The Mandalorian and Grogu – 4K Shines, Story Less So

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu retains the adventure pace of the Disney+ series, but struggles to find an autonomous cinematic dimension. Jon Favreau focuses on action and a succession of alien creatures, ultimately neglecting precisely those narrative elements that had made the TV series' episodes memorable. In fact, the director delivers a smooth adventure rich in clashes and alien creatures, but the result resembles more an extended television episode than a film capable of truly leaving its mark.

The impression is that the spectacle attempts to compensate for the script's weaknesses. The succession of monsters recalls certain excesses of Jurassic World, where the accumulation of attractions ends up prevailing over narrative construction. Here, however, the issue is even more evident, with the feeling that Mando and Grogu lose some of that complicity that had made the series recognizable.

Charisma Struggles to Save the Story

The screenplay also fails to enhance the world revolving around the protagonists. The secondary characters, fundamental for giving depth to the television narrative, have little space, while Sigourney Weaver remains trapped in a marginal role, unable to truly influence the course of events. Even the enemies fail to build a credible threat. Comparison with the saga's great antagonists becomes inevitable, but none of the new adversaries possess a presence comparable to that of Darth Vader.

The story of Rotta, son of Jabba the Hutt, would have offered the starting point for a more interesting plot about the weight of legacy and succession to power, but the narrative fails to develop its potential. A pleasant déjà vu watching the arena combat with echoes of the Dejarik game inside Han Solo's spaceship in Star Wars Episode IV. All in all, the film certainly entertains in its action sequences, but fails to find that epic dimension that should have distinguished the cinematic experience from the series. Here is Manuel Le Saux's complete artistic review.

Shot entirely digitally at native 4.5K resolution (Arri Alexa LF and Mini LF), with a final 4K master forming the basis of this encoding. Image format alternates between 2.39:1 and the more open 1.78:1, reserved mainly for action sequences. 3840 x 2160 (23.97p), HEVC encoding on a triple-layer BD-100.

Solidity, chromatic richness, depth of blacks where permitted by artistic choices for an encoding that contributes to the solidity of the result. In dimly lit sequences, a greater separation of details in the shadows is appreciated, also by virtue of Dolby Vision. The choice not to include grain at times results in an overly sharp picture, exposing the CGI.

Despite the compression, the Italian Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 audio (1024 kbps) through a true discrete-channel Home Theater system does not fail to enhance the narrative with dialogues, gunshots, explosions, and even subwoofer engagement. Switching to the original with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel (24 bit) and (13) ATMOS objects encoding allows for an exciting cinematic experience, with vertical elements in terms of sonicity and an aggressiveness that will surely make you jump out of your seat. Italian subtitles and cinema version.

Extras worthy of this production: director's commentary on the film also on the 2K disc, included in this amaray edition. The rest of the extras are on the BD-50. The Making of The Mandalorian and Grogu (20') on production techniques; Biomes: From Snow to Swamp (7') dedicated to the film's environments; Welcome to Shakari (9') on urban atmospheres with echoes of Blade Runner; and finally Dejarik: Real Experience (6') with a tribute to the saga's famous holographic game. All with Italian subtitles.