The evil Empire has fallen but Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu.
This is the Way that The Mandalorian was meant to be seen… on the big screen! Forget everything you thought you knew about Star Wars because this Jon Favreau / Dave Filoni production reintroduces the Galaxy Far, Far Away to new audiences with less lightsabers and far more worldbuilding.
The focus of The Mandalorian and Grogu is… (you guessed it) the continued adventures of The Mandalorian (Din Djarin) and Grogu! But is it theater-worthy?
Yes! Not only does the film deliver epic flight sequences and rapid-fire blaster action, but the hand-to-hand brawling is almost John Wick-esque, complete with audiences oohing & aahing (and sometimes lol’ing & aww’ing) during all the big moments. From Pedro Pascal to creature voice cameos, the cast and VFX team truly allow this movie to shine, and with IMAX taking the visuals to the next level with wide shots and Dolby bringing extra clarity to your audiovisual experience, you won’t want to settle for watching this movieat home on Disney+.
One thing I questioned before watching was how familiar does one need to be in order to understand The Mandalorian and Grogu? The answer: not very! While I personally wish the movie incorporated more lore from the show, Favreau & Filoni did an excellent job catering to casual viewers while still rewarding longtime fans who are more than familiar with Mando, Clone Wars, and the Sequel Trilogy. Therefore it works both as a standalone story and a continuation at the same time. The pacing was perfect as it doesn’t feel like 3 episodes of the show stitched together to resemble a movie and the music was refreshing as composer Ludwig Göransson made the iconic theme more (for a lack of better words) cinematic and suited for the big screen.
So overall, if you’re already a fan of The Mandalorian, then The Mandalorian and Grogu won’t disappoint. Tons of action, just enough humor, and plenty of recognizable characters & homages. And if Star Wars is new to you and you just want to enjoy “Baby Yoda”, then don’t worry because there’s lots of that too!
Overall: 9/10
P.S. There is no post-credit scene so sit back and enjoy the end credits set to even more beautiful score by Göransson!
The Mandalorian and Grogu is rated PG-13 with a running time of 132 minutes and hits theaters on May 22, 2026.
Directed by Jon Favreau and Written by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Noah Kloor.
Starring Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum, and Sigourney Weaver.
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