314, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Come on! A brand new, totally bona fide Star Wars movie back on the big screen - what better way to return after a 2 month break with a movie and franchise very close to my heart.

The Mandalorian (in my mind) remains the best Star Wars 'spin-off' yet created.  Conceived and written by Jon Favreau (Marvel + much more) this is almost a love story to the entire Star Wars franchise, using Mando and Grogu as connectors to characters and stories dating back to the 70's and 80's.

The plot isn't a tricky one to work out;  Mando is completing some Bounty Missions for the New Republic, tracking down scattered War Lords & to get information on a certain individuals location, Mando is persuaded to complete a job for the twin siblings of recently deceased (if you follow the timeline) Jabba the Hutt to find and rescue their nephew Rotta the Hutt (Jabba's son) - however, trickery is soon uncovered as it's not his release they seek but his demise as Rotta's death would line the twins up to have sole control of the Hutt empire with the true heir out of the way.

Rotta is a piece of genius.  Ripped, agile, with pecs, abs and voiced by Jeremy Allen Wright (The Bear / Springsteen / Iron Claw), he is a gentle soul & keen to be rid of his fathers criminal legacy, wanting to make a name for himself.  Rotta is captive yes, but enjoying fighting in a Gladiatorial arena where he is basically the home town hero after winning over a once hostile crowd - he is revelling in the stardom in the hope his next battle will see him released (that's what they all say!)

Obviously, this isn't as straight forward as Rotta hopes it should be (no surprises there) and along with Mando and Grogu, plus a few other supporting characters look to bring down the captors, the Hutt Twins and anyone else who stands in their way.

This movie is fantastic.  The attention to detail in some of the scenes is just phenomenal - and for the real fans out there, pay particular attention to the monster battle that is direct re-construction of the Dejarik game Chewie is playing on the holographic chessboard on the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope (remember that?) It's just a few seconds of footage but the real life battle that occurs in the arena has the same Monsters and moves seen in the 77' original - awesome!

The effects throughout are great - it totally feels like a Star Wars movie but you don't really need to watch the Mandalorian seasons first to get an understanding of what's happening.  It helps of course, but only for character depth.  As a movie, this seamlessly links in with those preceding it if you want it too - but also works as a standalone entity.

I love how they've avoided CGI for Grogu and maintained puppetry & yes, it looks a little clunky in places but that's the part of the adoration for this franchise.  Seeing a CGI Yoda battling Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones always seemed a step to far so returning to this basic approach (I say basic - the puppeteers would probably disagree!) with Grogu just adds a lot more personality to this adorable little green hero and still, without real words - manages to convey every emotion and mannerism to perfection.  We all love him even more after this recent outing.

There are of course cameos - look out for Sigourney Weaver & listen out for Martin Scorsese (needs no explanation) as the food-cart vendor Hugo Durant and Star Wars OG - C3PO's Anthony Daniels providing the voice of the Air Traffic Controller Droid.  The Lucasfilm VP Doug Chaing steps in as New Republic Lieutenant Blick and there are even some prior Disney+ series Directors appearing as uncredited X-Wing Pilots in the final scenes.  

I honestly believe those involved in the Mando series (and this movie) are just huge Star Wars fans who are are telling the stories they would want to see being made.  Knowing how the nostalgia impacts the die-hard fan base and the introduction of newer characters and locations attracts an ever growing audience.  

This has hyped me up even more for the He-Man re-imagining, again - Directed by a fan and wanting to give the audience what we've waited 40+ years to see and not in an eighties, Dolph Lundgren way.

As for Mando & Grogu - for a Galaxy that initially started in 49 years ago 'Far Far Away', I think it all now feels much closer to home for many of us and long may that continue.