Some Critics Are Asking If THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU Even Feels Like Star Wars… And I Think They’re Missing the Point

After years away from theaters, Star Wars has finally returned to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, and honestly, I had an absolute blast with it.

Going into the movie, I expected a fun adventure with Din Djarin and Grogu, and what I got was this scrappy, creature-filled, pulpy sci-fi fantasy ride that reminded me why love with Star Wars in the first place. Apparently, though, not everyone feels the same way.

The reviews for the film have been wildly divided, with the movie currently sitting around 61% on Rotten Tomatoes. Some critics are even questioning whether this movie “counts” as a Star Wars film at all because it doesn’t follow the giant mythology-heavy formula fans have become used to over the years.

But the more I read these criticisms, the more I feel like a lot of people are completely misunderstanding what this movie is trying to be.

The Mandalorian and Grogu wasn’t trying to save the galaxy for the hundredth time. This isn’t another Skywalker-sized saga built around giant destiny-driven storytelling.

It’s a smaller adventure focused on Din Djarin and Grogu getting caught up in a dangerous mission involving Rotta the Hutt, Imperial warlords, criminals, monsters, and chaos across the galaxy.

That simplicity worked for me. It reminded me of the old adventure serials and fantasy films that inspired George Lucas when he first created Star Wars.

Linda Marric of Hey U Guys absolutely understood what Jon Favreau was going for with the movie, saying:

“What ultimately makes The Mandalorian and Grogu work is its understanding that Star Wars doesn’t always need to be mythic to be entertaining. This isn’t a galaxy-shaking epic in the mould of the Skywalker saga.

“It’s a scrappy, creature-filled adventure movie about a weary warrior and his tiny adopted son stumbling into danger after danger. It may not reinvent the franchise, but it reminds you why you fell in love with that world in the first place.”

That right there nails exactly why the movie worked for me. Somewhere along the way, a portion of the fandom started acting like every Star Wars movie has to redefine the franchise or massively expand the lore to justify existing.

But that’s never really been the heart of Star Wars. At its core, this franchise started as a weird pulp fantasy adventure inspired by Flash Gordon serials, samurai movies, westerns, and Ray Harryhausen creature features. The Mandalorian and Grogu taps directly into that DNA.

Brian Truitt of USA TODAY also seemed to connect with that classic adventure energy, writing:

“The Mandalorian and Grogu does seem like a streamlined season of the Mando series but it also doesn’t try anything too complicated or overdeliver. It’s a straightforward pulp adventure with beasts right out of an old Ray Harryhausen flick and many Star Wars callbacks, while also maintaining the show’s neo-Western vibe.”

I don’t understand why some critics are treating that like a negative. People keep saying the movie feels like an extended episode of The Mandalorian, but wasn’t that exactly what fans originally loved about the show?

The series became popular because it embraced standalone adventures, weird side missions, dangerous creatures, bounty hunters, and old-school western storytelling. Now suddenly people are criticizing the movie for delivering more of the exact thing audiences spent years praising.

Jake Kleinman of Polygon questioned whether the film even fits the definition of a Star Wars movie because it lacks giant stakes, major mythology, and some of the traditional franchise elements fans expect. He wrote:

“The truth is, The Mandalorian and Grogu isn't a movie for long-time Star Wars fans; it's a desperate attempt to cultivate a new generation before it's too late. Baby Yoda was a once-in-a-generation character whose appeal has more to do with his visual design than the canon and lore that surrounds him (a tradition that dates back to the very beginning of Star Wars).

“Jon Favreau understands this better than anyone. He's made a movie seemingly built around cute cutaways to Grogu and occasional reference to something older Star Wars fans will recognize. The kids will go home happier than anyone still seething over the prequel trilogy.”

But honestly, I think this criticism accidentally proves why the movie succeeds. Star Wars absolutely should be creating a new generation of fans. George Lucas himself made these movies for kids first. Always. The franchise has never survived purely because of lore and canon obsession.

It survived because audiences connected with lovable characters, exciting adventures, cool creatures, humor, heart, and imagination. Grogu absolutely captures that spirit.

And if kids leave the theater obsessed with this movie the same way previous generations fell in love with R2-D2, Yoda, or Ewoks, then the movie did exactly what Star Wars is supposed to do!

Then there’s Germain Lussier of Gizmodo, who argued the film “doesn’t even try” and dismissed it as a meaningless side quest:

“It doesn’t add anything of true significance to Star Wars as a whole or, more importantly, to the lore of the Mandalorian and Grogu as characters. It’s just a mindless ride.

“A way to kill two hours and forget about the world. Which would have been acceptable if the film left you feeling anything beyond that. This is Star Wars, for crying out loud. A chance to be an entertaining, exciting spectacle, and also leave the audience in awe.

“The Mandalorian and Grogu is ultimately nothing more than a longer, better-looking, mid-tier episode of the show. Some will find it passable, but Star Wars deserves better. This is not the way.”

I honestly could not disagree more with that take. First of all, Star Wars absolutely should sometimes be a place to go to “forget about the world.” That’s part of the magic of cinema. Not every entry needs to reshape the entire franchise mythology.

Sometimes audiences just want to escape into a galaxy filled with adventure, monsters, action, humor, and lovable characters for a couple hours. There’s nothing wrong with that. Also, dismissing the movie because it feels like a “side quest” completely ignores the fact that side quests are literally what made The Mandalorian work from the beginning.

Tom Jorgensen of IGN shared similar frustrations, saying: “The Mandalorian and Grogu dutifully offers another two hours and change of watching Din Djarin and his adorable green son fly to some planets and clear out rooms of monsters or gangsters every 20 minutes or so.

“But this is a Star Wars movie missing the thrills, the surprises, the challenges, the addition of really anything of note to the franchise, not to mention a vested interest in seeing its characters grow and change. This is not the way.”

I think this criticism completely overlooks what the movie is actually trying to accomplish. Saying the film lacks thrills or surprises feels strange considering that it has those things! The movie is packed with giant creature battles, dangerous bounty hunter encounters, Hutt criminal politics, Imperial warlord threats, and some genuinely intense action sequences.

The movie absolutely delivers spectacle and adventure, it just delivers it on a more grounded scale instead of hinging everything on another galaxy-ending catastrophe.

As far as character growth goes, Din and Grogu’s relationship has always been the emotional core of this story. This film continues developing that bond while exploring Din’s role as both protector and mentor in a changing galaxy. Not every character arc has to involve massive transformations or shocking twists to matter.

The criticism that the movie “doesn’t add anything” to the franchise also feels incredibly narrow-minded to me. Since when did every Star Wars project suddenly need to function like homework for future movies?

One of the reasons the original Star Wars worked so well was because audiences could simply jump into an exciting adventure with fun characters and enjoy the ride. The Mandalorian and Grogu taps directly into that spirit.

It expands the universe through atmosphere, world-building, creatures, criminal factions, and character-driven storytelling rather than giant lore reveals or endless setup for the next crossover event. That still matters. In fact, I’d argue that kind of storytelling is a huge part of what made fans fall in love with The Mandalorian in the first place.

At the end of the day, I think The Mandalorian and Grogu understands something many modern franchise movies forget. Star Wars doesn’t always need galaxy-ending stakes to work. The movie has the same spirit that George Lucas launched this franchise with back in 1977, and I’m glad this movie remembered that.