Review: The Mandalorian and Grogu is ... fine

this is (not) the way Review: The Mandalorian and Grogu is … fine The plot is predictable, the fight scenes are meh, but you can’t beat the charm of that little green Grogu. Jennifer Ouellette – May 22, 2026 2:30 pm | 69 Credit: LucasFilms Credit: LucasFilms Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only    Learn more Minimize to nav Hopes were arguably high for The Mandalorian and Grogu , director Jon Favreau’s big-screen offshoot of the popular Disney+ series The Mandalorian . After all, there hasn’t been a new film in the Star Wars franchise since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker wrapped up the three trilogies that make up the so-called “Skywalker Saga.” The new film is … fine. It’s an average Star Wars outing, and it will give families a solid Memorial Day Weekend entertainment option. It’s just not the spectacular home run that might have helped launch the flagging franchise into an exciting new era, and diehard Star Wars fans hoping for more are probably going to be disappointed. (Some spoilers below but no major reveals.) Grogu (fka “Baby Yoda”) won viewers’ hearts from the moment he first appeared onscreen in the first season of The Mandalorian , and the relationship between the little green creature and his father-figure bounty hunter, the titular Mandalorian, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), has only gotten stronger. With the 2023 Hollywood strikes delaying production on season 4 of the series, Favreau got the green light to make this spinoff film. Mando and Grogu (as his apprentice) are hunting down the scattered remnants of Imperial warlords on behalf of the New Republic, taking orders from Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward, a former pilot with the Rebel Alliance. These missions tend to get messy, with Mando being Mando. Ward really wants the warlords alive to get useful intelligence from them, but they understandably don’t like to come quietly, so sometimes, well, they die with their henchmen. Can’t be helped. After Mando takes out his latest target, a disappointed Ward offers him a new mission: tracking down Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), son of the late Jabba, on behalf of the Hutt Twins, who took over Jabba’s criminal enterprise. In turn, the twins will provide crucial information on the whereabouts of an elusive Empire warlord named Coin. Mando accepts, mostly because Ward offers him a newly refurbished Razor Crest -like ship, just like his old one that blew up at the end of S2. A paint-by-numbers plot Mando and Grogu are chasing down the remnants of Imperial warlords. LucasFilms Mando and Grogu are chasing down the remnants of Imperial warlords. LucasFilms Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) is back and working with Mando. LucasFilms Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) is back and working with Mando. LucasFilms Sigourney Weaver plays Colonel Ward, a former Rebel Alliance pilot. LucasFilms Sigourney Weaver plays Colonel Ward, a former Rebel Alliance pilot. LucasFilms