Pedro Pascal suits up as Din Djarin, and the animatronic Grogu receives extra grease for his tiny joints one more time in “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, which releases this Friday (May 22). It remains uncertain if this is the last ride for the “Star Wars” version of Adam Sandler’s “Big Daddy” in space, but even if it isn’t, it might very well be a case of milking a thala-siren dry here.
In this new movie, the Galactic Empire is no more. Emperor Palpatine has been sent to the great big Sith graveyard in the dumpster — until future movies retcon this plot point — and it’s a better tomorrow. Despite the cause for celebration, that doesn’t mean all is well in the New Republic, as there are still a few bad seeds running amok and practicing basic thuganomics. So the Mandalorian bounty hunter and his big-eared sidekick get roped into fighting the good fight.
It’s been three years since the third season of “The Mandalorian” concluded. The finale provides the perfect conclusion to the story, as Djarin adopts Grogu and they move into a cosy cabin on Nevarro. After all they have been through, this is the happily ever after they both deserve. But it isn’t. “It only felt like the ending of a particular chapter,” Pascal told Empire, while new “Star Wars” head honcho Dave Filoni touted “The Mandalorian and Grogu” as the beginning of a new era.
Perhaps it is. Perhaps it isn’t. There hasn’t been a “Star Wars” film in theatres since 2019’s divisive “The Rise of Skywalker”, and “The Mandalorian and Grogu” appeared to be a safe bet for the franchise’s triumphant return to cinema. However, it doesn’t seem like an overwhelming victory lap by any stretch of the imagination.
At the time of writing, the movie’s main trailer has roughly 11 million views on YouTube. Compare this to other upcoming U.S. summer blockbusters like “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (31 million), “The Odyssey (41 million), and “Supergirl” (25 million), and it’s clear that “The Mandalorian and Grogu” doesn’t exactly have people clicking to see what it’s all about or dying to revisit a galaxy far, far away.
This is “Star Wars”; just the fact that this film belongs to this prestigious universe should have people running — not walking — to theaters. Yet this doesn’t have that big event feeling. It’s muted by current-day standards.
Under the trailer, a user comments, “Wow, I wish I felt anything.” That’s the larger issue rather than the concerning marketing statistics. Those who have seen the promotional material aren’t exactly glowing in praise for Djarin and Baby Yoda‘s latest adventure. To be fair, it’s a stale trailer, recycling the same tired jokes and cutesy interactions between the pair from before. Nothing is original here. It’s a yawn crusted in CGI. Worse, it comes across as more “Star Wars” for the sake of it — a problem the franchise has faced too often in recent times.
Cycle back to season 3 for a moment. While “The Mandalorian” finale wraps up the show’s storyline in a neat bow, the season isn’t fondly remembered as the best. A quick glance at the Rotten Tomatoes scores and reviews demonstrates a consensus that the show ran out of steam and drifted away from what made it fresh and appealing in the first place.
Sure, there might be a temptation to right the wrongs and give it another shot, but it’s often best to leave well enough alone in these circumstances. Maybe revisit the property in 10 or 15 years and tug firmly on those nostalgia strings to squeeze out whatever sentiment might still be there. Anything less is playing with fire. Yet, whether it was through the original plans for a fourth season or movie, Disney and Lucasfilm refused to be done here, which could be to their own detriment.
Another major problem, which is out of Disney and Lucasfilm’s hands, is the Pedro Pascal fatigue engulfing the world at present. The actor has experienced an extraordinary rise to fame, with “The Mandalorian” playing a massive part in it. Hollywood gravitated toward him and offered up all the juicy roles on a silver platter. From “The Last of Us” to “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and everything in between, you can’t escape Pascal nowadays. He’s everywhere. He’s oversaturated.
And sure, he’s brilliant, but it’s completely natural for audiences to feel this particular way about a performer. How can you ever miss someone who’s never really gone? As with any actor, Pascal requires a good break from big projects to give him and the audience some breathing space. Unfortunately, the upcoming “The Mandalorian and Grogu” and “Avengers: Doomsday” won’t allow for this to happen. Instead, it’ll be more eyerolls and exclamations of, “Oh, look. It’s <em>him again!”
This could all be conjecture, though. Maybe “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is a masterpiece and set to be the biggest hit of 2026. Maybe it takes the story to exciting and unexpected heights, forcing everyone to demand that Djarin and Grogu usurp the Skywalkers as the new faces of the franchise. Maybe Pedro Pascal is what’s needed to bring the whole world together to heal once and for all. Maybe not.
Knowing what we do, however, it’s all too easy to be cynical at this point. While the animated part of the “Star Wars” Universe continues to churn out excellence, such as the dark and fantastic “Maul – Shadow Lord”, the live-action front limps along with uncertainty of where it’s going. No one asked for another season of “The Mandalorian”, so it seems even more bizarre to greenlight “The Mandalorian and Gorgu” in retrospect. Regardless, may the Force be with it.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” flies into theatres on May 21. All three seasons of “The Mandalorian” are on Disney+.