Shadows on the Wall | The Mandalorian and Grogu

The Mandalorian and Grogu

dir Jon Favreau
scr Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Noah Kloor
prd Kathleen Kennedy, Ian Bryce, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni
with Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Martin Scorsese, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Steve Blum, Jonny Coyne, Matthew Willig, Hemky Madera, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Shirley Henderson
release US/UK 22.May.26
26/US Lucasfilm 2h12

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Continuing the TV series, this first Star Wars film in six years never feels particularly cinematic, but it does feature an eye-catching mix of practical and digital effects. The story is also small-scale, with internalised peril and only minimal character arcs. So it feels like a new season condensed into a movie. That said, filmmaker Jon Favreau makes sure that the audience is having fun all the way through.

Now working for the New Republic, Mandalorian mercenary Din Djarin (Pascal) and his ward Grogu travel on assignment from Colonel Ward (Weaver), rounding up holdouts from the Empire's rule. To find his next target, Din must first rescue Rotta the Hutt (voiced by White), son of Jabba, who was kidnapped as a child by the mobster Janu (Coyne) and now fights in a gladiatorial arena. Of course, this mission doesn't go as planned. Amid skirmishes, Din, Grogu and Rotta are attacked, captured and rescued by a range of scum and villainy on various rogue planets.

Engaging but never quite exciting, this premise works thanks to a wry sense of humour and the relentlessly adorable Grogu, who is performed mainly using puppetry. This makes him extraordinarily tactile, creating strong chemistry between him and the almost always masked Pascal. Among the side roles, Allen's Rotta has the most impact due to his outsized personality. Oddly, everyone's dialog relies on simplistic cliches rather than character-based banter.

This duo is unusually resilient: a tiny creature who doesn't speak and a man who doesn't show his face. Their vivid bond makes their escapades thoroughly entertaining. Visual touches add plenty of interest, including intriguing settings and varied side characters. And stop-motion flourishes add a delightful Harryhausen echo, from the tiny mechanics to the menacing creatures in Janu's arena. So it's a shame that the action is directed in an oddly cursory fashion.

This is only the second franchise movie in which the words "Star Wars" never appear on-screen (see also 2016's Rogue One). So it feels like a truly stand-alone story, with its own rhythms and character beats, reverberating through Ludwig Goransson's beefy score. And while there are several callbacks to other movies set in this galaxy far, far away, the distinctive narrative style of this film makes it very easy to watch. The suspense is never too scary, even if some of the action gets very violent. And we'd happily join these two for more adventures.

themes, violence 16.May.26

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