【AI前沿】Review: The Mandalorian and Grogu is ... fine

this is (not) the wayReview:The Mandalorian and Groguis … fineThe plot is predictable, the fight scenes are meh, but you can’t beat the charm of that little green Grogu.Jennifer Ouellette–May 22, 2026 2:30 pm|45Credit:

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    settingsStory textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth*StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers onlyLearn moreMinimize to navHopes were arguably high forThe Mandalorian and Grogu,director Jon Favreau’s big-screen offshoot of the popular Disney+ seriesThe Mandalorian. After all, there hasn’t been a new film in the Star Wars franchise since 2019’sThe Rise of Skywalkerwrapped up the three trilogies that make up the so-called “Skywalker Saga.”The new film is … fine. It’s an average Star Wars outing, and it will give families a solid Memorial Day Weekend entertainment option. It’s just not the spectacular home run that might have helped launch the flagging franchise into an exciting new era, and diehard Star Wars fans hoping for more are probably going to be disappointed.(Some spoilers below but no major reveals.)Grogu (fka “Baby Yoda”)won viewers’ heartsfrom the moment he first appeared onscreen in the first season ofThe Mandalorian, and the relationship between the little green creature and his father-figure bounty hunter, the titular Mandalorian, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), has only gotten stronger. With the 2023 Hollywood strikes delaying production on season 4 of the series, Favreau got the green light to make this spinoff film.Mando and Grogu (as his apprentice) are hunting down the scattered remnants of Imperial warlords on behalf of the New Republic, taking orders from Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward, a former pilot with the Rebel Alliance. These missions tend to get messy, with Mando being Mando. Ward really wants the warlords alive to get useful intelligence from them, but they understandably don’t like to come quietly, so sometimes, well, they die with their henchmen. Can’t be helped.After Mando takes out his latest target, a disappointed Ward offers him a new mission: tracking down Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), son of the late Jabba, on behalf of the Hutt Twins, who took over Jabba’s criminal enterprise. In turn, the twins will provide crucial information on the whereabouts of an elusive Empire warlord named Coin. Mando accepts, mostly because Ward offers him a newly refurbishedRazor Crest-like ship, just like his old one that blew up at the end of S2.A paint-by-numbers plotMando and Grogu are chasing down the remnants of Imperial warlords.LucasFilmsMando and Grogu are chasing down the remnants of Imperial warlords.LucasFilmsZeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) is back and working with Mando.LucasFilmsZeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) is back and working with Mando.LucasFilmsSigourney Weaver plays Colonel Ward, a former Rebel Alliance pilot.LucasFilmsSigourney Weaver plays Colonel Ward, a former Rebel Alliance pilot.LucasFilmsZeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) is back and working with Mando.LucasFilmsSigourney Weaver plays Colonel Ward, a former Rebel Alliance pilot.LucasFilmsThe Hutt Twins hire Mando to track down their missing nephew.LucasFilmsRotta the Hutt has become a cage fighter to escape the shadow of his late father.LucasFilmsRotta, it turns out, has become a fan-favorite gladiator on the planet Shakari and doesn’t want to go back home to Nal Hutta, as he’s convinced the Twins will have him killed to cement their power. Complications ensue, and things start to get messy. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of the Hutt Twins, as Mando soon learns to his peril.The various trailers were thin on plot details, and it’s now clear why: There isn’t much of a plot. Favreau has said that he came up with a new story rather than the one he’d planned forThe MandalorianS4 because of the switch from a streaming series to a theatrical film, but things still feel pretty episodic. The film is largely comprised of a series of side missions in service to the larger arc. There’s some space travel, a fight scene with a cute Grogu moment, a victory, and another cute Grogu moment, then it’s on to the next mission. Rinse and repeat.It’s all very well-trodden ground with familiar beats happening at the expected times; even the fight scenes are kinda meh. The dialogue in Star Wars films has always been notoriously wooden and uninspired, andThe Mandalorian and Groguis no exception. Good actors can salvage such lines, and Pascal is a very good actor, but it’s much harder when your character wears a helmet the entire time and can’t really emote.Jonny Coyle (left) reprises his role as former Empire warlord Janu Coin.LucasFilmsJonny Coyle (left) reprises his role as former Empire warlord Janu Coin.LucasFilmsEmbo the Kyuzo bounty hunter makes his live action debut.LucasFilmsEmbo the Kyuzo bounty hunter makes his live action debut.LucasFilmsMando vs. Dragonsnake.LucasFilmsMando vs. Dragonsnake.LucasFilmsEmbo the Kyuzo bounty hunter makes his live ac