The Mandalorian and Grogu

Since 1977, few franchises have served up cinematic events quite like Star Wars. With nine episodes and two spin-off films to date, the big-screen arm of the series has been quiet since 2019’s Rise of Skywalker. The latest cinema release The Mandalorian and Grogu, brings the hit TV series to multiplexes, following the titular duo on their adventures to take out the remnants of The Empire.

We pick up a short time after the events of season three, with Din Djarin and Grogu now working for The New Republic and ploughing through what’s left of the Imperial leadership. We open with an exciting mission and some pounding action. Along with Pedro Pascal’s title character, Sigourney Weaver joins another iconic sci-fi series as Ward, one of the leaders within The New Republic. The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White is the voice of Rotta the Hutt (yes, the son of Jabba), a key figure within the story, with the Hutts drawn into one of Din Djarin’s missions.

The question when this film was announced was whether it was necessary or a replacement for a fourth season. At times, the plot can feel a tad lacklustre and almost like filler episodes. While the action is, for the most part, impressive, and it is enjoyable to return to this corner of the universe, it fails to make a claim to essential status, in the way both series of Andor did or the way some animated shows have.

The narrative does little to develop the characters from the last time we saw them. Despite this, there are still plenty of adrenaline thrills to be found, particularly in the opening and final acts. It’s frustrating that these don’t come in a more impressive Star Wars film.

While The Mandalorian and Grogu can at times feel unnecessarily padded and like it is treading water, at its best, it does recapture the joyous feeling Star Wars can bring. It will help whet appetites until a brand new corner of the universe takes flight in 2027 with Starfighter. Even if it doesn’t hit the heights of the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, this film does remind us why we fell in love with the characters, with plenty of fun Grogu mischief and hard-edged action to make up for some of the shortcomings.