Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Do we judge a franchise by the anomalies, the moments where the bar is raised, or where it generally finds itself in terms of quality? If being a “Star Wars” fan has taught me one thing, it’s that the anomalies in quality- the “Empire Strikes Backs,” the “Last Jedis” (yes, I said it), and the “Andors”- are not what we should gauge the franchise by. “Star Wars” certainly can have profound themes explored, but first and foremost, it’s supposed to be fun adventure. In its first feature film in seven years, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” leans into the fun, and is better for it.
I didn’t get a full rewatch of the Disney+ series done before the movie- I just watched the first season- but it was enough to remind me of how compelling the Jon Favreau series was. It was basically the franchise’s riff on the “Lone Wolf and Cub” series, as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his little Force-wielding companion Grogu go through the galaxy on adventures. The movie Favreau has written with Dave Filoni (now a co-head of Lucasfilm) and Noah Kloor is basically that. And it was what I needed.
Din Djarin and Grogu are on a mission when we first catch up with them for The New Republic. They are on the hunt for a warlord who was with the Empire, whom we see with the heads of the systems in his jurisdiction. The Mandalorian dispatches him, as well as his stormtroopers, and three AT-ATs that, honestly, should not have been walking such a perilous path. AT-ATs continue to be the most impractical of “Star Wars” vehicles, but boy will I never complain if you give me a set piece- set on a snowy planet- involving them. Already, I was on board. One of the things I love about where we find the titular characters in this film is how they have a purpose to their bounty hunting beyond money. Yes, Din Djarin was just a cold-blooded mercenary when the series began, but now- being responsible for Grogu’s training- he is directing his skills towards an ethos of establishing good vs. evil for his apprentice. Their latest mission, set forth by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), is to return Rotta the Hutt to the Hutt twins who now control Jabba’s former area, in exchange information on one of the most mysterious Imperial officers in their deck of cards. Naturally things do not go as planned.
When Din and Grogu go to the Hutt twins, that’s when the film really kicks it up a notch. If you’ve lamented the franchise for mostly being about human-like characters interacting with one another, Favreau and Filoni are here to nourish you with creatures galore. We get robot guards, the twins, a jacked Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allan White)- which, a hologram the twins show Din Djarin confirms, is the missing Hutt Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had to search for in Filoni’s launch movie of the “Clone Wars” TV series- who is a contracted fighter to a crime lord on the planet of Shakari, and finds themselves fighting all manner of creatures in the ring. Anzellan mechanics. A bounty hunter, Embo, and his attack “dog.” And all sorts of monsters when Din Djarin and Grogu are stuck on the twin’s planet after an escape. Using a combination of CGI, puppetry, animatronics, and stop-motion animation (by Phil freaking Tippett and co., no less), this is a film where we are thrown into the deep end of a Harryhausen-like adventure with weird aliens sometimes being the only thing on-screen. Oh yes, I dug the Hell out of this. Very much so.
At the heart of the story is Din Djarin and Grogu. I’ll expound more when I finish rewatching the TV series, but my feelings on the other two seasons of “The Mandalorian” are rooted in how much it seems to focus on Mando and Grogu. Here, that is all that matters, especially during a stretch of the film where Grogu must fend for themselves, without Mando’s guidance. If you loved the dynamic between Grace and Rocky in “Project Hail Mary”- even shed a tear for it- this has the same vibe, and it also gets to an important, profound idea; the old protect the young, and then, the young protect the old. I’m sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. And yet…
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” was just plain fun for me. The 132-minute running time went by in a flash. We got a lot of terrific set pieces- not just the opening AT-AT takedown, but a scene right out of John Woo where Din Djarin is looking for the person Rotta is contracted to; a fighting pit battle that escalates what we saw in “Attack of the Clones” (and calls back to something in “A New Hope”); an extraction chase; and a monster battle in the twin’s palace. We get Mando walking the dark streets of Shakari like Decker in “Blade Runner,” and trying to get information out of a shake shack owner (played by Martin Scorsese being…Martin Scorsese, but as an alien). We get a Ludwig Göransson score that expands what he wrote for the TV show, and adds so many little nuances and touches that- on individual relisten- it’s top level “Star Wars” film scoring. We get Zeb from the “Rebels” TV series being buddy buddy with Mando, and it makes all sorts of sense. I got new “Star Wars,” and the more I think about it, the more I love what it did.
