THE REACTIONS TO THE MANDOLORIAN AND GROGU ARE 'MEH| Film Threat Versus

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:04]There's a movie that's coming out soon and we will talk about it on this show, but they screened a week ago. They screened The Mandalorian Grou the first 25 minutes. Did anyone here see it?

[00:00:19]>> No.

[00:00:20]>> Okay.

[00:00:21]>> Do have my tickets for it, but I I did not see it. I don't want to be spoiled by all the amazing things I'm going to get to see.

[00:00:26]>> You're going to see a lot of them. So they screened it and the reactions I don't know what what are the reactions? It's from the Hollywood Reporter here. Let me share this story and um let's take a look. Uh do you have notes for this badger? I don't know.

[00:00:43]>> Uh I have uh are they ditching? Did Mark Hamilton Yeah, not for specifically this one.

[00:00:48]>> Okay, why don't we just read through it?

[00:00:50]But the it from the Hollywood Reporter, Mandalorian and Grou first 25 minutes draws strong fan reactions. I'll scroll down.

[00:01:01]Here we go.

[00:01:03]Uh, sorry, Badger.

[00:01:05]>> Mhm. Uh, the verdict. The film's opening was really strong with some extended action that particularly benefited from the IMAX format. Several noted that most of what has been shown in the trailers and clips was taken from these first 25 minutes, suggesting writer director John Favro might be holding back some big surprises from the latter portions of the film. This would be on brand. Favro convinced Disney to entirely hide Baby Yoda from the Mandalorian marketing until after the first episode dropped.

[00:01:35]If there's a recurring negative point, it's that the film struck many as feeling like an elevated version of a TV show rather than having the grandeur of the Skywalker saga films or looking as good as Rogue One. Given that the movie is based on a TV show, that's likely to be expected. Then they have comments.

[00:01:55]>> Here's a sample of the comments. And here's some of the comments. This is not Allan or I or anyone here. This is on social media. Uh, the 25 minutes felt like a first episode of a new season.

[00:02:08]It's also great to Mando kicking ass on an IMAX screen. If you're only going to see once in theater, do IMAX sound and scope of the opening action sequence was great. Lwig's score was fire. And I'll just say um at the screening I was at at the AMC Universal at CityWalk, they had a whole thing set up where they were like filming people's reactions out of the theater and they're using that in commercials. I had an opportunity to do that and I I abstained. So I did not have my >> Well, they wouldn't have used it.

[00:02:46]>> They would not have used it, I don't think. Anyways, doesn't matter. But um some of these other reactions, >> uh I really liked what I saw. It has vibes of the original trilogy. The action looks great, especially in IMAX.

[00:02:57]The plot sounds interesting and there's a mystery at its core that caught my attention. I'm really excited, said Fona. Uh the opening scene deserves credit. It's genuinely cool. The CGI still needs some polish, but if the film keeps that momentum, it could easily turn into a hit. I wouldn't say I didn't like I wouldn't say I didn't like it, but something felt off when the opening credits rolled. It didn't quite feel like a Star Wars movie. Came across more like a streaming TV film than a big screen experience. Overall, I enjoyed what I saw and will be seated to watch the rest on May 22nd.

[00:03:33]>> Before you go on, let me explain that comment what he means. The credits, the credits of the movie, the opening credits were like a TV show where they were like, you know, they would flash on the names of actors. They've never done that in anything Star Wars that I can recall where the cast kind of outshines like Pedro Pascal. It was just like an episode of the show. The other thing is this. Having seen those 25 minutes which were kind of boring to me. Um it the reason it was boring was this. I'll try to explain. When George Lucas was coming up with the story for The Empire Strikes Back. He didn't that he knew the audience would not believe that that Darth Vader would kill Luke or that Luke would be in peril because he is the star of the story and no one would believe that Luke is ever in danger cuz the story is about him. You're not going to kill him. So he made the main conflict of Empire is not whether Luke survives.

[00:04:44]It's whether Luke will turn to the dark side. And that could happen. And so that was where the tension is. That lightsaber duel at the end of Empire that Darth Vader is toying with Luke. He could kill him. That's not what it's about. It's about turning Luke to the dark side. In this movie, the Mandalorian and Grou, they're not going to kill Baby Yoda.

[00:05:09]>> Oh, maybe he'll turn to the dark side.

[00:05:10]>> And Mandal, nothing's going to happen to Mando.

