It’s almost hard to believe there was once a point where there was a deficit of “Star Wars” media, where a new project was a cause for fanfare. When “The Force Awakens” was released in 2016, it was a cause of celebration, became the highest grossing domestic release ever, and ushered in a new era of “Star Wars.” Now, five films, fourteen television shows, and ten years later, a new “Star Wars” project doesn’t elicit the same excitement it once did. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” seeks to reignite the spark of hope in the biggest movie franchise of all time by bringing the hit Disney+ series to the big screen.
Set between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy, the film follows the titular Mandalorian, played by Pedro Pascal (“The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” “The Last of Us (2023)”), and his adoptive son Grogu, as they travel the galaxy taking out former Empire operatives in hiding. This particular mission leads them to rescue Rotta the Hutt, played by Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear,” “Shameless”), the son of Jabba the Hutt, in exchange for information about a new target.
Co-writer/director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “The Lion King (2019)”) and co-writers Dave Filoni (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “The Mandalorian”) and Noah Kloor (“The Book of Boba Fett”) certainly have plenty of experience within the world of “Star Wars,” and that’s evident the entire time. There’s a comfort level on display that can only come from working within a certain space for long enough; Favreau has a clean eye for these kinds of visual effects and practical landscapes, and those sequences are when the film shines brightest. So many moments prove to be dazzling visual showcases, and Favreau’s hand helps steer this assured ship. This is a film that knows exactly what it wants to be and executes those ideas efficiently.
That assured hand also helps to deliver the film’s best aspect: the practical effects. Even moreso than the sequel trilogy, there’s an abundance of real sets, puppetry, and effects on display that feels like a direct throwback to not only the technology of the original trilogy but the vibe. One early planet even seems to be a throwback to the bustling cityscapes of the prequel trilogy, with rain-soaked streets plucked straight out of “Blade Runner” or any other film noir. Unexpectedly, Ludwig Göransson (“Sinners,” “Black Panther”) also turns in what might just be the most excentric and creative part of the film: its score. At no point does this ever feel like a typical “Star Wars” orchestral score, and while it does include Mando’s theme at times, Göransson seems almost more concerned with never using the same instrument twice. Various sequences have different kinds of synthesizers, guitars, drums, string, and wind instruments. It truly runs the gamut and manages to be a connecting piece of interest even as the film’s plot wanes.
Grogu himself is still a marvel of practicality, and new additions to Grogu’s gang of little guys. Undoubtedly the best part of the film involves a heavy focus on that puppetry, as a segment of the film’s third act almost takes on a wordless avant guard nature focused entirely on the handmade characters. The fully CGI characters are admittedly well detailed but less convincing and thrilling than their practical counterparts, but it all looks good. For a film this expensive, you can certainly see the money on screen.
For as well done as the film’s technical side is, the script is where things fall apart. Filoni, Kloor, and Favreau have plenty of experience with this universe, but that almost seems to be to the film’s detriment. It feels like going through the motions, as if their main goal is to simply provide more “Star Wars” without any kind of spin on the material or worlds. The Mandalorian kills and/or captures fugitives, saves people, and keeps Grogu safe, which is exactly what he does in the TV series as well. There’s nothing here that makes the case for a big screen adventure. It lacks any kind of urgency or reason for being. That’s not to say the film is bad; it is entertaining and will certainly fulfill fans of the show and “Star Wars” at large. But it also lacks any sense of purpose or reason to exist rather than more money. What effort is there to flesh out the small cast of characters is clear but feels odd and stilted. You’ll need more than both hands to count how many times Rotta mentions people judging him for being the son of Jabba the Hutt.
Pascal delivers the same gruff and protective fatherly role that he’s made a career out of over the past decade, and his performance as Mando is one of the film’s highlights. Allen White is an odd choice, but he does bring an unexpected level of pathos to a character equally as odd as his casting. Sigourney Weaver (“Alien,” “Galaxy Quest”) appears in a borderline cameo as Ward, a leader for the New Republic giving Mando his missions. The rest of the cast appear and disappear so quickly they hardly make any impact at all. One of the film’s main antagonists doesn’t even speak, and the two other antagonists aren’t even credited with voice actors on the film’s Wikipedia page.
Rarely do “Star Wars” films ever open without fanfare, literally and figuratively. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is one of the ones that has not, literally and figuratively. While there are certainly things to celebrate about the film, mainly its musical score, incredible puppetry and practical effects, and the general technical skill of the production, the rest of the film seems to simply be spinning its wheels. It’s an objectively entertaining and fine film for a Saturday at the cinema. But this is just another day on the job for the Mandalorian, and it's hard to get truly excited over another day on the job. 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment