3 min readMay 22, 2026 03:40 PM IST
Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu movie review: Jon Favreau has a knack for lending a certain levity to the most grave of things. In the Star Wars universe that is largely unencumbered by gravity, Favreau’s vision (he has also co-written the film) is unwaveringly and dourly solemn. But, rescued just in time by the effervescence of being that is Grogu.
You can say there is a Star Wars link because the title says so, and the two main characters, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (who is Baby Yoda), trace their origins back to that mammoth franchise. However, after dispensing with the topic of the Empire in the first few minutes, and the Rebellion in the next few, The Mandalorian and Grogu, which began life as a TV series, settles down to its own pace and narrative.
And, it’s a frenetic one. A warrior for hire, the Mandalorian has now sworn loyalty to the New Republic and its Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver). Accompanied by tiny Grogu, wrapped in a monk-like oversize robe attesting to his wisdom and powers, Mandalorian travels the universe taking out the New Republic’s enemies as directed by Ward. From the get-go, Mandalorian and Grogu are doing that, hopping planets and vanquishing hordes of enemy soldiers who cross their paths, with Mandalorian’s helmet with its shiny visor never moving an inch.
Hidden beneath that helmet, with his face unseen for almost the length of the film, Pascal is efficient and business-like, except when it comes to Grogu. The enemies whom the two – who are described as father and son more than once – do away with come in some really imaginative shapes and sizes, and wage battles everywhere from an arena to underwater.
The most incredible are the Hutts, a sea-lion-like lumps of flesh and muscle – many sizes multiplied – who have been “head of criminal enterprises across the universe for hundreds of years.” One of them, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White), is described as a “beast” but turns out to have a heart of gold.
Mandalorian and Grogu are led to Rotta by a many-armed vendor (an unmissable Martin Scorsese, in a cameo).
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The Mandalorian and Grogu really comes alive though when it takes a pause after Mandalorian gets injured and Grogu must look after and nurse him back to health. It is a surprisingly moving interlude, stripped of almost all dialogue, and driven solely by the expressive big eyes of Yoda.
A movie can be spun around this alone. But never mind. You can be sure they will be back.
Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu movie director: Jon Favreau
Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu movie cast: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jonny Coyne, Voices of Jeremy Allen White, Martin Scorsese
Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu: 2.5 stars
