Disney finally released the Star Wars movie it should have made

I went into the theater with remarkably low expectations and left prepared to give The Mandalorian and Grogu a 7/10 and a heart on Letterboxd. After months of critics and fans bracing to hate the film, my reaction of "nothing special but actually fun" was a welcome surprise, and it made me care about Star Wars again in a way I hadn't anticipated.

I never loved The Mandalorian series and, aside from Andor, haven't warmed to much of the Disney+ Star Wars output. The movie leans into broad, physical comedy instead of the dry one-liners common in modern blockbusters. Watching Grogu waddle, a giant muscular slug wrestle two others, a baby-sized speeder chase after Rotta, and Grogu and his Anzellan companions take a miniature ship on an interplanetary rescue feels more like early Pixar shorts or classic cartoon shenanigans.

Even Martin Scorsese appears as a four-armed, bushy-browed alien who runs a street food stand. It is unabashedly goofy and designed to entertain. That tone, however, collides with how seriously millions take Star Wars.

star wars, disney, the mandalorian, grogu, disney+, andor, martin scorsese, letterboxd, pixar, rotta