Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu 4K 2026 IMAX

First of all, I want to defend this movie, which actually isn’t bad at all. Fans of the series—of which I am one—should be thrilled to see their favorite characters return. The movie itself can and should be viewed as a continuation of the series—even its structure resembles two two-hour episodes combined into a single film.

What pleased me most were the visuals and special effects. The visuals that were already a highlight in the TV series have been perfected here, and the sets are a real treat to look at—whether it’s a cyberpunk city, an alien jungle, or the boundless cosmos—and that’s the main reason to go see this movie in theaters.

Special kudos for the sound design and music. The theme song at times evokes Daft Punk’s “Tron,” but it does so appropriately, expanding the genre and tugging at the heartstrings. Grogu’s baby babble is also endearing, stirring parental instincts.

A special mention goes to Sigourney Weaver—when she and space come together, it’s always a perfect match.

Now for the downsides—of course, there are some. The main one is that the pacing feels a bit slow at times. Some scenes depicting the characters’ measured, battle-free lives drag on a bit too long—they could have been cut shorter, otherwise there’s a high risk of falling asleep, especially if you’re watching the movie at home. And then there are questions about the battles: in almost every one, you get the feeling that the enemies and monsters are going easy on the Mandalorian, since they had plenty of opportunities to kill him. I suppose the film’s fairly child-friendly rating plays a role here.

Overall, I didn’t have any issues with the plot itself—on the contrary, it’s fairly simple and charmingly naive, and for me personally, it stirred up feelings of nostalgia for ’80s movies, many of which also lacked a convoluted plot but were wholesome family films.