‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Makes a Clumsy Big-Screen Debut
Nearly seven years after the last “Star Wars” theatrical release, the beloved characters from Disney+‘s hit series “The Mandalorian” have made their big-screen debut — but early reviews suggest the transition has been far from smooth. Directed by Jon Favreau and opening in theaters on May 22, 2026, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” currently holds a 54-60% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics divided over whether the film justifies its theatrical existence.
From Streaming Sensation to Theatrical Gamble
The film marks a significant strategic pivot for Lucasfilm. Originally conceived as a fourth season of the Disney+ series, the project was re-envisioned as a theatrical feature during the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes when Lucasfilm re-evaluated its franchise plans. With a budget of $165 million and a 132-minute runtime, the film is the first Star Wars theatrical release since “The Rise of Skywalker” in December 2019.
Pedro Pascal returns as Din Djarin, the masked bounty hunter, alongside his adorable apprentice Grogu — the character colloquially known as “Baby Yoda” who became a global pop culture phenomenon. The cast also includes Sigourney Weaver as a New Republic colonel, Jeremy Allen White as the voice of Rotta the Hutt, and Martin Scorsese in a voice cameo as an alien shopkeeper.
Critical Reception: A Galaxy Divided
According to AP News critic Mark Kennedy, who gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, the movie is “a disjointed off-ramp that lacks the scale and ambition of its sisters.” Kennedy wrote that the film “fails the task,” adding: “As the Mandalorians might say, this is not the way.”
Kennedy’s review highlights a recurring criticism: the stakes feel remarkably small for a Star Wars film. “Perhaps the main problem with ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ is that the jeopardies are small,” he wrote. “The fate of the Resistance isn’t on the line. Planets or whole star systems aren’t being risked.”
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman offered a more measured take, saying the characters “translate just fine to the big screen” because “they bring with them our collective sense of lowered expectations.” TheWrap’s William Bibbiani called it “easily the most purely entertaining Star Wars movie since the 1980s, even though it’s hardly the most meaningful or ambitious.”
Other critics were less forgiving. IndieWire’s Kate Erbland described the film as “disposable” and “content,” while Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell declared it “might not be the worst Star Wars movie, but it could well be the most inconsequential Star Wars movie — and that somehow feels worse.”
What Works and What Doesn’t
Critics broadly agree on the film’s strengths: the action sequences are kinetic and well-executed, the production design by Doug Chiang and Andrew L. Jones is visually stunning, and Grogu’s inherent cuteness remains universally appealing. Ludwig Göransson’s score is also widely praised as adventurous and distinctive.
However, the film’s weaknesses are equally clear. The narrative is described as thin and formulaic, drawing comparisons to “Top Gun,” “Blade Runner,” and “Transformers” rather than classic Star Wars. The villains are forgettable, and multiple critics note that the film feels like an extended television episode rather than a cinematic event. At 132 minutes, the runtime is also seen as overlong.
Mike Ryan of The Hard Pass summed up a common sentiment: “[It’s] a longer and below-average episode of the Disney+ television show… I kept thinking, why should anyone already subscribing to Disney+ have to pay for this?”
Implications for the Franchise
The mixed reception arrives at a pivotal moment for Lucasfilm. Disney CEO Bob Iger has positioned this film as the start of a new slate of Star Wars theatrical releases, and its performance could determine whether future stories from the Mandalorian era are told in theaters or return to streaming. The film also represents a deliberate shift away from the Skywalker Saga toward character-driven stories in the wider galaxy.
For audiences, the calculus is simple: casual viewers and families may enjoy the accessible, action-oriented adventure, while die-hard fans may find themselves divided between appreciation for familiar elements and disappointment at the lack of ambition. With the film opening this Friday, all eyes will be on its box office performance to see whether mixed reviews deter audiences or if the power of Grogu proves stronger than the critics.
“You used to leave a new ‘Star Wars’ movie on a cloud,” Kennedy wrote. “Here, that galaxy is far, far away.”