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“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….”
Yes, “Star Wars” is back in theaters. Hard to believe it’s been seven years since the last one. It begs the question whether we really needed another movie. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” attempts to make the case — and with mixed results.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” makes the leap to the big screen from television, a continuation from the Disney+ show “The Mandalorian” which ran three seasons and ended three years ago. I personally never watched the show, but director Jon Favreau insisted this film was made for both “Mandalorian” fans and non-fans alike. To his credit, I was able to watch it without feeling completely lost.
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Pedro Pascal stars as The Mandalorian, a bounty hunter working on behalf of the New Republic to seek out any remnants of the fallen Empire (The film takes place between the events of the original “Star Wars” trilogy and the Disney trilogy). By his side is the adorable Grogu, aka “Baby Yoda,” who serves as his apprentice.
Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) assigns The Mandalorian his new mission: Capture a mysterious Empire commander who was believed to be dead. The only ones who know his whereabouts are the twin siblings of the late sluggy crime lord Jabba the Hutt. And according to Ward, they are only willing to cooperate if they rescue their nephew and Jabba’s son, Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), who has apparently fallen with a bad crowd — not to say the sketchy Hutt clan was ever part of the good crowd.
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Without getting into the weeds, everything plays out remarkably smoothly as The Mandalorian’s mission goes, which makes the back half of the film drag substantially.
Despite the A-list talent involved, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” feels like a “Star Wars” film without actual stars. Pascal goes nearly the entire film with his helmet on and offers a rather stoic and monotone performance as the stealthy title character. The voice of Jeremy Allen White (best known as the Emmy-winning star of “The Bear”) is completely unrecognizable to the point that anyone could’ve been playing the muscly gladiator-style fighter Rotta the Hutt.
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Grogu is the real star. After all, he’s all over the merchandise. The puppet-like creature who can just about melt anyone’s heart and provides much of the comic relief as The Mandalorian’s trusted sidekick and de facto child.
Martin Scorsese makes a fun appearance — his voice, at least — as a four-armed monkey-like fry cook donning the iconic director’s bushy eyebrows who helps The Mandalorian find Rotta.
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Like any “Star Wars” film, there are some solid action sequences and the visual effects are top tier. The same can’t be said for the video game-quality dialogue.
Three-time Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson delivers yet another well-made score that is able to separate itself from the classic franchise tunes by John Williams.
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The Verdict
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is entertaining enough to get by but lacks the grandeur the typical “Star Wars” movie has and overstays its welcome. Fans of the show will likely enjoy it, but for everyone else, take it or leave it.
★★ ½ — STREAM IT LATER
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action. Running time: 2 hours, 12 minutes. In theaters now.
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