My First Thoughts on Mando and Grogu After the London IMAX Premiere

It was 2:30 in the morning when we got back from watching Mandalorian and Grogu on the big screen in IMAX at the London fan event, and even with the chaos of a five-hour train delay, it was absolutely worth it. The atmosphere was brilliant, the room was filled with lightsabers, and seeing Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, and Jon Favreau tied to a Star Wars event like that made the whole night feel special.

We were invited by Disney, Star Wars, and DDA, so a huge thank you to them for the invite. This is very much a first-thoughts reaction rather than a full review, because we only saw the first 20 minutes of the film. Still, even from that short glimpse, it already feels like something that should make long-time fans of The Mandalorian very happy.

One of the first things I noticed is that the tone feels very close to seasons one and two of the show. That’s a good thing. It feels familiar in the best way, like it understands what made people connect with the series in the first place. Sigourney Weaver is fantastic, Pedro Pascal is as cool as ever, and Grogu has somehow become even cuter, which honestly should not have been possible.

The film opens with pure action, and it does not waste time easing you in. There’s a great one-shot that really stood out to me, and there’s also a nice bit of comedy woven in there too. It felt confident, stylish, and very much in the spirit of what you’d want from a big-screen Star Wars outing.

What I’m still thinking about, though, is the story itself. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m not yet sure where it’s heading, and I’m also not fully convinced on why this needed to be a film instead of another season. That’s not a criticism so much as a genuine question. I’m interested to see what the bigger structure is and whether the cinematic format ends up serving the story in a way that episodic television couldn’t.

Another thing I don’t think enough people will talk about is the music. Ludwig Göransson is obviously a genius, and there’s a moment in this film with a hip-hop beat and synths that just completely worked for me. It gave the film a really fresh energy. At one point, Mandalorian even basically became Batman, which is exactly the sort of thing I want from this universe when it leans into cool.

That’s probably the simplest way I can put it: it’s just cool. It’s a cool time. That might sound too casual for a proper film reaction, but I think it captures the feeling pretty well. There’s confidence in the way it presents itself, and even from the small amount we saw, I left feeling excited to watch the full thing.

Right now, I’m still asking the same question: why is this a film, and not another season? But that’s also what makes me curious to see the rest of it. Whatever the answer is, what I’ve seen so far has left me genuinely happy and very optimistic.

If you’re a Mandalorian fan, this definitely feels like something to keep an eye on. Based on the first 20 minutes alone, it looks fun, stylish, and very on-brand for the world of Mando and Grogu. And yes, I will absolutely be watching it day one when it hits cinemas on May 22nd.

This is the way.