Before the opening text even hit, the previews were already delivering for Star Wars fans. One standout pre-show ad was for Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, the popular mobile game that’s getting a full Mandalorian & Grogu crossover event — featuring Din Djarin, Grogu, Rotta the Hutt, and more. Check out our full coverage of the Galaxy of Heroes crossover event here. If you’re not playing yet, this movie might just push you over the edge.
Now — This is the Way.
After a seven-year drought without a Star Wars film in theaters, the galaxy far, far away is back on the big screen, and as a lifelong Star Wars fan, I could not be more genuinely excited about what The Mandalorian and Grogu represents. Not just as a movie, but as a statement about the future of this franchise.
The Setup: Where Are We in the Timeline?
The film takes place between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens — that New Republic era when the Empire has fallen but peace remains fragile. If you want a deeper dive into exactly where this story lands among all the films and series, check out our Star Wars canon timeline guide here. The good news? You don’t really need to brush up on the three seasons of the Disney+ series to follow along. The film drops you right in with just enough context to ride along, which was a smart creative choice by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!
What It Gets Right: Family, Heart, and Grogu
This is, at its core, a family movie — and I mean that in the best possible way. The dynamic between Din Djarin and Grogu remains the emotional heartbeat of everything. Din himself recognizes that Grogu will outlive him by centuries, and that securing peace in the galaxy is something he’s doing for his son’s sake — and that kind of weight gives the film an emotional undercurrent that the action sequences are built around.
Grogu continues to grow in the Force, and every moment with him on screen is pure joy. The Anzellans — those tiny, scene-stealing creatures — return for a hilarious supporting role alongside our little green guy. If you have kids, they will absolutely love this movie. If you’re a longtime fan, the Easter eggs and familiar faces scattered throughout will keep you smiling.
The Bigger Picture: This Is a Long Game
Here’s my take that I think gets lost in some of the early critical noise: this movie was never meant to be The Empire Strikes Back. Some critics are calling it low-stakes, or saying it doesn’t advance a larger narrative. And you know what? That’s kind of the point.
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are playing a generational long game here. If it wasn’t for The Mandalorian and Grogu breathing fresh life into the franchise on streaming, Star Wars might be on an extended movie hiatus. This film is the bridge that brings younger audiences — kids who grew up with Baby Yoda on Disney+ — into the theatrical Star Wars experience for the first time. Think about it: a kid who was five years old when The Mandalorian premiered in 2019 is now a pre-teen sitting in a dark theater watching their favorite characters on a giant screen. That’s not a small thing. That’s franchise building for the next 10, 20, even 30 years.
The critics who say this “isn’t for long-time fans” are actually identifying a feature, not a bug. There’s no homework required, and while characters from the wider Star Wars universe make appearances, you don’t need to know who they are for the story to make sense. That accessibility is by design — and it’s smart.
The Verdict
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is a fun, action-packed, family-friendly adventure that delivers exactly what it promises. It’s not trying to be an epic saga-changer. It’s trying to remind you — and introduce a whole new generation to the fact — that Star Wars is fun, that these characters are worth caring about, and that there are more stories worth telling in this galaxy.
As a Star Wars fan who has been along for every twist and turn of this franchise, I left the theater with a smile on my face and a kid next to me (who had never seen a Star Wars movie in theaters before) absolutely buzzing with excitement. That’s the win. That’s the whole point.
This is the Way.
Photo Credit: StarWars.com