After seven years of waiting, Star Wars fans’ day of reckoning is now only a matter of days away: the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, a theatrically-released Star Wars movie, is upon us.
While it would seem no modern Star Wars film is without its debates, lead-up to The Mandalorian and Grogu has been a weird one, even by those lofty standards. What was once planned as a fourth season to The Mandalorian TV series was converted into a feature length film by director Jon Favreau, but then all of the marketing had felt lifeless, drab, and failed to sell it as a cinematic event.
Now, the film has screened for the very first round of audiences and critics alike, and their initial social media reactions have made it online. So what’s the verdict on this long-awaited return to theater screens?
Early reactions to The Mandalorian and Grogu
Overall, the responses to the film seem to range from generally positive to a bit more mixed. It’s crucial to consider that this was the world premiere of the film and that everyone who was in attendance was there specifically because they were invited to the event by some arm of the Walt Disney Corporation themselves. That’s not to discredit the critics or journalists in attendance, but rather to say that it is not at all uncommon to see early word-of-mouth coming out of these kinds of special premieres be more positive than what actually emerges as the more general consensus in the weeks and months to come.
Here are a sample of reactions from some notable critics, writers, and influencers:
Erik Davis of Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes said: “Star Wars is back on the big screen and The Mandalorian and Grogu is a thrilling adventure full of big fights, gnarly creatures and plenty of adorable Grogu moments. It’s less about the lore and more a fun, freaky romp.”
Peter Sciretta of SlashFilm said: “The Mandalorian and Grogu marketing had me worried, but this movie is actually a lot of fun. Yes, it does feel like a supersized high budget few episodes of the TV show – more of an adventure of the week than a huge galactic event story.”
Perri Nemiroff of Collider said: “I am just defenseless against Grogu… Rotta the Hutt? Not as much. Live action Hutts are a challenge to pull off, a gladiator Hutt even more so.”
Alex and Mollie Damon from the Star Wars Explained channel said: “We loved a lot about The Mandalorian and Grogu. Grogu is especially charming and the action is great. We have a LOT of thoughts but it was great to see Star Wars on the big screen again.”
Griffin Schiller of Film Speak said: “THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU is...fine? An inoffensive, technically impressive spectacle that's kinda a snooze fest. Very much structured like an abridged season of the tv show which unfortunately plays like watching the cutscenes of a Star Wars video game instead of playing one.”
Altogether, even the most positive of these reactions aren’t exactly glowing with praise. It would seem that the overall vibe coming out of The Mandalorian and Grogu’s premiere is less a sentiment of “it’s great!” and more a sentiment of “It’s not as bad as I was afraid it might be.”
This speaks more to the low expectations many fans have had going into the film, given the less-than-stellar marketing and the general fear that it is going to just be synonymous with an episode of the TV series; something that many of the reactions essentially confirmed.
The embargo for full-blown reviews of the film lifts on May 19, just days before the film hits theaters, so we’ll have to wait until then to get full takes on it. The film hits theaters on May 22, and then it will be up to the general public to decide the ultimate legacy of the film; whether it’s a triumphant return for the franchise, or a vapid exercise in extracting your money from your pocket.
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