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.
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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.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 5/15/2026, 10:43 AM
@GComix85 - the site will be filled with Disney haters in comment sections of every story they do.
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!
JusticeL
JusticeL - 5/15/2026, 11:08 AM
@bobevanz - ' If you think something looks good, just watch' - that's the way I see it too, except nothing about this movie screams 'cinematic'.
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
AlexGSpeaks
AlexGSpeaks - 5/15/2026, 11:51 AM
@Matchesz - pre-Grogu episode? Does that even exist given Grogu has been there since Ep1 and was the focal point of it too?
MisterBones
MisterBones - 5/15/2026, 10:06 AM
"Yes it does feel like a supersized high budget few episodes of the tv show"
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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!!.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 5/15/2026, 10:19 AM
Let me guess too woke for some “fans”, not woke enough for other “fans”, just perfect for a minority of “fans”.

Cue the guy saying reboot the MCU, DCU, SWU & the IRLU
PedroSparkles
PedroSparkles - 5/15/2026, 11:48 AM
@slickrickdesigns - User Comment Image
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 5/15/2026, 11:49 AM
@PedroSparkles - are you saying you want to grab Pedro’s butt?
PedroSparkles
PedroSparkles - 5/15/2026, 11:51 AM
@slickrickdesigns - he's an ass man too
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 5/15/2026, 1:39 PM
@slickrickdesigns - Curious if you can point to an example (any example, really) of someone saying that Star Wars isn't woke enough.
Lucasberg
Lucasberg - 5/15/2026, 3:22 PM
@Clintthahamster - Without defining the term woke its likely impossible to please the question you asked here but still, I pasted two examples for you...run of the mill (old and new) articles complaining that the cast and crew were not diverse/female (woke) enough. I take woke to mean forced diversity and feminization of things.


https://geeksofcolor.co/reviews/star-wars-has-diversity-problem

https://www.wired.com/2013/02/opinion-star-wars-females-media/
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 5/15/2026, 3:29 PM
@Clintthahamster - I’ll look it up but I remember before the Rey trilogy people were complaining about a Galaxy Far Far away with only two African American characters in it. Lando and Mace. Does that count? I’ll have to look up who the people were but I’m pretty sure a comedian was making fun of that for a while..
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 5/15/2026, 4:30 PM
@Lucasberg @slickrickdesigns - It is wild the way different brains work, because those critiques don't clock as "not woke enough" to me, because I agree that one female co-lead and one black person per trilogy is just objectively not representative of the demographic realities of the world we live in. But of course, you're right. I suppose through a certain lens those could be boiled down to "not woke enough."

At least we can agree that all "woke" really means now is "has women and/or black or brown people in it."
Dotanuki
Dotanuki - 5/15/2026, 10:22 AM
I’m fine with a supersized episode of the series. This isn’t Fellini.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 5/15/2026, 1:41 PM
@Dotanuki - So you're saying the latest installment in a franchise that was launched on the concept of feeling like an episode in a science fiction serial, feels like an episode in a science fiction serial?

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Batmangina
Batmangina - 5/15/2026, 10:25 AM
Star Wars is fine. Pedro is a box office money machine. Everyone loves Baby Yoda.

The Mandalorian streaming numbers have skyrocketed with each new season and that will translate directly into theater tickets.

There has never been a more sound strategy built on a solid foundation in a franchise that has never had a misstep.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/15/2026, 10:40 AM
Off topic:
@JoshWilding
@RorMachine

Main theme for MOTU released.

Composed by Daniel Pemberton & Daniel May of “Queen” Fame.

JabbaTheSus
JabbaTheSus - 5/15/2026, 10:56 AM
Wait to judge myself, but this is pretty well what was expected. I fine, play it safe movie to try n win the fans back. Unfortunate a lot of the fanbase is just insanely soured to the IP now. Hopefully this marks a bit of a turning point, and they can get Star Wars back on track, like they're doing with the MCU.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/15/2026, 11:56 AM
@JabbaTheSus - we are already judging yourself you fat little sex worm. We all know what you slipped in Leia's green milk.
JabbaTheSus
JabbaTheSus - 5/15/2026, 2:11 PM
@McMurdo - LOL I read this being like "wtf.." before realizing my own username 🤣
ThorArms
ThorArms - 5/15/2026, 11:23 AM
Sounds excatly as expected. Especially the one about Rotta...a gladiator Hutt never seemed like a good idea when we started hearing about it.

That being said, I will be there next weekend.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/15/2026, 11:40 AM
Ill still watch this with very low expectations but imagine switching this and getting a Maul Shadow Lord movie instead 🥲

Disney is really dumbing down SW and gave up with the old fans and want to appease the adhd-ridden young audience
tb86
tb86 - 5/15/2026, 11:49 AM
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McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/15/2026, 11:56 AM
@tb86 - that show's been low key fire in s3.
IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 5/15/2026, 1:53 PM
I prefer the show when it was being more hard-edged than kid-friendly. The movie feels entirely more like the latter.

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