YNOT at the Movies

After multiple Emmy-winning seasons on Disney+, Din Djarin and Grogu finally make the leap to the big screen in "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" (USA 2026 | 132 min.), directed by Jon Favreau and filmed for IMAX. It is a move that feels both inevitable and overdue, bringing the beloved duo out of the living room and into the theatrical space where Star Wars was born. The question is whether the transition earns that upgrade. The answer, more often than not, is that it falls short.

For the uninitiated, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his adopted son and young apprentice Grogu are bounty hunters working for the fledgling New Republic, in the era after the Empire's fall. When the battle-hardened Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) recruits them for a dangerous mission targeting Imperial remnants, the pair are thrust into new worlds and new threats. Along the way they cross paths with Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), a massive blubbery creature that looks strikingly like an oversized seal.

The production design is ambitious, with sets like the Chicago-inspired Shakari and the swamp planet Nal Hutta built at warehouse scale. But compared to the grandeur and genuine awe of earlier Star Wars films, this one rarely lands the kind of images that burn themselves into memory. The IMAX frame is filled, but not always with something worth the size. And for a universe supposedly set in the future, the technology looks oddly dated. Real-world robotics have evolved dramatically in recent years, yet the droids here carry the clunky retro charm of something assembled in the 1950s, still bristling with big, square, chunky buttons that would look at home on a Cold War-era control panel.

The deeper problem is human connection, or the lack of it. Nearly every significant character is either hidden behind a helmet, buried under layers of CGI, or both. Pedro Pascal removes his helmet in only a handful of scenes, leaving the Mandalorian's emotional presence to be carried mostly by voice and firepower. For the bulk of the runtime, the character functions less like a flesh-and-blood hero and more like a video game avatar completing objectives. The supporting cast fares little better, with most creatures and figures existing at a digital remove that keeps the audience at arm's length throughout.

Grogu remains the exception. Brought to life by a team of over 30 servo-driven operators, the little guy steals every scene he inhabits through sheer expressiveness, a twitch of the ear here, a wide-eyed blink there. He is the film's only genuinely felt presence. A brief encounter with a food stand cook, voiced by the legendary Martin Scorsese, also manages to generate more humanity in two minutes than most of the action sequences do across the entire runtime.

Three time Academy Award winner Ludwig Göransson's score, performed by a 106-piece orchestra and 64-person choir, does its best to fill the emotional gaps the visuals leave behind. It is the most fully realized element of the film, and sometimes the only thing making a scene feel like it matters.

As a television episode stretched to feature length, the film would feel adequate. As a theatrical Star Wars event meant to justify the price of an IMAX ticket, it falls short. The craft is undeniable, but craft alone does not make a great film. The force, this time, is only mildly with it.

"Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" opens in theaters on Friday, May 22, 2026.