[00:05:14]What is the story? So, there is literally no real thread or threat to the characters. Therefore, it comes off as kind of dull. Let's keep um reading the uh you can go back and look at old interviews with George Lucas talking about crafting the story for Empire. And that was like they're they're not going to kill Luke. It'll be boring. We have to do something else. So, anyways, um some more of these comments. Uh, Dind Jar is arguably the coolest he's ever been. And Grou is as always adorable or adorable as always. While the movie stakes aren't the highest, a lot of what the trailers show is from early in the film. So hopefully we'll get some fun surprises.

[00:06:01]>> Someone else saying very entertaining.

[00:06:02]Reminds me a lot of season 1 plus the OG Star Wars trilogy in terms of story structure and feel. Action is massive.

[00:06:10]The huts have a huge part and I can't wait to see the rest. Then finally, if you show uh excuse me, if you love the show, as I do, I am positive you will love the movie just based on what we saw. It looks like the show, of course, but there's an elevated quality to it with more polished visual effects and atmosphere. Mando is still basically Star Wars John Wick and isn't aiming for the leg when taking out bad guys, so there's no saturation for a family audience in that regard. Grou was still adorable and fun. So, if you expect him to be like Yoda in episode two, you're looking for the wrong movie. Overall, I got some of the old Star Wars feelings back. And I would have stayed for the whole movie with no complaints if they let us. I don't know if it will reverse a lot of soured Star Wars fans. It won't. Uh, and some will surely complain no matter what, but who cares? For me, it's nice to be back in a galaxy far, far away with characters I enjoy rather than enduring the new ones I don't. How much he get back from Disney? For real.

[00:07:10]>> Yeah.

[00:07:11]>> What do you guys think having heard this? And what what are you what are you anticipating?

[00:07:18]>> That last comment was like, "I'm so I'm so happy to enjoy Mediocrity." Yay. Even their praise. It felt like a publicist wrote me.

[00:07:27]>> Their praise just seems like the most meh review. Like, if you like the show, you'll probably like like I don't know if this is what they're paid to say.

[00:07:35]It's I don't think they're really selling it very well.

[00:07:37]>> They're not at all considering they're saying like it's just like a TV movie but or it's just like a TV show but on the big screen at a movie theater that I don't I don't pay to go and see a TV show.

[00:07:49]>> The the biggest problem they're going to run into is the fact that again people are doing better [ __ ] with AI than than what we're about to get in the theater right now.

[00:07:58]>> We just had Project How Mary too. It's that was elevated. It wasn't pandering to children. It was an intelligent and great story with a similar dynamic there. And this is just a glorified cash grab. They can't >> they haven't been able to get get a movie out despite 10 plus announcements of one and it feels like this just being pumped out just to save face a little bit.

[00:08:22]>> And every hook is from a Dave Filona project. So if you want to know like what the hook points are, it's well it's going to have Rod of the Hut from that first Clone Wars movie. You remember the baby? the baby hut, right? Rada. And then the bad guy is going to be Embo.

[00:08:34]You remember the bounty hunter from the Clone Wars? And then, well, don't worry.

[00:08:37]>> A lot of people don't remember them because [ __ ] no one remembers cuz they didn't watch.

[00:08:44]>> All the hook points are from the animated version.

[00:08:46]>> Palon is so out of touch with >> Yeah.

[00:08:49]>> the fan base now. He is so he really seems incredibly narcissistic when it comes to his portion of the Star War contributions to Star Wars that that's the only part that matters now.

[00:09:02]>> But it's his universe now.

[00:09:03]>> Yeah.

[00:09:06]>> Fabro's movie, right? It's his movie, you know.

[00:09:10]>> I've only seen like the first 14 minutes. Um that opening I I really like that opening sequence. It reminded me of Indiana Jones. You know, you have that that exciting opening sequence that leads you into the rest of the movie.

[00:09:22]And then when I've seen of the rest of the movie, I was like, uh, okay.

[00:09:26]>> Yeah. But see, that's all it is. It's like action set pieces, right? It's cute.

[00:09:30]>> Should be, actually.

[00:09:31]>> Well, I mean, should it be? Is that what Star Wars was? Just a bunch of action set pieces. I mean, you're in the Star Wars universe. You're not in the Indiana Jones universe. So, why are we doing this? You know, make a Star Wars movie.

[00:09:41]But they don't seem to be able to do that. They don't give us stakes we care about. Nobody cares about what's going on in the Mandoververse. Nobody cares what's gonna happen next, you know. We just got cute baby Yoda and and action.

[00:09:52]And that's >> Babu Freaks. Don't forget the little Baboo Freaks.

[00:09:55]>> Oh yeah.

[00:09:56]>> Baboo Freaks. Oh my god. What a horrible baby.

