The Mandalorian and Grogu is just over 2-hours. Each hour and a bit would make for a solid episode of The Mandalorian. I don’t think anyone would be surprised if it were revealed that the feature started life as two episodes for season 4, since the future of the show is currently unknown. All that being said, there is a story in The Mandalorian and Grogu that’s worthy of the big screen. It’s just held back by one that’s not as worthy.

Bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), along with his apprentice Grogu, is hired by the New Republic to hunt down a mysterious imperial warlord. To locate this faceless foe, the Mandalorian has to do business with the infamous Hutt family and navigate the galaxy’s underworld.

The Plot/s

The plot tracking the imperial warlord is a fun one with lots of worldbuilding and cinematic set pieces. However, the other plot regarding the Hutt family gets quite personal. Things of consequence happen to Din and Grogu that get you emotionally involved.

The ties to the previous plot are relevant; Din’s mission to capture the Imperial Warlord ends up offending the Hutt family in a specific way. Despite these ties, a whole new story essentially starts when Din and Grogu take on the Hutts. The film almost feels like it’s about to end once the first story concludes, making everything that follows seem like add-ons. This is a pity because the second plot is a lot more emotional.  

This story should’ve been the focus. There is a lot to like about Din’s journey into the underworld: getting into pit fights with monsters, rubbing shoulders with ex-Imperial officers. However, it has none of the pathos of the latter plot.

In this story, Grogu is the main character. We see him shift from the damsel-in-distress he is in the show into a hero, as brave and competent as The Mandalorian. Like I said, this story should’ve been the focus.

The Worldbuilding

The Mandalorian and Grogu is the least self-referential Star Wars title of the Disney era so far. No contest. There are stormtroopers, AT-ATs and some prequel-era battle droids, but they serve a purpose on screen and don’t draw attention to themselves like the references in Rogue One or The Force Awakens.

Most of the creatures, characters, and worlds in the film will be new to casual Star Wars viewers. They certainly were for me.

A big highlight is seeing Nal Hutta, homeworld of the Hutt clan and species. Seeing Hutts move and fight makes the concept of them ruling the galaxy a tad less far-fetched. The Mandalorian and Grogu show that these immobile, morbidly obese slugs aren’t as defenceless as many presumed.

Besides seeing more of the Hutt species, Nal Hutta has a beautifully rendered environment. It’s essentially a planet-sized swamp with various species dominating the land, air and sea. Imagine Dagobah from The Empire Strikes Back but bigger and warmer.

Everything that follows the first hour and 10 minutes has great potential. Some of it’s fulfilled, most of it isn’t. I wrote about the film on Letterboxd, “nothing to write home about, but nothing to get upset about.” I think that’s a good summary. It didn’t have to exist, but it offers a lot that’s worth seeing.

I give The Mandalorian And Grogu a Beskar-clad 6 out of 10.