After seven years since the controversial conclusion of the sequel trilogy, “The Rise of Skywalker,” fans are finally getting a new “Star Wars” movie to get excited about. “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” starring Pedro Pascal as the iconic Mando Din Djarin, made its world premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 14, with a crowd of enthusiastic fans. The film is set to release on May 22, and the red carpet event at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood was filled with excitement and anticipation.
The stars of the film took time to interact with fans, greeting them and posing for photos with young cosplayers. One of the most anticipated moments was when Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda, made an appearance on the red carpet. The adorable character waved, smiled, and was passed around among the cast and crew. Grogu even posed for pictures with Pascal, Sigourney Weaver (who makes her “Star Wars” debut as Colonel Ward), director Jon Favreau, and Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni.
The “Star Wars” fanbase welcomed the movie with mostly positive reactions. Brian Truitt, a film critic for USA TODAY, wrote on Bluesky that the movie is “definitely fun” and “clears the bar of being better” than “Rise of Skywalker.” He noted that while there are some nits to pick, seeing AT-ATs trudging through the snow on a big screen is still a glorious experience. Truitt also highlighted the “Best Space Son” conversation involving Grogu.
Tom Chatalbash, chief film critic for FilmSpeak, praised the film on Twitter, calling it a “Star Wars” adventure worthy of the big screen that offers plenty of galactic fun for the whole family. He appreciated how Favreau chose to take the IP back to its Eastwood-esque space Western roots, effectively expanding the world instead of constricting it. Chatalbash also highlighted Jeremy Allen White’s performance as Rotta the Hutt as a standout.
Erik Davis of Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes described the movie as “a thrilling adventure full of big fights, gnarly creatures and plenty of adorable Grogu moments” on X. He emphasized that the film focuses more on fun and adventure rather than lore, reminding him of how enjoyable “Star Wars” can be when it stops worrying about canon and just has fun.
Peter Sciretta, founder of /Film, acknowledged on X that the marketing had initially worried him, but he found the movie to be “actually a lot of fun.” He compared it to a supersized high-budget version of a few episodes of the TV show, describing it as an “adventure of the week” rather than a huge galactic event story. However, he added that if you like the show, you’ll love this movie.
Lyvie Scott, a writer at Inverse, shared on social media that “Never has this corner of the galaxy felt as real or as fun or dangerous.” She expressed that while she’s not sure if “Star Wars” is back, the duo of Mando and Grogu have completely won her over.
However, not everyone was impressed with the film. Jonathan Sim, a freelance entertainment journalist who writes for ComingSoon, called it “one of the weakest” “Star Wars” movies. He criticized it as an “emotionless, predictable experience” that doesn’t push Din Djarin in any interesting direction. Sim described the fight scenes as “dull and unexciting” and the CGI monsters as “action figures mashed together,” calling it a long, colorless made-for-TV movie.
Critics’ full reviews, including USA TODAY’s, will be released on Tuesday, May 19.
