The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu hunt down another Imperial Warlord for the fledgling New Republic. Soon, the duo is tasked by Commander Ward (Sigourney Weaver) to find and return Jabba the Hutt’s son and heir, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White), to the Hutt Twins in exchange for the whereabouts of the mysterious warlord Commander Coin.
Set after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), The Mandalorian (2019) television series took inspiration from the Lone Wolf and Cub Samurai film series (1972-1980) and Sergio Leone’s Three Dollars spaghetti western trilogy (1964-66), and followed the episodic adventures of a bounty hunter for hire who discovers a paternal drive after meeting an abandoned baby. Whereas the Indiana Jones (1981–2023) and Star Wars (1977–2005) series were attempts to adapt classic cliff-hanger serialised adventures of yesteryear to the big screen, this movie completes that circle, playing out like an adventure per chapter. The movie uses visual references to the original Star Wars movies, such as Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art and Phil Tippett’s stop-motion technique, to further ground its timeline, giving it a gritty tone and a looming sense of danger.
While the movie plunges us straight into action like a serialised adventure usually does, some build-up to the titular character in his Western environment would have been appreciated by new audiences and by those just tuning in.
Verdict: A fun, lean neo-Western adventure for fans of the original Star Wars universe and The Mandalorian TV show alike.
4 stars.
Luke McWilliams. themovieclub.net. Viewed at Palace Cinemas.
