The Mandalorian and Grogu — Review by Anthony “Ant” Johnson

A 50-Year Critic Walked In Skeptical and Walked Out a Fan.

There are films you watch. And then there are films that seem to know exactly where you’ve been, what you’ve lost, and what you still believe in. The Mandalorian and Grogu is the latter. Directed by Jon Favreau and arriving in theaters as the franchise’s first feature film follow-up to the Disney+ series, this is a film that doesn’t ask you to do homework before showing up.

I walked into the IMAX pre-screening as a film critic and I walked out as something closer to a fan.

Let me start with Grogu. If they gave out awards for the smallest guy with the biggest….heart, he’d be in first place. You want Grogu in your life, just cuz. There was something pure about observing the way he moves through life. Dare I say it gave one hope for the future.

The film carries a message I will always show up for — courage, integrity and true friendship. In an era where Hollywood mistakes spectacle for substance, this film understands that the most powerful thing on screen is a relationship that costs something.

The story moves with aim. The practical effects are a love letter to filmmaking — treated with authentic love and respect…real. You can tell this team cared deeply about why it was being done this way.

Pedro Pascal anchors the film with the kind of restrained performance that makes you forget he’s acting under a helmet for most of it. That’s not a small trick. The supporting work around him is sharp, the score earns every cue, and the world feels lived-in rather than rendered. This is what happens when a director who loves the material gets to make the version he actually wanted to make.

So why not a 9 or a 10? Honestly, there was a lull mid-film that cost. And the rest? That’s not really on the film. I’ll be transparent — I haven’t watched the show yet, so I came in without series context. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m not much of a Star Wars fan. The fact that this film moved me anyway says everything about what Jon Favreau and this cast actually pulled off. The critic in me is giving The Mandalorian and Grogu an 8 out of 10. The man in me felt something no rating could ever capture. 8/10

-Ant