I love #TheMandalorian and I’ve been looking forward to seeing #TheMandalorianAndGrogu on the big screen—but I’ll admit I had a few worries. Was this hitting theaters just because Disney needed a Star Wars movie out? Would it feel like a couple of Disney episodes edited into a 132 runtime? Could it actually live up to a theatrical Star Wars release? After seeing it at an early press screening, I’m happy to say those concerns were mostly put to rest. They took everything I love about the show and leveled it up. The effects, the sets, the sheer number of characters on screen—none of it feels like a streaming production. The budget increase is immediately apparent, and the visual language is strong throughout. At its core, this is a fun father‑son adventure with Din Djarin and Grogu. It’s not the “biggest” Star Wars film (there are no galaxy‑changing events/twists, massive villain reveals, or Scarif‑scale set pieces), but not every movie needs to be. Sometimes it’s enough to spend time with characters we love. It's more akin to Solo in that respect, but even better. It’s not a perfect film (hard to explain why without spoilers), but it’s an undeniably fun one. I'd give it a solid B . I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to seeing it again. Tune into @IonCannonCast for my spoiler-free initial impressions, and stay tuned for the full review with spoilers on Sunday!

What are the film’s biggest flaws? I touched on some of these in my spoiler-free podcast review and plan to spend more time on it in the spoiler one this weekend. While the film is a fun romp with two beloved characters, Mando and Grogu do not grow or evolve at all. They end the film in pretty much the same place they start. The story is also very self-contained. It’s wholly separate from what’s come before (helpful for newcomers) but also unlikely to impact the future. This makes the plot feel a bit thin and low stakes. Conflicts are also resolved far too easily.