The Mandalorian And Grogu First Reactions Are Mixed But Mostly Positive For Latest Star Wars Movie

The Mandalorian And Grogu First Reactions Are Mixed But Mostly Positive For Latest Star Wars Movie

The Star Wars franchise has been absent from theaters since 2019, but can The Mandalorian and Grogu restore its former big screen glory? The first reactions are in following the premiere.

By JoshWilding - May 15, 2026 09:05 AM EST
Filed Under: The Mandalorian
Source: SFFGazette.com

The Mandalorian and Grogu was finally screened to critics last night, and following the movie's world premiere, we have the first social media reactions (via SFFGazette.com).

Most are very positive, promising Star Wars fans a fun, pulpy summer blockbuster. There's plenty of action and heart, along with the expected Grogu cuteness. It also sounds like Jeremy Allen White's Rotta the Hutt is a scene-stealer, despite only being shown fleetingly in trailers and TV spots.

However, the consensus seems to be that, for better or worse, it feels like a feature-length episode of The Mandalorian (most are just happy to see the Star Wars franchise back on the big screen). 

Filmmaker Jon Favreau has confirmed that The Mandalorian and Grogu isn't a condensed version of Season 4, and it will seemingly be a standalone adventure with a similar feel to Season 1 and 2. That may disappoint fans hoping for world-building, whether it's a deep dive into Mandalore lore or Moff Gideon's apparent involvement with Supreme Leader Snoke's creation.

Ultimately, all signs point to this being an enjoyable Star Wars adventure, which might be exactly what the franchise needs after the mixed reaction to the sequel trilogy and the failed attempt to bring an icon like Han Solo back with a new actor. It may, however, be wise to temper expectations.

In The Mandalorian and Grogu, the evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu.

Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie also stars Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White. It's produced by Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Ian Bryce,  with music composed by Ludwig Göransson.

The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters on May 22. 

About The Author:
JoshWilding
Member Since 3/13/2009
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.
The Mandalorian And Grogu Soundtrack Reveals Some Potential Story Spoilers For The Next Star Wars Movie
Related:

The Mandalorian And Grogu Soundtrack Reveals Some Potential Story Spoilers For The Next Star Wars Movie

The Mandalorian And Grogu: The Twins Remove Din Djarin's Helmet In New Clip
Recommended For You:

The Mandalorian And Grogu: The Twins Remove Din Djarin's Helmet In New Clip

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, Comic Book Movie is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. Comic Book Movie will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that Comic Book Movie, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

GComix85
GComix85 - 5/15/2026, 9:18 AM
Sounds like a movie that just "fine".

Unfortunately, media outlets won't be able to help themselves and can't portray a movie as such. Get ready for the "disaster" and "failure" headlines.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 5/15/2026, 9:36 AM
@GComix85 - 7 years since the last movie and the best they could come up with is just "fine" ? For a franchise as big as Star Wars, that kind of is a disaster.
GComix85
GComix85 - 5/15/2026, 9:42 AM
@TheJok3r - Oh yeah. Internet comments will be doing this too. Thanks for the reminder.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 5/15/2026, 9:45 AM
@GComix85 - Always happy to help.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 5/15/2026, 9:19 AM
I'll see it and judge the movie on my own merit. Idgaf what anyone has to say about anything. If you look at reviews you end up being distracted the whole time. If you think something looks good, just watch it. who gives a [frick] what someone else thinks, and if you like it you get to tell them they're wrong!
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/15/2026, 9:44 AM
The reactions seems less mixed and more just mostly positive to me as of now tbh…

Honestly given it’s meant to be a standalone film and everything else we know so far , it just seems like it’s meant to be a entertaining action adventure film with 2 popular characters that has heart , humor & spectacle that reintroduces the franchise on the big screeen hence I’ll treat it such.

I’m not sure what else people would want from a Star Wars film other then galaxy wide implications or lore expansion which this wouldn’t have since it’s meant to be a singular piece as of now.

Anyway , i think the movie seems fun (a word that weirdly has become bad on here) and im looking forward to checking it out!!.
MrDandy
MrDandy - 5/15/2026, 9:51 AM
Sounds like it is a really big episode of the TV show, which is what everyone was kind of expecting. Fortunately it sounds more like a S1 & 2 episode and less like a S3 episode.
Matchesz
Matchesz - 5/15/2026, 10:01 AM
@MrDandy - unfortunately its not more like a pre Grogu season 1 episode
MisterBones
MisterBones - 5/15/2026, 10:06 AM
"Yes it does feel like a supersized high budget few episodes of the tv show"
User Comment Image
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/15/2026, 10:10 AM
I think the issue becomes is SW is one of a kind when it first came out but as technology has progressed in terms of VFX and such , it’s become part of the mold rather then leading it from the forefront…

However if you also do try to do some new things with it then you have fans rebelling against that too for the most part saying “thats not SW” so it’s between a rock and a hard place.

Personally as a fan of the show (especially the first 2 seasons that really made the relationship between Mando & Grogu the core instead of 3 which i do think is still decent) , having a 2 hour or extended episode of an already cinematic show sounds enjoyable to me so I can’t wait to see that!!.

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder