The ‘Mandalorian & Grogu’ Trailer Still Doesn’t Justify Why It’s a Movie

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The new trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu is out, and it looks fantastic! It’s a big improvement over the quick preview released back in September 2025. The trailer feels more polished than the Disney+ show itself, with carefully chosen shots, a good rhythm, and meaningful dialogue—unlike the earlier preview which just threw together random clips. It seems like a really enjoyable Star Wars story, and a welcome shift back to simpler adventures after the complex storytelling of The Mandalorian Season 3. The big question now is: does it offer enough to warrant a full-length movie?

Despite being based on the popular Disney+ series The Mandalorian, the upcoming movie featuring Din Djarin and Grogu doesn’t quite feel like a major cinematic event. Even knowing the story, it doesn’t seem big enough to justify being a full-length film – it still feels more like an extended TV episode. However, it’s still too soon to dismiss the movie entirely, and there are reasons to remain hopeful about the upcoming Star Wars film.

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Is a Little Too Episodic


Walt Disney Pictures

Disney quickly shifted plans for The Mandalorian and Grogu, turning what was intended as Season 4 of the Disney+ series into a movie. Creator Jon Favreau revealed scripts for the fourth season were actually completed in February 2023, before Season 3 even aired. The movie announcement came in January 2024. Like Moana 2, which started as a series before becoming a film, The Mandalorian and Grogu may have had a lot of material – potentially eight episodes’ worth – condensed into a two-hour movie, instead of developing a new, more focused storyline for the big screen.

Alex Leadbeater, Content Director at MovieWeb and a long-time Star Wars follower—having reported on the franchise even before Disney bought it—notes that while some believe this film could be a reworked season four of The Mandalorian, the bigger concern isn’t whether it’s a movie or a TV show. Instead, people are wondering if the story itself is compelling. We’ve seen two trailers, but they haven’t given us any idea what the movie is actually about. The question isn’t why it’s a movie, but why this story deserves to be told.

The trailers suggest the new movie continues the story from Season 3 of The Mandalorian, with Din Djarin now working for the New Republic and taking on various missions. In one scene, he tells Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) he’s ready to face any villains she sends his way. It seems Colonel Ward will be giving Din Djarin assignments and enemies to track down, much like the character M does for James Bond.

While this idea could work as a movie, it feels more suited to a season of The Mandalorian. The story seems designed around Din Djarin and Grogu taking on different jobs from Sigourney Weaver’s character each episode, then defeating a new bad guy. That’s a great format for a TV season, but it might feel repetitive or unsatisfying in a longer movie.

The trailer hints at two main storylines for The Mandalorian. The first involves dealing with the Hutt twins and Rotta the Hutt, characters from The Book of Boba Fett. The second takes place on a snowy planet and seems to involve former Imperial officers. While Star Wars often jumps between planets without feeling disjointed, the trailer suggests these missions might be separate adventures. We see Mando meeting with a new character, Weaver, after each one, implying he returns to a central location for new assignments. This episodic structure would emphasize the show’s original design as a television series.

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Appears To Lack Spectacle


Disney

A major hurdle for the upcoming Mandalorian and Grogu movie is convincing audiences to see characters primarily known from television on the big screen. Both Marvel and Pixar have struggled with this since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Star Wars has a strong advantage: the popularity of its main characters. Mando and Grogu have become fan favorites, making Disney’s decision to create a feature film starring them a logical one.

Maggie Lovitt, a Deputy News Editor at Collider, believes the new movie featuring The Mandalorian and Grogu has the potential to draw audiences back to cinemas. However, she also points out several uncertainties. According to Lovitt, the film’s success beyond its opening weekend will depend heavily on what people say about it. If the movie contradicts established storylines from the series or simply rehashes old ideas, viewers might lose interest and advise others to wait for it on Disney+.

I’m honestly not feeling a huge buzz about The Mandalorian and Grogu from the trailers. It doesn’t feel like the big cinematic debut we’ve been waiting for, or even a major event for Star Wars after so long. Right now, it reminds me a lot of Solo: A Star Wars Story – like a fun little adventure that doesn’t quite feel as important as the main saga films. Thankfully, this movie had a lower budget than most recent Star Wars films, so it doesn’t need to be a massive hit to avoid being considered a failure. Still, even doing as well as Solo wouldn’t be ideal for Star Wars, especially with everything changing behind the scenes right now.

A Disturbance in the Force (and a New Hope)


Walt Disney Pictures

Now that Avengers: Doomsday has finished its run, many expected a Star Wars movie to be the biggest hit of the summer in 2026. However, early indicators suggest The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t performing as well as other upcoming films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey. Disney might actually earn more from Toy Story 5 and the live-action Moana than from its new Star Wars film. Surprisingly, even the Michael Jackson biopic Michael could be a bigger success. Just a decade ago, a Star Wars movie always ranked among the year’s top ten highest-grossing films. But after the disappointing performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the franchise isn’t guaranteed success anymore, and The Mandalorian and Grogu might follow a similar pattern.

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As a big fan, I really think The Mandalorian and Grogu has a huge advantage: kids love Star Wars! Unlike the last movie, this one seems to be made for them, with adorable Grogu taking center stage and more focus on cool aliens – it reminds me of Return of the Jedi in that way. Even if some older fans are hesitant, there’s always a new generation of kids eager for more Star Wars. We’ve seen it with Jurassic World – even after a few less-than-great movies, the new one still did incredibly well because kids love dinosaurs, and that’s the same with Star Wars – it’s a franchise that always captures their imaginations.

While people generally love Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu have become popular with an even wider audience, extending beyond dedicated fans. This is a positive sign for the show’s future. It’s important to remember that online reactions don’t always represent how everyone feels. Although some Star Wars fans didn’t like the Super Bowl ad for The Mandalorian and Grogu, it seemed to be well-received by the general public. The Mandalorian and Grogu probably won’t be as culturally impactful as Star Wars, The Phantom Menace, or The Force Awakens, and it might not reach the cinematic heights of The Empire Strikes Back or The Last Jedi. However, it offers a chance for long-time fans to revisit Star Wars in theaters, and for many others, it’s their first experience seeing a Star Wars movie on the big screen. Perhaps that’s all it needs to be successful.



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2026-02-18 20:13