Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of May 18, 2026
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Rated PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%
In Theaters
With the success of the Disney+ television series, it only makes sense that Disney would want to create an entire movie around their Mandalorian franchise. For those of you who have completely missed out, the Mandalorian tells the story of bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe who takes up with a young apprentice who went by the name “baby Yoda” until it was revealed that his real name was “Grogu.” Not one of my favorite creative choices, but that is the way. Together, they would go on missions that would both make them a little money and take on any Imperial powers that scattered through the universe after the death of Darth Vader. In this adventure, Mando and Grogu are hired by Jabba the Hutt’s siblings “The Twins” to find their nephew, Rotta the Hutt, voiced here by Jeremy Allen White, who has been kidnapped by a notorious gangster. But when they find that he was not actually kidnapped, there is a change of heart which forces the hunter to become the hunted. Quite honestly, the film is exactly what I thought it would be: a two-hour version of the tv show, with a much bigger budget. From the moment the film starts, it is one action-packed scene after another, with tons of monsters and drama. Aside from a dreadfully boring scene before the third act, the film keeps you on your toes. While the special effects and action are exciting enough, the story lacks any heart or weight. It Is like a video game where you go from one fun challenge to another, but the movie did nothing to push the story of Mando and Grogu forward. I expected much of what I saw, but I was really hoping for a lot more, especially from a theatrical release. I do like the whole “Western” theme they have on the show, and that is alive and well here, but with so much at stake for the overall Star Wars Universe, I’m surprised that Disney didn’t try a little harder. B-