[00:09:59]>> Yeah. Well Well, Fon Fon only wants >> Baby Greo. Don't forget >> Fona only wants to focus on Ahsoka. He doesn't give a [ __ ] about anything else.

[00:10:07]So again, the fact that they show 25 minutes of a movie shows they have zero faith in it. They have faith show 25 minutes of a movie before it even comes out.

[00:10:20]>> Yeah. No, I'm going to challenge that. I think they do have faith in the movie.

[00:10:23]Otherwise, they wouldn't have done it.

[00:10:24]They wouldn't have exposed them like that. And then on top of that, Chris and I are seeing it Thursday uh sooner than every Disney movie we've seen for the last three years.

[00:10:35]>> It appears like that they have some faith in this.

[00:10:38]>> I don't know, man. There's so 25 minutes of a movie that is wild.

[00:10:42]>> Does it feel like Favro? Like does it feel like one of his movies or does it just kind of feel like more on early >> from what I saw like I said the the action set piece in the beginning? Yes.

[00:10:52]Uh after that >> it was just like TV show.

[00:10:57]>> Okay.

[00:10:58]>> You know he meets Sigourney Weaver and then we have a present for you and it's a new ship.

[00:11:03]>> Okay. So here's here's a question that I was thinking about the other day.

[00:11:05]>> Same ship. when there's a when there's a new Star Wars movie that comes out like like when The Force Awaken came out, >> all of that was based on the hype and the the nostalgia of the original films, right? So, you expect uh that kind of movie to do well.

[00:11:20]>> This movie is literally based on a TV show that not everybody watched. Are they really expecting it it to do well?

[00:11:26]And and especially since that that show the bed the last season.

[00:11:30]>> It's not just that show though, Dante.

[00:11:32]It's the last five years of >> Oh, I know. I know. I'm talking about Norman. Nobody likes any of this crap, >> right? Normies would normally see the Mandalorian and be like, I want to go watch that >> Star Wars. Exactly.

[00:11:43]>> But see, that that's my point. That's why they release the first 25 minutes.

[00:11:47]Nobody has seen the TV show. And so, you got to generate some excitement for it.

[00:11:50]So, the hope is is that you see the first 25 minutes, you get excited, and then you'll tell everybody, "Hey, this looks great. We everyone should go see it." That I mean, that's the marketing plan right there.

[00:12:00]>> But how many people have Disney Plus and haven't bothered to watch any of this [ __ ] It didn't come out after season two of Mando.

[00:12:07]>> That would be something different because that was like all peak hype that they've had with Luke coming back and destroying all the dark troopers, but then they put out Boba Fett and Kenobi and like it's the third season of Mando and it's it's done.

[00:12:17]>> It's done.

[00:12:17]>> Their confidence may be misplaced though. They may have this idea in their head like from Fona again who's out of touch with the fan base or just storytelling in general. He just likes to smash action figures >> and no one to tell him no.

[00:12:31]>> And he thinks that's fine. And he's probably really confident that that continues to work. And I don't think they even realize that this is not going to be this is not going to go well. And it feels like just reeks of desperation at this point. Now, when Project Halary was coming out, they released the film pretty early >> or for screenings th those early screenings >> and you could tell that that was true confidence. And then the reactions coming out just overwhelmingly positive and and it didn't seem like it was uh you know contrived or manufactured or some of that probably was but the volume of it you know you could definitely tell that there was some something worthy to see.

[00:13:13]>> I just want a cameo from either May or OSHA.

[00:13:18]Well, Allan and I may have seen the first 18 minutes which we saw on but um here we have uh right here a scene from the movie. You ready?

[00:13:30]>> This is now when this scene comes on you know you can go to the bathroom cuz you've already seen it. So here we go.

[00:13:37]>> Who's lolly that dog?

[00:13:48]contracted to show his face.

[00:13:51]>> Priceless on the black market.

[00:13:56]>> But what's even more is knowing we have shamed you.

[00:14:02]>> How do huts have sex?

[00:14:04]>> We know >> other cloakas match up together and they get these little things.

[00:14:08]>> Outcasts who are letting an enemy see your face.

[00:14:13]Not if you all die.

[00:14:17]>> Oh my god.

[00:14:19]>> It will bring us ecasy to watch your strong spirits break.

[00:14:29]>> Don't even pay attention to that.

[00:14:32]>> Well, I'm sold.

[00:14:33]>> Boring.

[00:14:34]>> I want out of here, man.

[00:14:36]>> I am sold. How basic is that dialogue?

[00:14:39]>> This is They just dropped this clip today. Star Wars fans, you're not going to want to miss this in IMAX.

