SPOILER FREE Review - The Mandalorian and Grogu

On May 22, The Mandalorian and Grogu finally made its way into theaters, much to the delight of Star Wars fans everywhere. On May 20, I had the opportunity to catch an exclusive pre-screening courtesy of Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21, my local Montreal Down Syndrome (RT21) charity who you should definitely donate some money to if you are able.

As much as I would like to say that it took me a few days to digest The Mandalorian and Grogu in order to pin down my thoughts on the film, that simply isn't the case. The Mandalorian and Grogu comes fast, lean, and with a side of making the audience wonder just how much of a Star Wars movie this really is.

The Mandalorian and Grogu Is the Lowest-Stakes Star Wars Story Yet

For the record, that isn't a knock against The Mandalorian and Grogu. If anything, the film being so far removed from the usual trappings and tropes of the Star Wars franchise is one of its biggest strengths, even if that isn't something critics have come to a consensus on quite yet.

Without giving away anything that hasn't been revealed by the trailers or logline, The Mandalorian and Grogu is nothing like the mainline Star Wars trilogies, nor does it try to be. Instead, the film revolves around the eponymous duo's hunt for Rotta the Hutt, the son of the late Jabba the Hutt who was purportedly stolen away to another world.

Of course, things aren't nearly as simple as that, which means that an otherwise ordinary search and rescue mission soon becomes an interstellar adventure spanning multiple worlds and numerous sprawling alien landscapes.

The Cast of The Mandalorian and Grogu Couldn't Be Better

The Mandalorian and Grogu is by and large a character-driven story, and the casting is quite literally perfect for the film. While there was never any doubt that Pedro Pascal would continue to deliver in his portrayal of Din Djarin, every role is filled with the best possible actor for the part.

Jeremy Allen White can't stop delivering in his voice portrayal of Rotta the Hutt, and every single second that Sigourney Weaver is on screen is a moment to behold. Steve Blum's return as the voice of Zeb is also a major highlight, especially for fans of Star Wars: Rebels.

Whereas every other Star Wars movie has leaned into the grander narrative at play in the background, The Mandalorian and Grogu lets its characters carry the story. Sure, the war between the remnants of the Galactic Empire and the budding New Rebellion is still ongoing, but it is only mentioned as a means of further driving individual characters to follow whatever trajectory the film requires.

Where The Mandalorian and Grogu Falls Short

This is easily the biggest issue that most critics and viewers have had with The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it is understandable why. Star Wars is big. Star Wars is epic. Star Wars tells tales that span decades and generations and thousands of years.

The Mandalorian and Grogu, on the other hand, tells one, maybe two stories throughout the course of its run time. Neither of them have any major bearing on any of the other goings on of a Galaxy Far, Far Away, nor does some more important plot line hinge on them in any way.

For all intents and purposes, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a popcorn flick, which feels wrong for Star Wars, but right for what it is. Sure, there are some sequences that rely too heavily on undercooked CGI, and there are action scenes that aren't lit properly and which cut every half-second, but those are issues that are rampant in any genre with which The Mandalorian and Grogu overlaps.

Why The Mandalorian and Grogu Is the Best Star Wars Film of the Decade (So Far)

Saying that this is the "best Star Wars movie of the decade" might not be saying much considering The Mandalorian and Grogu is the ONLY Star Wars film of the decade. That being said, there are plenty more Star Wars movies in the works, and The Mandalorian and Grogu may have just set the new standard for the franchise.

Apart from the myriad of features in the works from filmmakers like Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Dave Filoni, James Mangold, and Taika Waititi, directory Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter is barely a year away. From what we know so far, Star Wars: Starfighter will be another decidedly different kind of franchise experience, hopefully one that follows in The Mandalorian and Grogu's footsteps.

Simply put, the Star Wars universe is too big for every entry to revolve around the ancient secrets of the Force or the next battle for the fate of the entire Galaxy. If anything, productions like Skeleton Crew and The Mandalorian and Grogu have shown just how much bigger the Star Wars universe feels when it hones in on the smaller, often genre-specific stories that would never be told through the lens of a Skywalker.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now.