It’s safe to say now that “Disclosure Day” has finally hit theaters”The Mandalorian and Grogu’has disappeared from the minds of all but the most pious’Star Wars”fans. The film followed the show’s third season”The Mandalorian”, a series that premiered on Disney+ before making the jump to the big screen. However, the standalone story was largely disconnected from the larger galaxy far, far away, and did not spawn a sequel, a possible fourth season, or tie-in to the second season of “Ahsoka,” which was delayed until 2027.
Director Steven Spielberg is back in theaters with a new film about aliens and government cover-ups. “Disclosure Day” already has an 80% rating from critics Rotten Tomatoes as fans praise Spielberg’s latest sci-fi outing.
In its third week, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ was already overshadowed by ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’ at the box office. The film fell even lower after the release of ‘Scary Movie’ and ‘Masters of the Universe’. With ‘Disclosure Day’ taking over the box office, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ have fallen out of the top five completely, with no chance of recovery.
‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ scores 62% on Rotten Tomatoes
Although approximately 300 critic reviews gave “The Mandalorian and Grogu” a fresh rating of 62%, it seems audiences were a little more generous, giving the film an 87% rating. The last standalone “Star Wars” adventure to hit theaters was “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which had a 69% critical score and a 63% audience score. That film focused on the adventures of a young Han Solo, played by Alden Ehrenreich.
This film featured the titular Mandalorian, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), and his sidekick, Grogu, better known as Baby Yoda, on a mission to free Rotta the Hutt in exchange for information to help them track down the scattered Imperial warlords in the Outer Rim. Although Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) tries to prevent another war, the audience already knows how that will end. The First Order eventually rises to power in 2015’s ‘The Force Awakens’ and is seemingly defeated in 2019’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.
Critics are questioning whether a TV show should be brought to the big screen
Fans and critics alike questioned the need to bring a three-season Disney+ show to the big screen, especially considering the third season wasn’t as positively received as the first two. Adam Nayman of the Toronto star compared the film to “reheated leftovers,” claiming that they were “mulched so they go down easily.”
Wendy Ive from Great Britain Observer pointed out another fan complaint: the lack of a clear plot. “The story is thin,” Ive wrote. “Mando zaps the cosmos bringing Imperial fugitives to justice and gaining serious enemies along the way. But the execution is impressive.”
David Fear of Rolling stone asked: “Ironically, words can’t describe how awful the dialogue is forced upon White here – perhaps he read the script and then had the voice change dictated in his contract, to distance himself from this tripe?”
Jeremy Allen White voiced Rotta the Hutt
‘The Bear’ star Jeremy Allen White was the voice of Rotta the Hutt, although many would not know it as his voice was heavily edited before making it into the final cut of the film. Many fans were also unhappy with Rotta’s voice, as the character speaks Basic instead of Huttese.
Other fans were disappointed to see him at all, as this isn’t Rotta’s first appearance in a galaxy far, far away. In the 2008 animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” Rotta – the son of Jabba the Hutt – was kidnapped by the Confederacy and rescued by Anakin Skywalker and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano.
After Rotta is rescued from the gladiatorial pits on Shakari, he embarks on a fresh start with the New Republic, raising the possibility that he might encounter Ahsoka – or even Princess Leia herself – in a future project.
The film was positively received by some critics
Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times gave a fairly positive review, writing, “One of the film’s strengths, its story shortcomings aside, is that despite its many wordless scenes, the film is essentially a solidly exciting, wonderfully icky creature feature, along the lines of a supercharged Ray Harryhausen-meets-Guillermo del Toro joint.”
William Bibbiani of The cover called it a “nimble and enjoyable blockbuster, easily the most purely entertaining ‘Star Wars’ film since the 1980s, even if it’s hardly the most meaningful or ambitious.
However, many more critics felt that “Star Wars” is just putting out content for content’s sake. Like Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter astutely noted, “It’s hard to imagine anyone experiencing this as their first Star Wars film and becoming hooked for life like those who saw the original trilogy in theaters. Still, it’s an entertaining, fast-paced space adventure.”
Will ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ get the franchise back on track?
Fans are hopeful that “Star Wars: Starfighter,” the first film set after the events of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” and the fall of the First Order, will hold more promise. While plot details remain under wraps, the film features an all-star cast Ryan Gosling, Mia Goth, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Flynn Gray, Aaron Pierre, and more.
“Star Wars: Starfighter” will hit theaters on May 28, 2027. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” has yet to get a streaming release date on Disney+.
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