Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
THIS is the way.....
The most fun I've had at a Star Wars movie in a decade, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU took me back to summers far, far away.
The opening scene is the perfect kickoff. Just when you think you're going to be immersed in one of those endless round table political discussions that George Lucas was obsessed with in his second trilogy, the film explodes into HUGE scale action that feels remarkably like a OO7 pre-title sequence.
When the titles did start and they were the exact same font, size and style as the classic Bond main title graphics by Maurice Binder, I knew Writer/Director Jon Favreau was going to take us on a mission.
Instead of globe hopping, this one galaxy hops through more hyperspace leaps than an afternoon at Star Tours.
The puppetry around Grogu, the mini-Yoda sidekick always at Mando's side is superb. Grogu is hilarious and has a lot of tricks up those tiny green sleeves.
I should mention that I've only seen a couple episodes of Season One of "The Mandalorian" series on Disney+. I enjoyed what I saw, but there was always something I wanted to see more. Seeing all previous Star Wars content is absolutely not a requirement for enjoying this big screen chapter.
Pedro Pascal and his stuntmen are terrific as The Mandalorian, a bounty hunter now working with the New Republic (the good guys) to go after the scattering Empire leaders (the bad guys) after the events of "Return of the Jedi".
He reports to Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) the way that Bond does to M. Like M and OO7, they have a mutual respect and Ward admires The Mandalorian's results, even if he often works outside the lines to get it done.
Conjuring up nostalgic memories of the original trilogy and those amazing summers in packed theaters seeing the first three films, Mando's next assignment is to track down Rotta the Hut, Jabba's son.
The apple fell quite a way from the tree this time.
Rotta is the most buff Hutt you've ever seen, fighting in a gladiator style series of fights with wild intergalactic creatures. Jeremy Allen White (The Bear, The Iron Claw) voices Rotta and the character really surprises.
Rotta's Aunt and Uncle have offered to serve up the location of a very senior Empire figure if Mando can find their nephew. Everything isn't quite what it seems.
His mission to find Rotta explodes into many unexpected directions, including some of the best action sequences in Star Wars in a decade, since "Rogue One" in 2016.
In addition to that opening scene with massive four-legged AT-AT Walkers from "Empire Strikes Back", we're pulled into a long chase through a "Blade Runner" style city. Favreau stages the sequence like an intergalactic tribute to William Friedkin's infamous car chase in "The French Connection".
As Mando weaves through endless traffic and an elevated train barrels overhead, the camera moving to his point of view behind the wheel, I could only imagine that Gene Hackman would have a pretty big grin on his face.
Jonny Coyne (For All Mankind) is perfectly cast as the Mob Boss overseeing the fighting ring and the Las Vegas style destination in the stars.
There are crosses and double crosses and I'm intentionally not revealing much about the story, as the mission's discoveries drive the fun.
The film feels like Favreau set out to make a BIG screen, old style Star Wars adventure that would feel at home if it had been released in the early 80's as a follow up to Jedi.
He really captures the essence of seeing those older films in a packed theater, and our IMAX 3D showing was FULL, absolutely wall-to-wall.
His visuals harken back to those days, with the constant swipes left to right or top to bottom between scenes, fantastic world in every corner and a damn near perfect blend of creatures and aliens old and new.
The film bookends it's brilliant opening with an epic finale, Tie fighters swooping down in laser blasting battle that really took me back.
The fun and heart are really driven by the Father/Son relationship of Mando and Grogu. The story embraces the theme of the old protecting the young and then the young protecting the old.
I was surprised how much I laughed throughout. My biggest complaint about these films is when they jam in a cute character here and there to sell plush toys, but every choice here is intentional and an absolute blast. The pint size Anzellans that sound like Minions and move like old school puppets are hilarious. They get off plenty of LOL one-liners during the action.
I didn't realize how much I had missed seeing a great Star Wars movie in a packed theater on a Memorial Day weekend.
THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU serves up a galaxy of thrills, laughs and fun. See it on the biggest screen you can find this weekend and settle in for some old school Star Wars enjoyment.
The Force is strong with this one. It gets an A.
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