The Mandalorian and Grogu is a movie directed by Jon Favreau and co-written by Dave Filoni, a continuation of The Mandalorian TV series. While some enjoy the entertaining and fun aspects, others criticize its lack of originality and trends toward safe, familiar storytelling.
The initial reviews and reactions to The Mandalorian and Grogu are rolling in, with the movie dividing viewers to the point that it has claimed one of the worst Rotten Tomatoes scores in the Star Wars franchise.
As of this writing, The Mandalorian and Grogu's Rotten Tomatoes score sits at 60% Fresh on the Tomatometer, with the aggregator collecting 102 critic reviews. The average score among these reviews is 5.8 out of 10, which is a bit lower than the 7 out of 10 score ScreenRant's Liz Declan gave it in her The Mandalorian and Grogu review. While audiences have to wait a bit longer to see it, the critical consensus is rough for Lucasfilm.
Once again directed by Jon Favreau and co-written by Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian and Grogu was made after three seasons of The Mandalorian that were all critically well-received. Seasons 1 and 2 both scored 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, while season 3 still had a generally positive response, 84%. The drop to near-Rotten territory puts the feature in the bottom three for all live-action Star Wars movies.
Considering the strong history of the franchise and the appreciation for The Mandalorian series specifically, The Mandalorian & Grogu's poor reviews and Rotten Tomatoes score come as a bit of a surprise. And while the specific RT score will likely fluctuate a bit as hundreds more reviews pour in, the mixed response is likely to remain thanks to the major talking points that have emerged so far.
The Mandalorian & Grogu's Reviews Call It Fun & Entertaining, But Not Special Or New It's not often that a movie's biggest strength may also be its biggest weakness, but that appears to be the case with The Mandalorian and Grogu. Several reviews note that Din and Grogu's adventure is entertaining fun in its purest form, something that anyone can sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Our own Liz Declan wrote about this in her review, where she said the movie "is genuinely delightful to watch. It's funny, sweet, very emotional at times, and full of action and adventure.
" Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics described the movie as "an adrenaline shot of summer spectacle" before saying "Star Wars hasn’t been this fun in ages. " Rotem Rusak of Nerdist called it "a rare movie that’s pure fun without losing heart, character, and quality along the way. " Key reasons for the fun include Jon Favreau's excellent direction of the action sequences, a universe-trotting adventure, and the scene-stealing humor of the Anzellans.
In other words, The Mandalorian and Grogu is safe and familiar, a true entertainment-driven blockbuster not looking to rapidly expand an iconic franchise, but rather just tell a simple story within it. However, The Mandalorian and Grogu's emphasis on fun familiarity over fresh innovation is why this Star Wars movie didn't land with other critics. Even some positive reviews acknowledge this as a potential flaw for some.
Gavin Spoors said, "you'll have fun, but find little of that big screen magic.
" Jamie Parker of CBR wrote that it doesn't "break the mold or blow fans out of their seats. " John Nugent of Empire Magazine said it "doesn’t shake up the formula. " Some harsher reviews call out The Mandalorian and Grogu's unoriginality more directly. Chris Wasser of Irish Independent wrote it "has no imagination and very little confidence.
" Bilge Ebiri of Vulture wrote that the movie "struggles to capture the inventive vitality of the better Star Wars movies. " After some more divisive and riskier movies, The Mandalorian and Grogu's safe and fun approach could make sense for Disney. But it seems anyone wanting Favreau's flick to spark new ideas and make bolder moves will be left disappointed.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Still Feels Like The TV Show One of the biggest questions The Mandalorian and Grogu faced from the moment it was announced was whether the movie would be able to fully separate itself from its TV show roots and capture the feeling and scale of seeing Star Wars on the big screen. Several reviews note that the tone of the series remains, as does the dynamic between Din and Grogu, while the action is elevated to new heights.
Even though this adventure takes place beyond Disney+ , the familiarity of The Mandalorian is present. Rachel Leishman's review for The Mary Sue includes her saying the film "is the kind of fun family adventure that fans of the show will enjoy.
" Jake Kleinman of Polygon wrote that The Mandalorian and Grogu "more than rises to the challenge of feeling like a capital M Movie" rather than feeling like a streaming special. However, many critics failed to see the difference between watching the feature film and a few episodes of The Mandalorian back-to-back. Matt Goldberg wrote that "It feels like Disney is asking people to watch a few Disney+ episodes on a larger screen.
" Katie Erbland of IndieWire described the movie as "three good-enough TV episodes smushed together. " How much one is willing to accept The Mandalorian and Grogu for what it is designed to be will influence which side of this spectrum they fall on. As Declan wrote for us, "This isn't a Skywalker Saga installment, nor does it pretend to be all that much bigger than the show it comes from.
This is a film focused on Din Djarin and Grogu, and it delivers on that point.
" Is The Mandalorian & Grogu Worth Seeing In Theaters? With so many contrasting opinions on the quality of The Mandalorian and Grogu, whether it manages to become a must-see cinematic event is up to each person. Die-hard fans will be there on day one or at least some time during opening weekend to experience it for themselves and form their own opinions.
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But, the mixed reviews may also be enough to hold off some until The Mandalorian and Grogu releases on Disney+. Several reviews still take the time to implore viewers to see this movie specifically in theaters, though. Nagier Chambers of Big Gold Belt Media says, "The movie absolutely reminds you why Star Wars belongs on the biggest screen possible.
" Katie Smith-Wong of Flick Feast wrote, "Favreau pulls out the big guns to bring The Mandalorian to the big screen. " Declan's review praised the way IMAX enhanced the action scenes, too. It might require going to a theater and paying for a ticket, but the opportunity to see Star Wars on the big screen again for the first time in seven years will be worth it to most.
Viewers will likely be entertained by seeing The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters, but maximum enjoyment may only come by lowering expectations of it being as grand as past Star Wars releases. 7/10 The Mandalorian and Grogu Like Follow Followed PG-13 Sci-Fi Adventure Action Release Date May 22, 2026 Runtime 132 Minutes Director Jon Favreau Writers Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Noah Kloor Producers Ian Bryce, Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy Cast See All Prequel The Mandalorian Sequel Dave Filoni's Untitled Mandalorian Movie Franchise Star Wars Powered by Expand Collapse
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