Jon Favreau - the filmmaker who’s perhaps done the most to revive the spirit of the original Star Wars trilogy, with The Mandalorian - takes his small-screen hit to the big screen in a film that wears its influences proudly and unapologetically.
If you came hoping for a sweeping chronicle of Imperial machinations, prepare to be disappointed: critics have already been complaining that the movie plays like an extended television adventure. That complaint isn’t entirely wrong, but so what? It's successful in what it is trying to be, a cinematic carnival ride, interested in thrills and spills, with some hanging out with the gang.
This adventure finds the Mandalorian, balancing the domestic responsibilities of caring for little Grogu while bounty hunting for the Rebel Alliance. He’s the ultimate bring-your-kid-to-work dad. The Hutt twins who inherited cousin Jabba’s criminal empire after his strangulation at the hands of Princess Leia, promise information for the rescuing of their nephew Hadda and so begins a straightforward but serviceable adventure. From there, the narrative unspools as a series of set-piece missions: a daring rescue, a harrowing monster encounter or three, and so on. No one is changing the shape of the Death Star here.
Sigourney Weaver appears as a space general (or something close to it), Martin Scorsese turns up as a four-armed, monkey-like space vendor (for the dads?), and Pedro Pascal provides the familiar, mostly masked presence of Mando, i.e. he physically turns up for the few minutes he is unmasked as well as providing the voice, physicalised for the most part by another actor.
The monsters are great fun, the effects are a mixed bag but don't detract from the fun, and the film moves along like an old school Saturday matinee - uncomplicated by heavy thematic analysis and ending with the good guys winning. Some might call that lazy; I’d say it knows exactly who it’s for: viewers who still thrill at the memory of Ray Harryhausen films. There are even stop-motion elements to drive that point home.
Favreau’s film isn’t the epic fans might have been hoping for but it’s a lovingly crafted throwback designed to entertain (and sell Grogus). If you’re looking for a Ray Harryhausen–style Star Wars movie, you won’t be disappointed.
In cinemas from 22nd May 2026.
