I looked at a few reviews before seeing Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it looks like Rotten Tomatoes has it sitting around 62–63%. Honestly, I thought it was better than that. For me, it landed somewhere around a 7 or 8 out of 10.
The biggest thing it did well was simple: it took me away to another place, and that place felt convincing.
With sci-fi and fantasy, I find there’s a point where a movie can push too far outside the rules of its own universe. When that happens, it starts to feel like the writers think you’ll just gobble up anything they serve you. This movie didn’t do that. It felt like it belonged in the Star Wars world.
The movie also felt longer than average, but in a good way. I’ve seen people complain a little about the pacing, but I didn’t really mind it. Maybe we’re all getting too used to TikTok-style attention spans. There were a few slower moments, sure, but they added variety and gave the movie room to breathe.
The dialogue was believable, and the “less is more” approach worked well. It didn’t feel like everyone was constantly trying to explain the plot to the audience.
Grogu could easily have been overused to milk laughs or turn the whole thing into a cute kids’ movie. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. He was there, he mattered, he is cute, but it didn’t feel like the movie was leaning on him too hard.
Would I change anything? Not much. Maybe the scene with the strider racing down a crazy steep hill felt a little unbelievable, and a few of the hover vehicles moved a bit strangely at times — almost like they didn’t have the weight or inertia you’d expect. But that might just be me being picky.
One thing I really appreciated: no gore, no blood, no swearing. There was plenty of fighting, but it fit with the theme and context. Who would have thought? I actually liked that about it. It made it feel like something you could take the family to without wondering what’s about to pop up next.
I also loved seeing inside the AT-AT. That was seriously cool. The movie had rich scenes throughout, and I liked the premise of the Empire being in tatters, with Imperial remnants still scattered around the galaxy.
So, take a friend or family member, sit back, and get immersed.
For me, it was a solid 7–8 out of 10, and I enjoyed it more than the critic score suggests.
Leave a Reply