Yes, it’s finally here! The first new Star Wars movie in over six years, and you either looked forward to it, or you didn’t. I’m here for the first part, as I hope most of you are as well. I really enjoyed this movie, it was fun Star Wars; nothing Force-changing or galaxy-spanning. I read an early review saying it was like all your favorite Star Wars toys were in the same movie, and that’s right in Jon Favreau’s wheelhouse; he’s a fan just like us.
Now, on to my thoughts, and there are spoilers ahead…
The Mandalorian and Grogu
• The movie starts off with that attack on the AT-AT’s, with the bearded Imperial warlord fleeing for his life after being all like, “Long Live the Empire,” making his lackeys pay more protection credits
• We see the incredible Easter Egg of the INT-4 within the AT-AT, first introduced as a toy back in The Empire Strikes Back days
• We’re re-introduced to Zeb, from Rebels, who looks great on screen
• I love the various directors as X-Wing pilots at Adelphi Base, including Dave Filoni in his cowboy hat.
• I want to see R5-D4 acknowledged as Skippy the Jedi Droid
• Colonel Ward, played by legend Sigourney Weaver, gives us the lowdown on the Sabacc deck Most Wanted (which I think they should release) and gives Din Djarin and his apprentice Grogu a brand new Razor Crest. It was confiscated from an Imperial Commandant who liked to collect old spacecraft
• Ward tells us that the Hutts have a line on one of the Most Wanted but they’re gonna need somebody to rescue their nephew. We first met the Twins on Tatooine in The Book of Boba Fett, they’re the heirs to Jabba’s criminal empire. To me, they always look like a living Ying/Yang symbol except they’re both evil
• The nephew they want to rescue is Rotta the Hutt, who we first met during the original Clone Wars movie.
• Damn, Favreau is digging deep into the toy box!
• The Hutts are protected by the Droid Gotra with many variants of the standard battle droids from the Clone Wars – and I really like that! I also like the giant droids guarding the main room, and I found out they’re called Tippet droids, animated by stop motion
• The Hutts lay out their deal for the name and location of the Imperial (guy named Coin, more about that shortly)
• Din goes to another planet called Shakari and talks to Martin Scorcese as an Ardenian running a food truck but is super skittish
• Din and Grogu locate Rotta in his cell. He feeds Grogu, making them best friends.
• Rotta is a gladiator on this salt planet and really likes the attention and publicity and celebrity he gets there. He’s not his father’s son and goes out of his way to tell you this
• Din tries to reason with the local bad guy Lord Janu (played by Johnny Coyne, do you see where this is headed?)
• Lord Coin likes to keep little birds in cages, including one that sounds like Salacious Crumb. He also keeps an Ikotchi named Hogsbreth, played by the big dude from NCIS
• When he tries to spring Rotta, Rotta informs his jailers and the Mandalorian is captured as well. He’s forced to fight Rotta but surrenders, earning Rotta his freedom. But that’s not gonna work out – neither fighter was meant to get out alive
• Lord Janu activates his giant dejarik board and the creatures from the holographic game fight the two of them. They get free and Rotta tells him the Twins are going to doublecross him because the Imperial he’s after was the same guy they just escaped from
• There’s a big battle at Lord Jannu Coin’s compound along with a severed Neku head. Zeb and Mando make quick work of the guards
• Back home to Nevarro for a little R ‘n’ R. Time to soup up the new Razor Crest with a handful of Anzellans (“Hey Hey!”). Rotta gets a ride away from the Twins from a gunrunner (who was apparently a droid, I was hoping for another stunt casting Easter Egg like Dr. Aphra or Dash Rendar (but seeing what happens to it later, I can understand)
• The Twins are not happy and send Embo the bounty hunter after Mando. Embo has a cool metal hat that he can throw
• The Twins and Embo de-helmet Din, thinking it would cause him shame. It normally would (he’d have to go back to Mandalorian again and bathe in the waters, but would that work a second time?) but if he kills them all, it will be forgiven
• AMANIS!!!! Tons of ‘em. We saw one in Jabba’s palace but these guys seem more feral and dangerous and scary. He was always a funky looking action figure. I saw one guy on Instagram who has a tattoo of an Amani
• There’s also a translucent dragon-like creature, a Dragonsnake. It cuts and poisons Din
• Meanwhile, Grogu has gotten transport from the Anzellans (he just fits in their teeny-tiny spaceship. Embo’s dog has also kidnapped one of them and uses him like a chew toy, so they have skin in the game too. There is an epic armor-up scene with Grogu putting on every weapon that he’s used in the past and fits him (giant pauldron, paintball gun, etc). I’ve seen people online put different music to this scene and it’s pretty cool. You’re reminded that somebody like Yoda lived to be over 900 years old while Grogu is around 50 – he’s got centuries of life as a Mandalorian ahead of him. This is the Way!!
• After battling in the sewers, Grogu finds Din and tries to Force heal him. But the poison has already taken hold. The Anzellans take off but do come back later with the cuteness
• Grogu protects Mando, going full Yoda with meditation and a walking stick. He also finds a wise old Gator guy in the swamp who gives him medicine (and doesn’t tell Embo anything)
• Din finds new weapons in the crashed Gunrunner’s ship and arms up. I’m assuming the Twins shot down the Gunrunner’s ship after delivering Rotta (a little betrayal followed by quick karma)
• Everybody fights! Even Rotta fights both Twins, saying he’s not a little kid anymore!
• The Droid Gotra fights on with mismatched droid bodies!
• Spoilers: The Twins are killed by their own Dragonsnake (kinda like if Jabba was eaten by his own Rancor). However, Embo does escape. Does that mean Din is going after him because he physically de-helmeted him and saw his face. This is (also) the Way!
• Then, in a move I didn’t see coming: It’s the New Republic, led by pilot Sigourney Weaver!
• Mando and Grogu go on with their lives and Rotta joins the New Republic.
• The End?
I loved the special effects in this movie: they ranged from old school stop motion and puppets to advanced CGI with Rotta. Just a damn fun movie with a good plot. I can see how it could be mistaken for Season 4, but it is more fun as a movie. A good, old-fashioned Star War.
