The evil Empire has fallen but Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu.
(C) Lucasfilm/Disney
I love me some side quests. Sometimes, these side quests are even better than the main quests. With its scope, the Star Wars franchise is perfect for exploring more worlds and stories. For sure, there are more tales worth telling aside from the Skywalkers. To be frank, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a fun time at the movies. As mentioned, it's nice to explore different worlds in this saga, and this film does not lack that.
At the same time, Grogu somehow feels like it's moving at 0.75x speed and surprisingly doesn't seem interested in stakes. Make no mistake, I'm perfectly happy just watching Grogu do Grogu things, but the film features various big set pieces that require sustained buildup to really work. Instead, we're simply following the characters as they finish missions in a static manner. Again, the exploration of different worlds, monsters, and characters makes up for it, but not entirely, as one can still be taken out of the immersion. Perhaps it's in the writing and structure where things could've been patched together better, or maybe the limitations of the Mandalorian as a lead are more glaring this time around.
Back to Grogu, Baby Yoda continues to be a highlight here. Just when you think you want out, he pulls you back in with his precious little moments. The dogfight scenes are always a treat, though they make you look forward more to the next Star Wars movie than fully enjoy what this film is offering now. Oh, Ludwig Goransson's score? still good.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is an enjoyable sci-fi adventure within the world of 'Star Wars.' However, as a fan of compelling side quests, this is not entirely the way to do it. 3/5 ⭐
