The Mandalorian and Grogu Movie Review:
The reassuring thought that there is someone to fight for us and to have our backs in times of hardship is only second to oxygen in keeping one alive. Beneath all the sci-fi must-haves, conquests, battles, and loyalties, this undercurrent forms the soul of Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian series, and the filmmaker has retained this theme in his latest feature surrounding this Star Wars character, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. The bond between the foundlings threads beautifully all the other things and almost covers up even the shortcomings of this film.
The film begins with Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) circling a war criminal tied to the Imperials, and following the ambush, he reaffirms his loyalty towards the New Republic and swears to have discarded his life as a bounty hunter. He gets a new assignment from Ward (Sigourney Weaver), leader and colonel of the New Republic's Adelphi Rangers. He is deputed to extract Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), son of the deceased notorious crime lord Jabba the Hutt, from the planet Shakari. Din soon realises that he is made to tilt at the windmills and is pushed to face enemies, who have other plans with Rotta on Shakari.
The biggest strength of the film is the character development of Grogu, who was a helpless kid during the series, who now becomes capable of devising strategies aided by its telekinetic abilities. Grogu is now armed with both his gift as a Jedi and the Mandalorian training. There is a lengthy sequence of Din losing his senses due to a sting from a noxious creature, after which Grogu takes charge of both repelling the enemies and also curing his dad. There is a harmony and rhythm to the pacing of these scenes as every step Grogu takes in shrouding Din from the fifth column reminds the acts of the latter to safeguard the former from dangerous Imperial experiments. What gives a smile and never lets it fade throughout the sequence is Grogu's act of giving back and the adroitness with which it makes up for its meekness. What also contributes to this is Rotta's disillusionment with his family and the newfound confidence derived from being his own person and shedding the negative shadow of his father Jabba. The earlier rhythm part was made to feel that way as Rotta's story in the film is intertwined with that of Grogu's. In one story, two strangers, more importantly, two orphaned people, and a creature could seamlessly become a family, and in another story, even your kith and kin may bay for your blood.
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver
And the film's biggest slip? It's heavily leaning on the regular action set pieces. The makers, despite possessing strong interpersonal stories, decide to place their bets on the fight scenes. What makes it worse? The stunts are devoid of a soul or a conviction. Except for a stylistic intermittent zoom-ins to Mando's beskar metal armour and helmet, there isn't a greater purpose the stunts fulfil. There is an inherent romance in the seeming coldness of a loner and the nobleness that the Mandalorian suit holds. The nobleness could be attributed to the grouping formed as a creed that is not forged through bloodlines, and the conviction that their actions are not rooted in a baser need. Din evolving from being such a person to daring to break the Mandalorian codes for Grogu should have been further developed in the film. Instead, these stunts only act as a reminder of his days as a heartless bounty hunter. Add to this some convenient writing choices. Understandably, this armour and tale attributed to it will give someone a proclivity to spin a One versus All narrative. But this narrative becomes passe with Mando leaving his bounty hunter past behind and deciding to take up arms for the New Republic. Except for the final pyrotechnics, Mando shockingly gets no help from the New Republic. The makers seem to have suddenly remembered that this is a Star Wars movie that needs to be replete with fireworks, both on the ground and in the air.
Would The Mandalorian and Grogu have become less of a Star Wars movie if it had been more about interpersonal conflicts and relationships surrounding the titular characters and Rotta? Perhaps yes. However, muddying this with a very basic action plot has rendered an undoing of the worst order. However, the emotional payoffs have a soul and a promise, which, on a keener focus, would have single-handedly made this film great. The makers, placing both threads separately, should have brainstormed, picked one of the two, and said, 'This is the way.'
