Star Wars is back on the big screen after seven years away with The Mandalorian and Grogu, but is it good? While Disney brought the franchise roaring back to life in crowd-pleasing fashion over a decade ago, it didn’t take too long for things to sour. The backlash to Star Wars: The Last Jedi was followed by Solo: A Star Wars Story becoming the series’ first installment to bomb at the box office, and was then compounded by the disappointing end to the Skywalker Saga that was Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, leaving things in a divided place and the Mouse House pivoting to streaming.
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Now that it’s back, has much changed? The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is not really. The streaming era itself started to wear out its welcome, with the shows wildly fluctuating in quality, and while Star Wars is now returning to theaters, the landscape of its audience seemingly remains the same. After the premiere of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first reactions from members of the press on social media have arrived and are split on whether it’s a thrilling adventure flick or a disappointing TV episode, meaning that, if nothing else, the franchise is in familiar territory, because this is the way it (almost) always goes.
ComicBook‘s Chris Killian was positive in his take, writing: “Above all else, M&G is a super FUN Star Wars movie. It’s not perfect, but there’s a lot for fans to love. It plays like an extended episode with double the budget and moves from one incredible action set piece to the next. IMAX is a must.”
Fandango‘s Erik Davis also had plenty of praise, posting on X: “It’s less about the lore and more a fun, freaky romp across the galaxy. I really dug that about it. Also really dug Ludwig Göransson’s score, especially the parts that felt like an homage to ‘80s synth-driven horror and action thrillers… It reminded me how fun ‘Star Wars’ can be when it stops worrying about canon homework and just cuts loose. Treat it like a pulpy Saturday matinee ride and you’ll have a blast.”
Some more positivity can be found from Simon Thompson, who wrote that the movie “is a grin-inducing crowd-pleaser that puts Star Wars back on theatrical track. Director Jon Favreau is (again) a safe pair of hands that deliver a solid, thrilling and engaging romp. A solid popcorn movie that is the summer blockbuster you’re looking for.”
Puck News‘ Scott Mendelson posted, “Criticism and nitpicks aside, #TheMandalorianAndGrogu is a solid line drive past second base, w/ lots of “Neat… haven’t seen that in a STAR WARS before” charm. And yes, I asked my son to come for demographic research purposes (bribed him w/ Toothsome Chocolate Emporium).” He also added that his 11-year-old son said: “I don’t even like STAR WARS, but that was a really good movie.”
io9‘s Germain Lussier had a more mixed-to-negative response, writing: “#TheMandalorianandGrogu is as expected. A longer, bigger episode of the show. It has one or two stand out scenes but it feels much more interested in developing the story to new locations with new creatures than the characters. Enjoyed some of it, left frustrated but the rest.”
Collider‘s Perri Nemiroff also had a divided take, saying: “I am just defenseless against Grogu. (And the Anzellan droidsmiths.) Irresistibly cute and also a filmmaking feat I cannot get enough of. Rotta the Hutt? Not as much. Live action Hutts are a challenge to pull off, a gladiator Hutt even more so, and it didn’t help that Rotta’s dialogue was often too on the nose. He did grow on me, but it feels like there was a more compelling way to convey his place in the world and his mission.
Jonathan Sim was much more outright critical, posting: “#TheMandalorianAndGrogu is one of the weakest Star Wars movies. An emotionless, predictable experience that doesn’t push Din Djarin anywhere interesting. Dull, unexciting fight scenes; just CGI monsters. Action figures mashed together. A long, colorless made-for-TV movie.”
The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Reactions Shouldn’t Come As A Surprise
The reactions to The Mandalorian and Grogu highlight a few key things, and they help to identify why it’s divisive. The first is the sense that this feels more like an expanded episode of the TV show, which isn’t a surprise: there were plans for The Mandalorian Season 4 at one point, which then morphed into a film instead. Going from streaming to theatrical has proved tricky for Disney to get right – the MCU struggled with The Marvels and Captain America: Brave New World – so it was always going to be a point of contention here as well.
That also leads to expectations and ideas of what a Star Wars movie should be. Does it need to be a genuinely massive event? Should it have some groundbreaking lore or canon twist/reveal? Or is going back to its roots and being a somewhat standalone, pulpy, entertaining adventure movie that plays well to families enough for it these days? Your mileage will absolutely vary on that, but if you can accept this will be a fun ride and not a whole lot more, it seems like it will play better, because while there are wide-ranging reactions, “fun” is the word that comes up the most (along with praise for Ludwig Göransson’s score).
It’s also worth remembering that The Mandalorian Season 3 was a lot more divisive than the first two seasons, and itself came off the back of The Book of Boba Fett, which didn’t receive the most enthusiastic reactions, and subsequently led into Ahsoka, which didn’t either. So this movie isn’t coming from a place of strength, which is another reason that some division isn’t a surprise (as well as the fact that, well, it’s a Star War, of course it’s divisive). What’s at least encouraging is that this is not disaster levels, with the general mood more positive than it was when The Rise of Skywalker premiered.
The Mandalorian and Grogu never seemed likely to be the big hit that fully re-launched Star Wars, with next year’s Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, the bigger hope for that. But if it can be a fun ride that brings some joy back to the franchise on the big screen, and delivers an abundance of Baby Yoda cuteness, that’s probably good enough for now.
The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22nd, 2026.
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Forum Conversation: How do you feel about The Mandalorian & Grogu after seeing the first reactions?
Go to ForumNow I want a life-sized Grogu to take to the movies.
This is why I am bringing my life-sized Grogu figure to watch the movie with me! If it is a Kids’ movie, I’m bringing my child( and I’m expecting another thanks to Sideshow Collectibles😁, he will have a brother!)
Maybe George Lucas was right all along 😅