Is The Mandalorian and Grogu a WASTE? | Star Wars Movie Review

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]The first Star Wars film in six and a half years is finally out. Is it really bad or are critics being too harsh on the movie? I'm Tony Britton and I'll show you how movies waste your time or not. Let's review Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu, but let's do it fairly because right out of the bat tell you that this movie will have a very complex relationship with critics and audiences because they have made something that is very unusual for a Star Wars film. So, first let's talk about why this movie might be worth your time. Director Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have made a straightforward entertaining movie and that's it. You can tell they were trying to replicate the feeling of A New Hope because that's what makes that movie my favorite Star Wars film of how simple it is yet how powerful ends up being. The Mandalorian and Grogu is even more simple. It's about Mando and Grogu in a mission to capture someone and it's filled with action sequences, very well shot and edited. Favreau is directing it so it makes sense. He's a great director. Although, there's an aspect of these action sequences that are stopping them from being truly great. We'll talk about that in a second, but these action sequences are accompanied by Ludwig Göransson's score which is, in my opinion, the best aspect of this movie by far. It's It's Ludwig. It's Ludwig.

[00:01:12]Of course it's going to be the best part of this movie. The characters are once again very endearing, Mando and Grogu especially, but the new ones, Rota the Hutt, I really care about him and his family's struggles. But here's the thing, I've said this before.

[00:01:26]There's a difference between simple and empty. So, let's talk about why this movie might be a waste of your time.

[00:01:33]First of all, I don't think this movie is bad. The real problem with The Mandalorian and Grogu is that it's not worth your money for an expensive movie ticket, especially at a time when gasoline is draining our bank account.

[00:01:45]This is simply not a cinematic event like A New Hope. Again, that movie was simple, but there were two elements that this movie is missing that will make A New Hope even worth it today, emotional core and stakes. The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't have many stakes, nor has a recognizable emotional core. And the first act doesn't really help because it's pretty boring. It's really about Sigourney Weaver sending Mando and Grogu to a mission to capture someone.

[00:02:15]And that's it. There's no emotional trigger that makes this exciting or something happens to Mando and Grogu.

[00:02:21]They have to do something.

[00:02:23]Nothing really. As the movie goes on, we meet characters like Rotta the Hutt. And in the third act, Mando finally gets into real trouble and faces actual risks. Before that, he's just unstoppable and makes the action sequences boring in that aspect. You don't feel any tension. It's just pew pew pew and that's it. If I had to say what this story is really about, it would be about Rotta the Hutt's struggle with his family and Mando letting Grogu grow up and be more independent.

[00:02:55]I think that's what this story is about.

[00:02:58]Outside of the simple story, what makes this feel like a Disney Plus Mandalorian episode are the effects. I'm not only talking about the CGI, but also the practical. Uh the puppet, especially.

[00:03:10]These characters, I just don't buy them as real creatures. I buy them as puppets. For instance, when Grogu grabs that tube, it doesn't feel like he's grabbing it like this. It feels that he's just with the palm of his hand touching it like this and moving it around.

[00:03:25]And I don't understand how Disney put this movie in theaters and didn't give more time to the CGI artist or the practical effects to make this feel a little bit more realistic.

[00:03:35]Watching it on a small screen would have been okay, but watching it on a big XD screen looks weirdly cheap. There are also some strange script choices. When we first meet Rotta, he explains his identity and family struggles. But when we come back later, he tells the exact same characters the exact same thing again.

[00:03:54]It's as if the writers thought that we would have forgotten what he said 10 minutes earlier.

[00:04:01]It's kind of pathetic. Also, Sigourney Weaver asks some pilots to pick up our heroes, aka her friends, and the exact same lines were, "Pick up the trash."

[00:04:14]Those are the real problems with this movie.

[00:04:17]So, what rating does it deserve? Again, I think people will find it difficult to judge this movie. It's already difficult for me.

[00:04:24]But, I think if we separate quality from distribution, we can simplify it.

[00:04:29]This movie should not have been released in theaters. If it had been released on Disney Plus, I don't think it would have received so many negative reactions. I'm not saying that it would have improved the movie's quality, but it would have improved our experience with it. But, I don't rate movies based on whether they're a worth or waste of your money, especially in a movie theater. I rate them based on whether they're a worth or a waste of your time, the quality. And I think this movie is okay.

[00:04:55]Just wait for it to hit Disney Plus in a month or something. I don't know.

[00:05:01]I'm going to give Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu a 7 out of 10.

[00:05:04]Guys, interesting times are coming because I bet that the movie will have 7% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes during opening weekend, and these are already the results. So, in the next few weeks, I'll be paying that punishment. So, subscribe to stay tuned for that.

[00:05:19]For that craziness.

[00:05:20]As always, thank you for watching and take care of your time.

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