The Mandalorian and Grogu movie impresses in first-look preview
The upcoming feature film The Mandalorian and Grogu represents a pivotal moment for Star Wars. After years of existing primarily as a brand for Disney’s streaming service, the franchise is attempting a grand return to theaters with Jon Favreau’s expansion of his own Disney Plus series. Ahead of its May 22 premiere, Disney offered journalists an exclusive preview of the first 15 minutes at IMAX headquarters, providing a glimpse into whether this cinematic outing can reignite the galaxy’s theatrical magic.
A Franchise Under Pressure
Since the polarizing conclusion of the sequel trilogy with 2019’s Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars has largely confined its storytelling to television. The theatrical platform has been dormant for seven years, creating a vacuum of big-screen spectacle. The Mandalorian and Grogu carries the significant burden of not only satisfying fans of the popular streaming show but also re-establishing Star Wars as a viable blockbuster cinema force. The first-look preview suggests the film is stylistically and narratively continuing the path laid by the series, which may pose challenges for its perception as a distinct cinematic event.
Opening Without a Crawl
The film eschews the traditional Star Wars opening text crawl. Instead, it begins with sparse on-screen text to establish the post-Return of the Jedi setting, where the New Republic rebuilds while heroes hunt Imperial remnants on the galactic outskirts. This choice immediately signals a departure from the epic, saga-style presentation of the main trilogy films, opting for a more direct, almost procedural introduction. This approach risks alienating moviegoers unfamiliar with the Disney Plus series, as the context provided is minimal.
The Initial Action Sequence
The story opens in a surviving Imperial stronghold, where a mid-level crime boss extorts local syndicates. He nostalgically claims, “I think we can all agree that things were better under the Empire,” and leads a forced chant of “Long live the Empire!” His announcement of increased protection prices leads to dissent and a swift execution. Din Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal) arrival interrupts the meeting with explosive flair, shooting flames to disarm guards and pursuing the fleeing boss into a snowy mountainous exterior.
A Video Game Sensibility
Mando commandeers a two-legged AT-ST Walker, with Grogu hopping aboard, and the scene descends into a valley revealing multiple AT-AT Walkers below. The camera pans purposefully over the enemies and the path ahead, creating an establishing shot that feels distinctly like a video game level preview—complete with the implication of a mission path and enemy placements. The reliance on Unreal Engine for much of the production enhances this sensation, making the sequence feel more like an interactive environment than a cinematic battlefield.
Din rides the AT-ST down the mountain at a surprising sprint, destroys one AT-AT from below, then infiltrates a second Walker to find the mob boss. The boss escapes via an AT-AT-head-shaped pod, which Mando shoots down, leading to a fiery explosion. Our heroes escape via jetpack and are rescued by Zeb (Steve Blum), the alien from Star Wars: Rebels, flying their ship.
Mission Briefing and Narrative Setup
Zeb expresses annoyance that they returned without a prisoner for interrogation, grumbling, “You catch the bad guy so they tell us where the other bad guys are.” Mando simply replies, “Things went sideways.” The subsequent scene on the planet Adelphi introduces the New Republic contact, Ward (Sigourney Weaver). She criticizes Mando’s “very messy” work and stresses the need for actionable intelligence to understand Imperial operations.
The Sabacc Card Deck
Mando pledges to “take out every bad guy in your deck of cards,” referencing Ward’s literal deck of Sabacc cards with villain portraits. This detail, while rooted in Star Wars canon, functions narratively like a mission log in an open-world game, visually presenting the targets for elimination. Ward then reveals the primary target: Commander Coyne (or Coin), an elusive ex-Imperial described as the “ace of spades.” The Hutts have agreed to lead Mando to Coyne because their kin, Rotta Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), has been imprisoned by ex-Imperials.
A New Razor Crest
As a credits sequence plays over a walk through a shipyard—a stylistic nod to openings like Top Gun—Ward presents Mando with a new Razor Crest ship. It is not a repaired version of his original, but a seized Imperial model of the same class. She offers it as an advance payment for the upcoming mission to free Rotta Hutt and glean Coyne’s location. Mando initially refuses, stating he doesn’t work for gangsters anymore, especially Hutts, but Ward compellingly reminds him that he now works for her.
Stylistic Concerns and First Impressions
The dialogue exchange between Mando and Ward is shot with a portrait-mode framing reminiscent of many contemporary streaming series. Each character speaks almost directly to the camera against a blurry background, creating a feeling of conversational intimacy that borders on a Zoom call aesthetic. For a theatrical Star Wars movie intended to be a visual spectacle, this approach feels underwhelming and raises questions about the film’s cinematic ambition.
CGI Heaviness and Scale
While most previewed footage was technically fine, it was noticeably heavy on CGI. The environments and action, though dynamic, lacked the tactile, physical presence of classic Star Wars set pieces. The promise of a giant snake-monster battle and Grogu in a Dagobah-like swamp, glimpsed in a subsequent sizzle reel, suggests broader visual variety may come later, but the opening 15 minutes did not deliver the immersive grandeur expected from a flagship theatrical release.
Historical Context and Fan Expectations
Opening sequences in Star Wars films have historically been iconic. The hallway gunfight in A New Hope, the Hoth battle in Empire Strikes Back, the space duel opening Revenge of the Sith, and even the controversial Mustafar raid in The Rise of Skywalker each left a distinct imprint. By comparison, The Mandalorian and Grogu’s opener feels functionally competent but emotionally and visually soulless. It establishes a mission rather than a mythic moment.
The film clearly represents immense effort from Favreau and his team to transition the series to a larger format. Yet, the previewed content leaned heavily on established TV-show rhythms and visual language, lacking the transformative scale needed to convince audiences this is a definitive cinematic experience. The concern is whether the remaining two hours can elevate beyond this foundation.
Star Wars desperately needs a theatrical win to reclaim its cultural position. The franchise’s future on the big screen may hinge on The Mandalorian and Grogu proving it can transcend its streaming origins. While the preview offered exciting glimpses of familiar characters in action, it did not instill confidence that this film will be the triumphant return many hope for. It feels like an extended episode with a larger budget, not a redefined cinematic chapter. The full film must deliver a cohesive, emotionally resonant, and visually spectacular journey to meet the monumental expectations placed upon it.
The Mandalorian and Grogu releases in theaters on May 22.
