Pedro Pascal in ‘Star Wars’ Film

The first Star Wars movie, in seven, count ’em, seven years seeks to discover if you can let the streaming genie out of the bottle. The Mandalorian and Grogu represents the first big-screen outing for the characters originated on the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian. So the question is, does the film stand on its own as a worthy theatrical Star Wars movie or does it merely feel like a condensed fourth season of the series?

The answer, frustratingly, is a little bit of both. The film, directed by series creator Jon Favreau, has been cleverly engineered to work as a stand-alone entry even for those who haven’t immersed themselves in the streaming Star Wars universe. The scale has certainly been pumped up, with an obviously bigger budget, spectacular action sequences and a significant portion projected in full IMAX-level proportions. It looks, sounds and feels like a Star Wars movie.

And yet, it still feels stubbornly small in its relatively inconsequential storyline and themes. It’s hard to imagine anyone experiencing this as their first Star Wars film and getting hooked for life as those who saw the original trilogy in theaters did.

Still, it’s an entertaining, fast-spaced space adventure that benefits immeasurably from the charisma (mostly vocal, but still) of Pedro Pascal as the bounty hunting Mandalorian Din Djarin and the adorable cuteness of the animatronic Baby Yoda, excuse me, Grogu. The latter proves a definite crowdpleaser even if, when seen in close-up on a massively sized screen, he comes across more like Jabba the Hutt.

Speaking of Jabba, he provides a connection between this film and the original trilogy, specifically Return of the Jedi. Well, at least his son does, since Jabba’s offspring Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) is a key character in the storyline involving Djarin being hired by the New Republic’s Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver, getting another notch on her franchise belt) to rescue Rotta from being enslaved as a gladiator by evil Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne, reprising his role from the series). The New Republic intends to trade Rotta’s return to his twin Hutt cousins in return for their knowledge of the whereabouts of fugitive Imperial Warlords.

Favreau, working from a script co-authored with Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni and Book of Boba Fett writer Noah Kloor, gets the action going in the first few minutes, as if to reassure fans that the leap to the big screen means something. Throughout the film, there are numerous battles with various CGI creatures, space dogfights and chases, and enough explosions to make people feel they’ve gotten their premium screen money’s worth.  

As far as story and characterizations go, there’s nothing to get too excited about, although fans will be happy to know that you get to see Pascal’s face, albeit for not very long. The psychodrama on display, mostly revolving around Rotta’s daddy issues, results in dialogue on the order of Rotta whining, “Do you know how hard it is to be your own man when your father is Jabba the Hutt?” Although it’s safe to say that no one’s thought about it before.

Despite his badass Mandalorian bounty hunter credentials, Djarin proves refreshingly vulnerable, with various bad guys getting the better of him so often the film begins to resemble one of those old-time movie serials whose installments always ended with a cliffhanger. Fortunately, he has the loyal Baby Yoda — I mean Grogu, dammit — to help him out, most notably in one of the film’s (literally) quietest and best sequences, when the loyal silent creature lovingly tends to him after he’s been poisoned during a battle with a fearsome sea monster.  

Indeed, the touchingly paternal relationship between Djarin and the always hungry Grogu gives the film something resembling a beating heart, with the former offering his ward advice like “Always wear your seat belt” and taking away his cookies so as not to have his dinner spoiled. Although at other times he treats him as a pet, literally telling him to “heel.”

At one point, Grogu is shown sleeping on top of Rotta the Hutt like a bird on a rhino, and you can easily imagine the toy versions being sold as a pair. The unlikely duo is also seen frolicking in the surf, which only makes you concerned since it seems unlikely that Hutts can swim.

Pascal lends his distinctive, soulful voice to his character, with stunt performers Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder handling the extensive physical demands that include a harrowing underwater battle. Providing the voice of one of the many alien characters is Martin Scorsese, who has some amusing moments with his typically rapid-fire delivery as a nervous street food vendor whom Djarin pumps for information. Although it does make you wonder if the director has changed his mind about franchise blockbusters.   

The Mandalorian and Grogu (not a title that rolls trippingly off the tongue) mostly fulfills its goal of being better than the much-maligned The Rise of Skywalker and giving its titular characters a viable launch on the big screen. But it’s hard not to wish that had aimed been a bit higher.