The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) is the first Star Wars movie to be released in theaters in seven years, and in a franchise first, is a direct follow-up to a television show, The Mandalorian, which ran for three seasons on Disney+. With all that history behind it, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a fun if somewhat shallow action-adventure movie that requires little knowledge of previous Star Wars films and shows to enjoy.
The Story
The movie starts where season three of The Mandalorian left off, with Mando, played by Pedro Pascal, working for the New Republic to capture Imperial remnants. The opening action scene does the work of setting the table for the relationship between The Mandalorian and the New Republic. The main plot is triggered by Mando being sent on a mission by Colonel Ward, played by Sigourney Weaver, to meet with the Hutt twins, who are the heads of a major crime syndicate. They ask Mando to find their nephew, Rotta, who is the son of Jabba the Hutt.
The structure and tone are similar to a Bond film: an opening action scene, Mando investigating and infiltrating a crime organization, exotic locales, and an explosive action climax.
Direction & Effects
Jon Favreau provides strong direction. The film moves at a good pace and is tonally cohesive while traveling across multiple planets. Action scenes are clearly shot and well edited. The effects work is a highlight, an exciting combination of practical and digital. It is of course hard to tell exactly what methods were used to create each effect as everything is melded together to produce the finished product, but it’s clear on the practical side there was a lot of puppetry and even some stop-motion animation.
Structure
Season four’s scripts were retooled into this movie, Favreau has said, after the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes shifted Disney’s priorities toward theatrical releases, and it does feel like five or six episodes strung together. You can definitely see the seams of where episodes would have started and ended. The question is, does that matter? The movie has a cohesive plot; it just does not follow the traditional three-act story structure of most films. It feels more like three acts containing three mini-acts.
Character Development
The movie is lacking in character development. At the end of the film, the characters are mostly in the same place as when they started. You could argue Grogu has become a little more independent and self-sufficient, but not dramatically so. The resolution of this film also creates some larger implications for the criminal underworld within the Star Wars universe, but you need to be pretty plugged into the overall Star Wars franchise for that to be clear. Casual viewers will likely miss that completely, and that does feel like an intentional decision by the filmmakers.
Worth the Ticket?
Overall, The Mandalorian and Grogu is thin on story stakes and character development, but is a fun, engaging action movie set within the Star Wars universe.