Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

 

Score:  C+

Directed by Jon Favreau

Starring Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, et al

Running time: 132 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  The Mandalorian and Grogu is the first Star Wars movie to be released since 2019, and unfortunately it falls short of the franchise's high expectations.  Centered on two popular characters introduced in a Disney+ TV series, the duo - a masked bounty hunter and a cuddly Baby Yoda - are better suited to the small screen, with their small-scale ambitions.  It's fine for young ones already obsessed with this new corner of the franchise, but skippable for most adult audiences.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is a passable piece of summer entertainment but falls well short of the standard of quality and epic feel of the Star Wars franchise.  Even non-SW fans probably already know about Baby Yoda (aka Grogu), who serves as the sidekick in this movie; the lead is the Mandalorian, a good guy-allied bounty hunter played by Pascal.  The story is loosely based on the events of the Disney+ TV show, which is set shortly after Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and company defeat Darth Vader and the Empire.  In short, the good guys are mostly back in charge of the galaxy, but there are still plenty of bad guys on the loose.  As a SW fan myself, one of the movie's biggest problems is simply that it all but ignores what is most special about the franchise: the Force, Jedi (Light), and Sith (Dark).  Grogu can use the Force, but he is a child, and only does so incidentally here and there.  The filmmakers wisely wrote it so that you don't have to have seen the TV show to understand the plot, but they go too far in the other direction: the stakes are so bland and simple that it doesn't generate much interest.  The handful of famous SW images - X-Wing fighters, monster pits, Stormtroopers - aren't enough to make up for the lack of an engaging, let alone powerful, story.

Beyond the Star Wars-iness of the movie, it's a barely adequate summer movie, particularly if your goals are for mindless (and mostly bloodless) action, and/or to keep the tikes entertained for a few hours.  The movie starts with the Mandalorian in the thick of a mission, emphasizing his impressive gunslinging talents in taking out plenty of Imperial troops and then ramping up into familiar vehicles.  Most of the movie is action of some kind, which is for the best, as its characters - the cute but non-speaking Grogu and the tough but stoic (and mostly masked) Mandalorian - don't provide much else.  Unfortunately, none of these action scenes really stand out: it's often derivative (yet another gladiator match) and the Mandalorian pretty much never misses, mostly eliminating the thrill of battle.  On the positive side, Baby Yoda is very cute, and the best part of the movie; I wish they'd emphasized him even more.  On the negative side, for characters, is Jabba the Hutt's son.  Maybe it's just me, but he was so disturbing and glaringly out of place, he made Jar Jar Binks seem OK after all in comparison.  This new Hutt is super buff, in a human-like way, and the CGI is poor on top of that; additionally, he sounds like a human, and not the deep bass, obviously sinister alien that Jabba was.  *Shivers*  Finally, you won't hear a lick of the old SW theme music, which is probably for the best - I don't want to associate this movie with the venerable franchise any more than needed.

***

I was afraid that The Mandalorian and Grogu would turn out basically the way it did; my SW fandom and desire to see a blockbuster overcame this hesitance, though.  Hollywood had shown some really encouraging signs in the early part of the year, in the types of movies and creativity that were released, such as Send Help and Crime 101.  Unfortunately, M&G is much more like the year's other big disappointment, Pixar's Hoppers.  Both movies, if done well, could have appealed equally to both adult and family audiences.  But both chose to go all-in on maximum appeal to children, combined with a sloppiness and simplicity of execution that made them poor choices for adult audiences.  I suppose my attitude toward these - and other movies - could also be affected by changes in my own taste: in particular, away from action and scifi/fantasy and increasingly toward character-driven, well-written movies, no matter the genre.  And also by my simply having seen quite a few movies overall now: not only do I want to see quality movies, but also something new, or at least creative and/or clever.  Anyway, it looks like M&G is struggling not just with critics but also at the box office.  Perhaps Disney will get the message: don't make movies just to sell toys/merch, develop a new creative vision like Lucas did 50 years ago!

