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The last Star Wars film hit cinemas a long, long time ago (seven years, to be exact), and while the series’ fans have been waiting for the next major iteration in the mainline saga, Disney has been keen to explore smaller-scale stories for the past half-decade. That approach doesn’t seem to have changed much in Star Wars’ return to the big screen, The Mandalorian and Grogu, which takes the twin leads from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and puts them on a slightly-larger-scale adventure – though not one big enough to escape the pair’s made-for-TV origins.
For the uninitiated, The Mandalorian and Grogu continues the stories of the Mandalorian Din Djarin, played by Pedro Pascal, and his tiny, Yoda-like companion Grogu, in the years following the fall of the Galactic Empire in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. Here, the bounty-hunting duo have been tasked with finding and rescuing a missing member of the slug-like Hutt family, Rotta the Hutt, in exchange for information on Imperials in hiding.
As with a number of more recent Star Wars properties, critics largely found The Mandalorian and Grogu an entertaining romp through a galaxy far, far away, filled with action setpieces and interweaving cameos, but one that doesn’t break out of the mold Disney set itself with the huge franchise success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a similar situation here, just with fewer superheroes and more lightsabers and blasters.
The film launched to an IMDb score of 7.1, a Rotten Tomatoes score of 62%, and an audience score of 89%. Here, we’ll break down what critics thought of the latest Star Wars movie, as well as whether you should go and check it out yourself.
Spectacular and Simple
As we usually do, let’s start with the good stuff: The Mandalorian and Grogu is a modern Star Wars movie, and that does mean that there’s plenty of well-choreographed action scenes which—while dripping in CGI—are great.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that when compared to The Mandalorian, a series made to be viewed on TVs, “the scale has certainly been pumped up, with an obviously bigger budget, spectacular action sequences and a significant portion projected in full IMAX-level proportions.”
“It’s an entertaining, fast-paced space adventure that benefits immeasurably from the charisma (mostly vocal, but still) of Pedro Pascal…and the adorable cuteness of the animatronic Baby Yoda.”
Additionally, while some critics took issue with the film’s main plot, several found the more relaxed approach to storytelling a boon. Empire, for example, applauded The Mandalorian and Grogu for not getting bogged down in the franchise’s complex, decades-old lore, and instead focusing on delivering a fun, action-packed adventure.
The Nightly, too, appreciated the lighter, more streamlined tone and the larger focus on the film’s more personal stakes—this is a story centred on two characters, after all.
“The great thing about this little corner of the Star Wars universe is that while there are bigger stakes in terms of the New Republic versus the Empire, the most important one is personal,” The Nightly wrote. “It’s always underpinned by Mando and Grogu’s devotion to each other.”
That lighter tone has drawn a bit of criticism, though. After the delayed success of Disney+’s Andor, many started wanting the series to lean into the darker, more adult side of the universe’s storytelling potential – fans who grew up with the original (or prequel) trilogies are adults now, after all.
However, Disney seems content to keep much of Star Wars aimed directly at winning over a younger generation. The Mandalorian is Gen Alpha’s favourite bit of Star Wars media, according to Nielsen data, so it makes sense that the series’ return to cinemas would attempt to deliver what their younger fans want: continuing stories in their little corner of the galaxy.
Is it Big Enough?
On the other hand, when a lot of people think of Star Wars they think of heroic, galaxy-spanning space-opera adventures of destiny and dynasty. Well, one big issue with the film, according to several critics, is that rather than feeling like a huge, cinema-worthy tale, The Mandalorian and Grogu behaves far more like an extended episode of The Mandalorian. The stakes are kept decidedly low throughout, and while the ride is fun it doesn’t add much – if anything – to the wider universe it exists within.
“It’s a back-to-basics adventure, obeying the founding principles of (The Mandalorian),” wrote Empire. “Blending elements of Westerns and old Saturday-morning one-reels into a ripping-yarn caper, while studiously avoiding getting bogged down in complex lore or anything too deep… Oddly, it feels like the least-consequential Mandalorian chapter yet.”
Roger Ebert agreed, noting that “this is not a movie that wraps up an ongoing cinematic narrative, but essentially two-and-a-half episodes of a TV show strung together and released to theatres.”
Now, to be fair, this film was never marketed as or intended to be anything on the scale of a Star Wars: Episode X – but the fact franchise fans have waited so long between big-screen blowouts has likely left a few upset that this isn’t a little more impactful. There’s plenty of Star Wars coming down the pipe-line, so hopefully something else delivers the Death-Star-sized adventure the franchise is known for – 2027’s Star Wars: Starfighter, perhaps?
Franchise Fatigue
There is also the bigger question of whether people are just a bit burned out on Star Wars. As it did with Marvel, Disney dove head first into creating a long roadmap of films and video games as well as prestige and animated TV shows to keep the franchise rolling ever since it returned to the cultural mainstage when Episode VII launched back in 2015. However, the sheer abundance of stories in this universe that have launched in the past 11 years has certainly made anything new feel just a bit less special, and overly formulaic.
“Star Wars needed to return to theaters. This franchise changed cinema forever when it premiered on the big screen, and it should have a home in theaters. The Mandalorian and Grogu is a disappointing, potentially even ominous return (and) marks the first time that a Star Wars movie doesn’t feel like an event, just more of the same,” wrote TIME.
Roger Ebert was just as incendiary, calling the film “content” and noting that “there’s no reason for anything in this movie except the wish to make even more money.”
It’s a similar situation that has plagued Disney’s other major sci-fi franchise, Marvel, in recent years – there’s simply too much of it, and people can’t keep up. Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted as much in 2025, when he noted that they had stretched the Marvel franchise too far and lost focus on making good content, leading to over-saturation and loss of quality. While Disney has refocused the Marvel business into fewer, more meaningful stories to combat declining interest, Star Wars is still very much in its abundance era.
Should You Watch ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’?
The big question: Should you watch The Mandalorian and Grogu? That all depends on your expectations. If you’re a casual Star Wars fan who loves a bit of popcorn-fueled fun, you’ll likely come out of the movie having gotten your money’s worth. If you’re not big on the series this probably isn’t the place to jump in – as despite the fact it isn’t overly concerned with the franchise’s broader mythology, you probably want to have watched The Mandalorian, if not the original three Star Wars films, before watching this one to have context for what a Mandalorian is, or why slug people are also mobsters.
And finally, if you’re a die-hard Star Wars fan who knows the difference between Luke Skywalker and Luuke Skywalker, there’s a good chance you already saw the movie.
The Mandalorian and Grogu launched in cinemas on May 14, 2026. See it in cinemas now.
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