It’s review embargo day folks for The Mandalorian and Grogu, so we have the RT scores and some select reviews to take a look at. As per the title, it looks like this is not the way at all if you believe the majority of reviews. The RT score is currently Fresh, but at only 60% it’s barely clinging on to that sell by date.
This 60% (if it sticks) would not represent the worst RT score for a Star Wars movie, that honour goes to the tragically bad The Rise of Skywalker. However, let’s face it, this is not good.
Select Reviews
Perhaps Disney just needed something to reignite people’s interest in Star Wars after years of recovering from disaster, and Baby Yoda was the safest bet. While that could be true, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and company could have challenged themselves further. If nothing else, Star Wars fans have another incredible score from 3x Oscar-winner [Ludwig Göransson].
This is not the way. The Mandalorian and Grogu dutifully offers another two hours and change of watching Din Djarin and his adorable green son fly to some planets and clear out rooms of monsters or gangsters every 20 minutes or so. But this is a Star Wars movie missing the thrills, the surprises, the challenges, the addition of really anything of note to the franchise, not to mention a vested interest in seeing its characters grow and change.
There are some cameos as Clone Wars and Rebels characters get woven into the narrative. But there’s nothing radical for the franchise here. And while that’s not a problem in itself, it means that The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t the Star Wars cinematic rebirth that Lucasfilm may have been hoping for. If you’re happy to while away a few hours with Din Djarin and Grogu, you’ll love it – just don’t go in expecting much more.
RELATED: The Mandalorian And Grogu Social Media Reactions Are A Mixed Bag
Now, the franchise is at a tipping point, and “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is debatably a coin toss between the remnants of the Kathleen Kennedy-era of Lucasfilm and the launch of Filoni’s creative reign. What’s present here is one of the most visually horrid and banal “Star Wars” creations to date. Is the allure of getting children in a theater to see Grogu enough to keep this franchise afloat and, more importantly, on the big screen? Who’s to say, but if it’s any indication of what the next decade of storytelling for the “Star Wars” universe will be, then we’re in deep trouble.
By nudging ‘The Mandalorian‘ onto the big screen, Disney, the purveyor of the ‘Star Wars‘ multiverse, is offering nothing more (or less) than a couple of likeable, diverting, semi-forgettable episodes jammed together, albeit with the lavishly scaled action of a big-budget movie adventure.
The Mandalorian and Grogu (not a title that rolls trippingly off the tongue) mostly fulfils its goal of being better than the much-maligned The Rise of Skywalker and giving its titular characters a viable launch on the big screen, but it’s hard not to wish that had aimed been a bit higher.
Wrap up
As you’d expect there are a lot more reviews out there and some are a little more positive, but not much. Some reviews saying it’s fun, Mando is cool and Grogu remains cute and it’s an easy watch. Not seeing any praise for it and the one SW fan I know who has seen it gave it a 7/10 and they like anything with a Star Wars name on it.
So, what do you think of the reviews and the RT score for The Mandalorian and Grogu? What you expected? It’s kinda what I expected and I expect every time a new Star Wars project hits screens. Leave any thoughts below.
