The Star Wars Universe has expanded massively yet despite the undoubted quality of the
offshoots (notably the superb Andor) they are a fairly long way from the
tone of the 1977 original. Here though is a branch of the tale that indulges in
exactly the same fast paced action orientated type of story that lit the fuse. The Mandalorian and Groku hardly rests,
pinwheeling from one place to another frantic to throw our unusual heroes into
ever more perilous situations. What you gain from the action you do tend to
lose in terms of character but this is a film that brings the fun back to big
screen Star Wars.
There is a big
potential for plots in this fictional period after the fall of the Empire when
some of its scattered remnants are plotting a comeback. This isn’t that film
though. You don’t really even need to have seen the series to pick up the gist
as our perma -helmeted warrior Din Djarin and his furry green apprentice Groku
are despatched to find and return the younger brother of the Hutt twins, sons
of Jabba from the original movies. They find Rutta engaged in cage fighting,
working off a contract to win freedom and it turns out his departure from home
was voluntary. So begins an extended chase sequence in which this unlikely
looking trio race from one location to another to escape or to rescue each
other. The frantic pace rarely lets up until a brief interlude when Djin is unconscious.
There’s a menace to the
varied creatures they face which include giant underwater snakes and huge metallic
machines plus a flat hatted bounty hunter called Embo who is the coolest Star Wars villain
since Darth Maul. Even so you do feel a familiarity- one of the monsters looks
quite similar to Stranger Thing’s Demogorgon. There are allies too, especially
the amusing mini engineers, the Anzellans whose wittering speech adds broader
comedic notes. Director Jon Favreau
ensures that danger is never more than half a minute away and while much of the
action is undeniably digitally generated, the sound mix and stealth of editing
ensure it feels real enough. There are some genuinely exciting sequences to be
enjoyed especially in the first half that includes an exhilarating pursuit
through a neon lit city. Like the series, the film’s inspiration seems to lie
in those classic westerns and there are also elements of gangster capers. There’s several impressive planetscapes though
I couldn’t help feeling the Hutt’s world was home to hundreds of giant broccolis!
The uniqueness of the
main character though is that despite having a skilled actor like Pedro Pascal he
is hidden underneath a mask for almost all of the film as “this is the way” for
Mandalorians. What it deprives us of is any sense of what he’s feeling or
thinking. This of course worked a treat with a villain like Darth Vader but
with a hero you need something to relate to. We don’t see any character
reaction because his face is obscured and coupled with his stern, serious
demeanour, the Mandalorian becomes an enigmatic figure.
It’s not always Pedro
Pascal in the costume even in moments when the character is just walking around
but I was pleased to note credits for the two other Djin performers high up in
the cast list- shout outs to Lateef Crowder and Brendan Wayne - a recognition
of the important role they play. When that helmet does get removed, I feel
there was an opportunity here to utilise more of Pedro Pascal’s undoubted
acting skills but it doesn’t happen and later when Djinn is poleaxed by poison
for a while he remains unconscious. This isn’t a film to explore the dark night
of anyone’s soul I suppose but when you have an actor like this at your
disposal it seems a bit of a waste to restrict them in this manner.
As Groku doesn’t talk they
make for a somewhat one note couple of heroes. I was surprised though by how
well Groku works on the big screen despite the potential for revealing too much
of his animatronic origins. If no longer a `baby Yoda` he remains an infant and
gets some cute moments as well as opportunities to come to the rescue. Voiced
by Jeremy Allen White, Rutta proves to have more character and fighting skills
than you’d expect a giant slug to possess. Plus, there’s small roles for
Sigourney Weaver as the New Republic officer who sends Djin on his mission and-
yes- Martin Scorsese who voices a four armed street vendor in a couple of
amusing scenes. The Anzellan chatter comes courtesy of Shirley Henderson.
As with a lot of adventure
films the action is so strongly front loaded that by the time you pass the
ninety minute mark, matters start to seem repetitive. Also there’s no one
single antagonist to focus that side of things though we do meet a varied
selection of species determined to stop the duo but sometimes it seems
episodic. Maybe these are adapted scripts from the planned fourth season that
didn’t happen?. After a while the anticipation switches more to how our heroes
will win their latest battle rather than whether they will win.
The action sustains just
about sustains the film though I’m not sure if a second watch would be half as
exciting because the narrative has no real surprises in terms of the plot.
However in a cinema this film is exciting and fun; there’s nothing much to tax
the mind but a lot for the senses to enjoy. Whatever people theorise nowadays, Star
Wars was always a kid’s film and this takes it right back to that approach with
brisk efficiency.
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