The Mandalorian and Grogu

This weekend, The Mandalorian and Grogu releases in theaters. The Mandalorian and Grogu follow the two titular characters as they work for the New Republic to round up old Imperial leadership. I enjoyed the TV show and know this was a direct follow-up to it, though I was confused about why they decided to make this a movie, and I hoped the movie would have a good reason.

In general, I had a decent enough time with this movie. In all the best ways, it feels like a continuation of the show. The movie brings that space western feel that made the show so interesting. Of course, Grogu is just adorable and steals every scene that he is in. What is great about the movie is that it actually gives him a bit more time to shine and gives him moments to be on his own without Mando coaching him through things. I liked how the movie offers a bit more insight into the criminal underworld. We get to learn a lot more about the Hutts than we did in previous Star Wars media. If you were ever wondering what Jabba the Hutt would look like if he were buff, this movie answers that. I liked the addition to the Rotta the Hutt character. It is a fun connection to the original Clone Wars movie. We also get to see more of Zeb from Rebels than I was expecting, which was a fun surprise. He is in the trailer but ends up in a more supporting role than just a cameo, which was cool. It was refreshing to get a Star Wars movie that doesn't directly tie into the Skywalker Saga. There are connections to it with the fall of the empire, but this movie is largely a standalone story.

The main concern I had going into this film was whether the story was going to justify making the jump from movie to TV, and unfortunately, I don't think it was justified. The entire time I was watching this, I was thinking, "Why wasn't this just the 4th season of the show?" It just feels like another adventure for Mando and Grogu. This was originally supposed to be the 4th season of the show, and you can kind of feel that with how the story is structured. To justify being a movie, the story should have been much bigger and with higher stakes instead of just a small scale story with a slightly larger budget.

Overall, while this is a perfectly entertaining and watchable Star Wars movie, it should have just been a 4th season of the show and doesn't really do anything to stand out as a movie. If you liked the show and just want more of that then this movie will make you happy. If you are looking for something bigger with higher stakes, that is not what this is.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B Recommendation: Stream it unless you are a die hard Star Wars fan