For my entire life (and probably yours too), Star Wars movies have been the kind of films I just have to go see in theaters. But, since all of the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows in the past seven years have been available to watch at home with a Disney+ subscription, I think it’s changed things for us collectively. My excitement about The Mandalorian and Grogu has been middling, if I’m being honest. Even so, there was something in me that just didn’t feel right about skipping out on my lifelong tradition of seeing the newest Star Wars movie in theaters.
I’m so happy I did, and one big reason why is that it was a different kind of experience than we’ve been used to in Star Wars movies.
Big Twists Have Become The Norm In Star Wars Movies
Now that I think about it, because The Empire Strikes Back gave audiences one of the best twists in movie history, I think every filmmaker who’s made a Star Wars movie has been trying to recapture the feeling of watching it by having big reveals in subsequent movies. But with that, we’ve kind of found ourselves in a plot loop over the years – Kylo Ren killing his father Han Solo, Rey being a Palpatine, and so forth.
Understandably so, going into the first Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker, I thought maybe The Mandalorian and Grogu was hiding some massive twist that I wanted to experience for myself before the internet did for me. However, as critic reactions have already suggested, “This isn’t a galaxy-shaking epic”.
You may be bummed to learn this, but having seen the movie, I have to say, I appreciated watching a Star Wars movie that didn’t feel like it needed to have a moment where it needed to shock me with some family-related big reveal. It was refreshing, even.
I Enjoyed The Mandalorian And Grogu For The Low Stakes Movie It Is
The Mandalorian and Grogu is one of the more accessible Star Wars releases we’ve had in a while. You don’t have to have seen The Mandalorian TV show, or anything else before, to really appreciate it, and if you don’t see it, you’re not missing any franchise-shattering reveals. Sure, that might give some Star Wars fans permission to skip out on it, and that's totally OK! I think if you do, though, you might be missing out on something that makes it special.
While watching it, I just had fun. The cool stylized action and the Star Wars aesthetics definitely have precedence over the character development, but it definitely gives Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) more to do than ever, and it was worth the price of admission for me to see the cutest darn thing Star Wars has ever thought up have a feature-length adventure alongside the cowboy-inspired Mandalorian. It's got some gorgeous set design, fun moments and feels like a true escape for its runtime.
It’s not a perfect movie for sure, and I totally get why it's divided critics, but from my perspective, I can say I saw this movie a week ago and have thought back on it multiple times with warm and cozy thoughts about the good memories I made watching it. And, I honestly wouldn’t blink at seeing it again if given the chance. It feels like it will become my Star Wars comfort movie as well.
I also like that it feels nostalgic in a sense of it being a movie I would have loved and watched over and over when I was a kid, and less so in a way of trying to recycle a Star Wars movie I’ve already seen before, with beats it feels like it needs to hit.
I totally recommend The Mandalorian and Grogu if my thoughts get you excited for it, and it's in theaters now!
