--- title: "The Mandalorian and Grogu: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-mandalorian-and-grogu/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-mandalorian-and-grogu" critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 59 from 7 reviews: 3 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. The spread is wide. Most critics agree the film plays like a condensed or stitched-together season of the television series, with a hunt-and-battle structure that repeats itself and a storyline few find consequential. Praise clusters around Grogu, whose puppetry is singled out by reviewers on both sides of the divide, and around Pedro Pascal’s charisma under the helmet. Sight and Sound also picks out Martin Scorsese’s voice performance as a street vendor. Several reviews enjoy the set pieces, a sea snake attack and an AT-AT battle among them, and The Wrap and NME find enough heart and momentum to call it a proper big-screen adventure rather than an extended episode. The dissent is sharp: Vulture calls the action pro forma and the performances monotone, The Telegraph finds the brawls clumsily staged, and The Times reads the whole thing as pitched at pre-schoolers. Flat CGI and a lack of ambition come up more than once. ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2026. The first Star Wars film in nearly a decade doesn’t shake up the formula: instead, it’s a lively if inessential extended episode of the series. But Mando remains cool, and Grogu remains cute. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-mandalorian-and-grogu/) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2026. The critic finds the film a sturdy, affable Star Wars offshoot and throwback with simple pleasures and strong creature-feature elements that deepen the parenting theme between Mando and Grogu. It falls short of being riveting enough to supplant classic franchise memories and has story deficiencies despite serviceable action. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-05-19/mandalorian-grogu-review-pedro-pascal-sigourney-weaver-jeremy-allen-white-jon-favreau) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2026. The movie is drab and lifeless with pro forma action and monotone performances that fail to engage. It works best in a slowed-down interlude highlighting Grogu's puppetry and emotional care for the Mandalorian. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-shouldnt-be-a-movie.html) ## Sight and Sound 21 May 2026. The critic finds the film a pleasant but eminently forgettable family-friendly Star Wars adventure that struggles to escape its television origins, with a repetitive hunt-battle structure feeling like stitched-together episodes. Grogu’s puppetry and Martin Scorsese’s voice performance as a street vendor are singled out for praise, while the flat CGI is noted as a weakness. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/star-wars-mandalorian-grogu-jon-favreau-expands-his-hit-streaming-series-into-pleasant-forgettable-big-screen-adventure) ## The Guardian 19 May 2026. The film is a solid enough addition to the Star Wars universe, serving up familiar narrative tropes on an Imax scale with entertaining set pieces. It barrels along capably but lacks sufficient humanity, humour and extravagant space melodrama. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/may/19/star-wars-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review-helmeted-hero-tangles-with-hateful-hutts-in-decent-feature-outing) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck 19 May 2026. The film is an entertaining Star Wars adventure that stands alone but feels like a condensed TV season with an inconsequential storyline. It benefits from Pedro Pascal's charisma and Grogu's cuteness amid spectacular action sequences. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review-pedro-pascal-star-wars-1236597305/) ## The Telegraph 19 May 2026. Even Baby Yoda cannot save this spin-off, whose absurd plot flops from one clumsily staged brawl to another. The puppetry and stop-motion are strong points amid the otherwise hopeless execution. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/05/19/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher 19 May 2026. This latest Star Wars effort demonstrates that the franchise has become the dying dog of Hollywood. The plot is unashamedly stolen and skewed toward a preschool market, with Mando fighting like an amateur. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review-its-time-to-kill-off-star-wars-for-good-bzm870vjl) ## NME — Lou Thomas Rating 4/5. 19 May 2026. It is a strong, entertaining Star Wars spin-off with non-stop action and heart that proves the franchise still has cinematic life. The critic singles out the constant thrills from set pieces like sea snake attacks and AT-AT battles, plus Favreau’s confident direction blending TV tone with blockbuster energy. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/mandalorian-and-grogu-review-star-wars-pedro-pascal-3946253) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2026. Jon Favreau’s film lacks ambition but compensates with heartwarming heroes and breezy blockbuster adventure, making it the most purely entertaining Star Wars movie since the 1980s. It is straightforward and absorbing with plenty of heart that keeps it from feeling shallow. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review-star-wars/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 2.5/5. 19 May 2026. The film is a disappointingly average Star Wars entry that feels like an expensive TV rerun rather than a true big-screen adventure. It singles out a few graceful Grogu-focused sequences and the hypnotic score for faint praise amid mostly dull, boardroom-approved beats. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2026. The film is pretty entertaining in its simplest moments but feels like the Star Wars franchise has lost its way and is showing its age. It rehashes familiar elements without recapturing the original magic. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/05/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review-pedro-pascal-jon-favreau-1236915463/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-mandalorian-and-grogu.md