Inside the massive Star Wars mythology, The Mandalorian works quite well as his own entity. The character is not tethered to the lore of the legacy films and their prequels and sequels; existing as a stand alone entity. “Mando” is free to traverse the worlds created by George Lucas without a need to connect him to any particular heritage storyline. As a free agent, this gives the fan-favorite warrior-bounty hunter a chance to helm many self-contained adventures. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is a gleefully cinematic blast of excitement that brings the fun back to the Star Wars universe.

Since the release of Richard Marquand’s supposed Star Wars finale, 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Lucas’s legendary saga has gone through some rough patches. The first was the indifferent and vicious reactions to the prequel trilogy. 1999’s The Phantom Menace, 2002’s Attack of the Clones, and 2005’s Revenge of the Sith were the first Lucas creations that completely divided even the most hardcore fans. J.J. Abrams’ 2015 legacy sequel, The Force Awakens received a better reception, but still fell victim to the series nitpicking fanbase. In 2017, director Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi strangely ignored almost everything Abrams and his co-writer Lawrence Kasdan had set up for the new trilogy, angering and dividing fans once again. When Abrams was called back to “fix things” for 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, the damage had been done. The film was to be the end to the saga of the Skywalkers, Han Solo, and the rest, but Johnson threw too large of a monkey wrench into trilogy plans. Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio had to backtrack and reiterate many a frayed plot. The film was fun but, once more, the fanbase had many complaints.

2018’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a success, but (for some) a so-so Star Wars affair. Ron Howard’s superior space adventure Solo: A Star Wars Story underperformed at the box office; a shocking occurrence, as Howard crafted a loving tribute to the character and a fun space romp.

As time went on (and Disney bought all of Lucasfilm), the tv series came fast and furious. Once again, fans were divided. 

The Book of Boba Fett pleased some, but came under fire for not being “enough” for such a beloved character and received only one season. Ahsoka was allowed two seasons and gave fans a fun link to a couple of beloved legacy characters. Once Disney got to the one-season Obi-Wan Kenobi, the need to go darker with the stories came into play. A solid show, the Ewan McGregor-starrer did its job, but was overly serious. Then came the mystifyingly somber Andor , which strangely pleased a great deal of Star Wars fans during its two seasons. A needless entry to begin with, the dreadfully boring show was bogged down by ugly cinematography, stiff performances, and a desire to make everything more realistically dramatic. Hey, this is Star Wars! We don’t need talky scenes of marital issues and post-coital arguments between characters.

The Mandalorian was the first series to go into production and was the first live-action Star Wars program. Created by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, the show featured three seasons of The Mandalorian’s Western-styled adventures with his makeshift sidekick, the diminutive, green-skinned, cutie known as Grogu. The fanbase and critics were pleased, so here we are three years later with Mando and Grogu’s silver screen debut. With Filoni and Favreau returning to the writing duties (along with Noah Kloor), The Mandalorian and Grogu is the perfect antidote to the overly-serious tone that has been plaguing the Star Wars films and series for some time.

Taking place after the original trilogy, The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal in full “Man With No Name” mode) is working to hunt down the remaining Empire commanders that are hiding throughout the galaxy. An exciting and well-designed opening battle sets a fun tone for the action-heavy film that will unfold. 

Sigourney Weaver plays Captain Ward, a former X-wing pilot for the rebellion now in charge of the New Republic’s Adelphi Rangers. Such an acting legend deserved a little more to do, but Weaver is always good and her presence is a welcome addition. 

Ward tasks The Mandalorian with the rescue of Rotta the Hutt (son of Jabba), who is being held prisoner. Jeremy Allen White voices Rotta, a Hutt who desires to disassociate himself from his criminal father and make a life of his own. A good character and a good performance, but White’s modern manner of speaking goes against the unique sound of the Hutt clan. 

While certainly a prisoner, Rotta is a buffed-out gladiator owned by the sleazy gangster Janu (Jonny Coyne). It is no spoiler to tell that Mando frees Rotta, but there is more trouble afoot. Rotta’s family, members known as the Twins, try to kill Mando in various ways, which leads to a breathtaking sequence that finds our hero battling water-living creatures in a tribute to the Ray Harryhausen monsters of the 50s and 60s. The huge, white, dragon creature is something to behold and the film knows how to use it.

More trouble awaits Mando and Grogu as their adventure widens. Along the way, the two will meet many friends and foe as they traverse the dangerous, post-Empire universe. A nervous, four-armed, creature who runs a food-truck is a comic highlight, as he is voiced by none other than Martin Scorsese. 

There isn’t a lot of intricacy to the design of the plot, as the character need not be entangled in bloodlines from films past. Every turn is an excuse for Favreau and his team to create a pastiche of exciting action set-pieces.

Cinematographer David Klein embraces the use of IMAX cameras; staying clear of the shaky cam style that has unfortunately found its way into the Star Wars series. Klein widens his frame during every battle, every monster attack, and every ship’s trek through the stars; completely immersing viewers in the cinematic experience.

Doug Chiang and Andrew L. Jones’ Production Design is a feast for the eyes and continues to add to the unique and inventive Star Wars world building.

Ludwig Göransson’s score expands his compositions for the series while adding bigger orchestrations that invoke a bit of the magic found in the Star Wars scores from John Williams. With the exception of a ridiculously misplaced decision to include a few moments of techno music(!), Göransson’s work is some of his strongest to date.

Favreau and company had one mission; to make The Mandalorian and Grogu a popcorn adventure picture that would thrill fans and pay tribute to Lucas’ original saga. Throughout the film, the audience is treated to an exciting adventure full of nearly non-stop thrills, breathtaking visuals, and some clever new additions to the Star Wars creature roster.

Childlike exhilaration should fill the hearts of many viewers, as pure joy has returned to something that bears the Star Wars moniker. 

This is the way.

 

The Mandalorian and Grogu

Written by Dave Filoni & Jon Favreau
Directed by Jon Favreau
Starring Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Martin Scorsese, Jonny Coyne

PG-13, 132 Minutes, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Productions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHWlvwu8t1w