* By Source: https://www.starwars.com/films/star-wars-the-mandalorian-and-grogu, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81153358

Michael + Normal

 

Michael

Score:  B

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Starring Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, et al

Running time: 127 minutes

Rated PG-13

Michael is well-made entertainment that is about the definition of a crowdpleaser; legitimate criticisms can be made about this approach, but it undeniably succeeds at its mission.  My take on the film is largely influenced by my personal tastes: I was a huge fan of MJ's music when I was little and I still enjoy it a lot.  Michael is a biopic of the pop superstar, who died in 2009, and it spans from the beginnings of the Jackson 5 (when MJ was 8 years old) until 1984.  It therefore does not even mention later child sexual abuse allegations and other personal problems.  Yes, Jackson's life deserves additional, more critical examination in movies some day - but that is not Michael's objective.  It is to celebrate MJ's extraordinary talents, in both music and dance.  However, Michael does still address the man's real life, too: the central narrative concerns his relationship with his father (played by Domingo).  Joseph is responsible for pushing his talented children into the musical world, for better and worse.  This was truly a double-edged sword for Michael, who was tormented by Joseph's tyranny yet also enabled to fully utilize, share, and (hopefully, it seems) enjoy his gifts.  The movie then portrays Michael's efforts to break free from Joseph's control, which he - spoiler alert - accomplishes at the end.  Sure, the personal drama is mostly Hollywood-sanitized and rather polished, but that doesn't mean you can't still feel the oppression, excitement, and other genuine emotions Michael must have experienced.  Both Jaafar Jackson as Michael (who is MJ's nephew) and Domingo do strong work, and the supporting cast is solid.  And the highlights, of course, are the musical and dance scenes, from the Jackson 5 in taverns to Motown recording studios, to legendary music video creation ("Thriller", "Beat It"), to mega concerts.  I went to a midweek showing and was shocked by how full the theater was - and clearly, the audience loved it, many singing on their way out.  Enjoy this for what it is - you won't regret it.

***

Normal

Score:  B-

Directed by Ben Wheatley

Starring Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, et al

Running time: 90 minutes

Rated R

Normal is a reasonably entertaining action comedy movie, thanks largely to its lead star, but it falls well short of its premise's potential.  Odenkirk seems to be enjoying the abrupt career switch to action movies pioneered by Liam Neeson, as this follows in the footsteps of his two similar Nobody movies.  The Better Call Saul actor (tremendous series, if you haven't seen it) is very funny but also a very good actor overall, too, and he reliably anchors this movie, especially in the first part.  That is the best part, IMO, where his interim sheriff Ulysses of a small Minnesota town gets to know his deputies, local business owners, and the quaint vibes of the area.  The everyday (well, "normal") characters and dialogue are warm and funny, though hints of menace just beneath the surface keep bubbling up.  When it all goes sideways for Ulysses is also when things start to go wrong for the movie itself.  There's a fine balancing act required for a movie to effectively shift its plot so suddenly, and it's just... off.  Clever moments still come up from time to time, particularly in the jarringly violent action that commences (hurled sticks of dynamite in a snowstorm, a gung-ho quilt shop granny).  But overall, the movie's inability to get the right tone prevents it from being nearly as enjoyable as it could - and should - have been.  There's also this sense of "of course this is how it's going to play out" that hovers over the action (to me, at least).  Bob, I hope that you will continue with action - but please make sure that the script and director are up to snuff next time.

***

After a surprisingly good winter and early spring movie season, Normal and Michael were fine though not as strong of trips to the theater before summer.  I saw Normal mostly because I simply was in the mood for an outing and an old fashioned action movie sounded good.  It wasn't bad, but it was closer to the Hoppers end of the spectrum - in other words, too easy to see where it was going and not well enough executed to make up for it (although Normal is still better than Hoppers - if not kid-friendly!).  Michael was kind of old fashioned in its style as well, but more effective - as long as you understand the kind of movie it is and want that.  Its terrible Rotten Tomatoes score put me off at first, but I once again wanted to see a movie - and along with being a big MJ music fan, the movie had a terrific audience score on RT, so I gave it a try.  Glad that I did.  This summer has some movies I'm really looking forward to - especially The Odyssey and Spider-Man 4.  There don't seem to be as many "big" releases as usual, though, so hopefully there will be some pleasant surprises, too.  Until next time!

* By source, Magnolia Pictures - https://www.impawards.com/2026/normal.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82464744

** By source, Michael, a production of GK Films. - "Michael Movie Poster (#3 of 3)". Internet Movie Poster Awards. Retrieved February 2, 2026., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81530196