[00:14:43]>> We just saw the preview for Mandalorian and Grou. I have not been this excited in a long, long time.

[00:14:49]>> It was incredible to see Star Wars back on the big screen.

[00:14:51]>> There's no other way to watch it. No better way to see it.

[00:14:54]>> It felt like being 11 in the theater with my dad. And it also just reminded me why you fell in love with Star Wars.

[00:15:01]>> Yeah, you are being that's the sign of influencers.

[00:15:04]>> Most importantly, I just never stopped.

[00:15:07]Everything about it was so much fun.

[00:15:09]It's truly a Star Wars movie for the next generation.

[00:15:11]>> I can't wait to come back again.

[00:15:13]>> This is the way.

[00:15:17]>> I feel like I want to go on.

[00:15:18]>> Yeah. Huts do speak English.

[00:15:19]>> All of those people >> which is called basic. If you actually watch Clone Wars, he has like a very lispy gay hut >> and talk like this. Oh >> yeah.

[00:15:30]Hut.

[00:15:32]>> Yeah, they speak.

[00:15:33]>> He talks like a southern dandy.

[00:15:35]>> Yes.

[00:15:36]>> Oh man. I have like I see no hype from anybody outside of social media.

[00:15:42]Nobody's talking about this movie.

[00:15:44]People are aware of it and they're just like, "What is it? I don't care." You know, that's what it's going to be. It It's just >> the influencers trying really hard though.

[00:15:51]>> Do people even remember the >> the thing with the helmet? Do people remember why he couldn't take it off?

[00:15:58]>> Because his set of the Mandalorian were the Death Watch and they were an offshoot that were zealots. That's not true for Mandalorian. You can take your [ __ ] helmet off. That was just that group. And then in the third season, he bathes in the waters of Mandalore and becomes an actual factual Mandalorian.

[00:16:13]So it's not he's not losing any honor by having his helmet removed.

[00:16:17]>> So but they have to explain it. But that's why that point of that scene. No, they did.

[00:16:22]>> It's so bad.

[00:16:22]>> You've shown your face now. Then we leave against your Mandalorian creed.

[00:16:26]Not if you So that's the whole >> So it's Lucy Libre they took that from.

[00:16:34]Well, >> you know, there was a time when a Disney a Star Wars movie was like printing money.

[00:16:39]>> Mhm.

[00:16:40]>> Printing money.

[00:16:41]>> Well, uh, Force Force Awakens, >> Last Jedi.

[00:16:44]>> Yeah. You know, >> a billion dollars.

[00:16:47]>> Yep.

[00:16:49]>> Force Awakens. That's what That's was the potential.

[00:16:52]>> Have you guys Tickets have been on sale a few weeks?

[00:16:55]>> I got mine >> and I went to get them. There are plentiful.

[00:17:00]Not like >> I mean I might see it in Screen X in Burbank because I haven't seen a Screen X movie there yet >> and I don't know just >> they shoot for Screen X now which is pretty >> Right. Right. But what are you guys have has anyone rushed out to get tickets?

[00:17:20]Badger like >> Oh no. I'm gonna get them that day.

[00:17:24]>> Yeah. I don't think >> I think you have a problem. Yeah, >> mine wasn't excitement. I just want to make sure I get my special seat that has like the bathroom right there.

[00:17:33]>> Oh, yeah. I >> I'm planning on taking at least one of my kids because I need to get like an outside perspective of like be what a kid is going to think coming into this movie because I know whatever I'm bringing in is going to be biased as [ __ ] at this point. And I've asked them because they were inundated with all the Grou stuff for their entire life because it's my kids are, you know, the oldest one's 12. So, it's like all these years that this show's been out, it's kind of been through their life. And I'm like, do y'all care? Like, you had all these Grou toys and stuff when you were a kid, whatever. And they're just kind of like, >> man, >> I'll go see it if you >> What is this thing like? 3 350 400. What do we think?

[00:18:11]>> What? That's the I'm talking about the ceiling. Like, how high can it fly?

[00:18:16]>> This is This is cheaper than your average Star Wars movie.

[00:18:21]>> What does that mean? Uh probably >> than the acolyte season one.

[00:18:26]>> I think it was like 166 was the budget that >> for marketing alone. What do you think?

[00:18:33]>> Yeah. Marketing spending a lot of money on that.

[00:18:38]>> If it hit 350, I would be surprised.

[00:18:40]>> All of these influencers, they have to >> I think 350 is the ceiling. I think that's as high as it's getting.

[00:18:49]Woo!

[00:18:54]Heat!