reluctantly agrees to rescue the kidnapped slug-like Rotta the Hutt (Jabba the Hutt’s son voiced by Jeremy Allen White) in return for information on the whereabouts of an elusive Imperial despot.
Dealing with the intergalactic gangsters, however, comes with unexpected twists and turns. “Do you know how hard it is to be your own man when your father is Jabba the Hutt?” asks Rotta.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is an old-fashioned action-adventure film with a high-tech sheen. Director Jon Favreau, who also created the television show, delivers large-scale action, some cool puppetry, creepy monsters that look freshly escaped from Ray Harryhausen’s imagination and the father-son relationship so central to the TV show’s success.
What’s missing is ambition. For all the big scale battle scenes, new creatures and things that go boom, there isn’t much risk taking. Visually, the IMAX treatment is, of course, larger and louder than the streaming show, but thematically there’s not a lot of texture. It’s a theme park ride with lots of ups and downs, but no real excitement. The stakes are life-and-death, but the pacing of the two-hour-and-fifteen-minute movie, kills any sense of urgency the story attempts to generate.
But, while “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is mostly empty calories, it does offer pleasures along the way. Martin Scorsese voicing the four-armed fry cook is an unexpected hoot and the spirit of loyalty and love between Mando and Grogu, in part, makes up for the lack of meaningful storytelling.
