The Mandalorian and Grogu movie is the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise, and much like my experience with recent reboots, I think the movie was… um okay. I absolutely loved the Disney+ series. In fact, it was the main reason I subscribed to Disney+ in the first place, and it easily remains my favorite of all the Star Wars shows on the platform. Naturally, I was hyped for this movie. I was counting down the days and even considered wearing the Mandalorian helmet I got as a birthday gift a couple of years ago to the opening night premiere here in Japan. I am a big fan, but unfortunately, this wasn’t a great movie. It wasn’t “bad” either, but it was missing what makes Star Wars truly great on the big screen.
The Good: Grogu, Giant Serpent, and opening night hype
I don’t regret watching it on opening night. There were definitely parts that kept me entertained, and my absolute favorite scenes involved Grogu and the Anzellans. The action sequence featuring Din Djarin and that pale water serpent was epic and felt like the high-stakes adventure I was looking for. Disney certainly profited from my fondness for these characters, and seeing them on the big screen had its moments. Even the Razor Crest is back?
The Bad: The Hutts
However, every time a Hutt appeared on the screen, I wanted to throw up. The terrible CGI worms, their voices, the action scenes involving them: EVERYTHING about them felt off. It completely dragged the experience down for me. I may have celebrated a little too much in the theater when those damn Hutt twins didn’t survive to the end of the film.
Is The Mandalorian and Grogu worth watching at the theater? If you are a die-hard fan, sure. But overall, I wasn’t satisfied, and I don’t know if I’d want to do this again.