Opinion: The Mandalorian and Grogu Is the Perfect Return to the Big Screen for Star Wars
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Annlyel James 
The Mandalorian and Grogu is the perfect return to the big screen that we needed. It is an enjoyable summer flick with incredible rewatchability and a conclusion that has you begging for more.
I am very pleased to report that Star Wars is back. When I went to see The Mandalorian and Grogu on Thursday, I admit, I had very low expectations. The marketing didn’t help make the film something you’d want to watch, and the initial reactions and early reviews painted a dismal picture. For a second there, it seemed like Lucasfilm’s gamble with returning to the big screen by introducing its small-screen heroes to the big stage, the undeniably awesome Mandalorian and the ever-adorable Grogu, was a terrible idea. And while we still have yet to see if the gamble will truly pay off financially, considering that The Mandalorian and Grogu is off to a startlingly bad start at the box office, one thing is for certain: the movie is fantastic.
THE FAVREAU FACTOR
Jon Favreau has done it again. As he did with Iron Man back in 2008, The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a relieving long exhale that brings faith back to the franchise with its big-screen endeavors. As I left the movie, it almost felt like I was witnessing the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe all over again, with a metal-clad hero delivering a hell of a good time for the summer blockbuster season and paving the way for more films in the franchise. And like Iron Man, The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s simplistic but very enjoyable storytelling is exactly what us Star Wars fans needed after the disappointment that was The Rise of Skywalker seven years ago.
A NEW ERA FOR STAR WARS?
In 2019, when I excitedly hurried to theaters to see the “Conclusion of the Skywalker Saga,” I was so excited to see Rey as a full Jedi, Palpatine’s return, and Kylo’s journey continue. And sure, while I knew the movie had received its infamous Rotten Tomatoes score, I still held out hope that maybe the critics didn’t get it, and as a Star Wars fan, I would love it nonetheless. Nearly two and a half hours later, I left that theater in utter shock, disbelief, and sorrow. If The Mandalorian hadn’t been on Disney+ at the time, I truly believe that the movie may have ended all hope for the franchise; it was that appalling.
The Rise of Skywalker, despite still earning over a billion dollars at the box office, has significantly diluted the incredible spark that once existed in the Star Wars fandom. Now, Star Wars has lost so much favor that it’s no longer a mainstay among children, which is certainly concerning. The Mandalorian and Grogu, however, can bring that spark back. For Star Wars fans, this movie has it all. Cantinas, arena fights, awesome new planets, rad bounty hunters, Grogu being cute, Mando being one of the greatest and coolest heroes ever created, likable side characters, a wealth of enthralling action set pieces, and an utterly fantastic musical score from three-time Oscar winner Ludwig Goransson. But most importantly, it brought back one of Star Wars’ most important themes: family.
FAMILY VALUES
Since the beginning of this franchise, family and all of its intricacies have been a driving force of Star Wars. Darth Vader’s iconic reveal as Luke’s father is one of the greatest plot twists in modern cinema, and it is Luke’s love for his father that ultimately saves his soul and redeems Vader, allowing him to become Anakin Skywalker once more. For the prequel trilogy, the tragedy of Anakin’s fall to the dark side and his father/brotherly relationship with his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is one of the primary emotional hooks of Revenge of the Sith.
Even the Sequel Trilogy had family at the forefront of the story, with the mystery surrounding Rey’s parentage lingering as one of the most compelling questions for her story, only for Rey to embrace her found family in the Skywalkers. Even The Acolyte, one of the franchise’s most compelling recent stories, featured a fascinating narrative with the powerful twins Mae and Osha and their stories on either side of the Force, the dark and the light, and their competing pull between the fatherly figure in Jedi Master Sol and the seductive allure of The Stranger. This theme of literal or found family is the emotional center of The Mandalorian and Grogu, helping remind audiences why we fell in love with these characters in the first place. And therein lies the power of Star Wars.
SPECTACLE
Star Wars isn’t just about the spectacle. It’s also about the emotional heart at the center of the narrative. Whether we’re talking about the romantic plotlines, like Han and Leia or Anakin and Padme, or the stories about fathers and children with Vader and Luke or Jyn and Galen Erso, the audience has to become emotionally attached to the characters, or the franchise loses a bit of its spark. The found family storyline with Mando and Grogu as quasi-father and son is one of the most endearing stories that this franchise has given us, and The Mandalorian and Grogu offers that emotional core that helps center the film amongst all of its bombastic action scenes. And this is why The Mandalorian and Grogu is such a smart choice as the first Star Wars film in seven years.
Star Wars is one of the few franchises that truly is a family event. I am a Star Wars fan because of my father, and when I have children, I will pass down my love for this franchise to them as well. Star Wars passes from generation to generation, creating new fans, and for this franchise to endure another 50 years, it must not only remain relevant but also appeal to families and continue to create new fans. At my Thursday showing, there were so many families coming to see the new Star Wars movie, and I have heard so many stories of parents asking their children what they thought about the film, and their children offering massive praise.
PASSING THE TORCH
In an effort to make the next Empire Strikes Back, I think Star Wars directors and storytellers forgot about the simplicity and joy this franchise can bring. Star Wars does not have to be a multi-layered thinkpiece like Andor to be successful. In fact, that is not what will make this franchise endure. Instead, it needs to be fun, as so many people have called The Mandalorian and Grogu, and to gradually build a story that allows the narrative to progress naturally, to include higher stakes and jaw-dropping plot twists. And therein lies the genius of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s collaborative partnership.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is, essentially, Iron Man. It is an enjoyable summer flick with incredible rewatchability and a conclusion that has you begging for more. It feels like the first step into a larger world, or supposedly, the beginning of a narrative reboot that recenters Star Wars as the cinematic juggernaut that it has the potential to be. There were supposed reports or rumors that there would eventually be a Mando/Ahsoka crossover movie event, and that sounds an awful lot like an epic Avengers-type movie that could become a massive cinematic box-office draw in the future.
THE STARFIGHTER FACTOR!
Additionally, next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, has the potential to take us in another interesting direction, offering more creative room, given that the timeline following the events of The Rise of Skywalker has been entirely unexplored. And while we don’t know for certain what else is coming our way, next year’s Star Wars Celebration, celebrating 50 years of the franchise, will hopefully offer us a glimpse of the exciting new directions the franchise will take us.
PERFECTION…THY NAME IS MANDO!
As for now, The Mandalorian and Grogu is the perfect return to the big screen that we needed, and I am happy to announce that I am excited to see this movie again on a huge IMAX screen, as Favreau and company intended. This is the way.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is playing in theaters everywhere now!
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
