Sometimes I think STAR WARS discourse would be a lot healthier if everyone just admitted one simple truth: it’s STAR WARS, baby. It’s like pizza. Even when it’s not transcendent, it’s still pretty darn good. That’s where I land on STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, a movie that absolutely does feel like Season 4 got flipped onto the big screen. Is that a problem? Not really. Will it blow your socks off? Probably not. But does it need to? Also no.
What this movie does well is remind you why this corner of the galaxy connected in the first place. Din and Grogu remain an easy pair to root for, the movie has enough action and weirdness to keep things moving, and it gives fans another story outside the endless gravitational pull of the Skywalkers. For years, “fans” have begged for STAR WARS to feel bigger, stranger, and less trapped inside one family’s drama. Then when Lucasfilm actually tries to build out that larger galaxy, a chunk of the fandom responds by immediately demanding their exact personal head canon be served hot and fresh with a side of validation. Tiring does not begin to cover it.
That is part of what makes the reaction to this movie so predictable. Some people are going to act like anything short of their dream version is betrayal. And it will be especially “fun” to watch Dave Filoni get fed to the wolves once the “Snokeflakes” start shaking their fists at the Death Star because their wishes were not magically granted the second Kathleen Kennedy passed the helm. Credit where due: that term belongs to Scott Renshaw, and it’s a beauty.
The truth is, THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU is a perfectly enjoyable STAR WARS movie. It is not trying to reinvent the Force. It is not trying to become the new gold standard. It is trying to give audiences another adventure with two characters they like in a universe they say they love. And for me, that was enough. No, it is not top-tier STAR WARS. No, it does not redefine the franchise. But not every trip to that galaxy far, far away has to be a religious experience. Sometimes a fun ride is enough.
Bottom line: this feels more episodic than epic, and it may not silence the galaxy’s most perpetually aggrieved fanboys, but I had a good time. STAR WARS is still STAR WARS, and that still counts for something.
Listen live as I discuss this on today’s KVNU For the People Movie Show, or check back later tonight or tomorrow for the podcast. And if you’ve been living under a rock for the last five to six years, here’s the trailer for the duo’s big screen debut.
