Now Streaming: The LEGO Star Wars universe was first made available as minifigures and construction sets in 1999, growing over the years to more than 1500 minifigures and more than 1000 sets today.
The first short film in the universe was released in 2005, with more than three dozen to follow over the next 18 years. The first television special was written by Michael Price and released in 2011. The latest television special, some 49 minutes in length, is LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian, which was also written by Michael Price, and released this week on Disney Plus, in conjunction with the streaming debut of The Mandalorian and Grogu.
My own reaction to the movie was not a rave, though it leaned toward the positive: “The movie as a whole reflects a workmanlike intent and purpose: Star Wars, in these creators’ ambitions, is not meant to be anything more than a b-movie with an abundance of zippy fun and forgettable action.” In a similar vein, the movie was not a rousing popular success, according to Box Office Mojo, though $345 million worldwide is nothing to sniff at.
Upon further reflection, the movie really does feel like a truncated fourth season of The Mandalorian television show, though the film’s co-writer and director Jon Favreau maintains that he and his co-writers Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor devised a new story for the film, and did their best to lessen their reliance on elements from the first three seasons of the show.
It is helpful, though, to have an idea about the events and characters that the show introduced and covered in those first three seasons. But, if you never saw the show and/or don’t have time to watch and/or rewatch all 24 episodes, still streaming on Disney Plus, may I suggest watching LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian?
Full disclosure: I have watched all 24 episodes of show. (The first season is my favorite, the second season takes a dip, and the third season rebounds, though not to the level of the first season.) I did not watch the show again before watching the movie, but watching LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian reminded me of all its highs and lows.
Gavin Hammon replaces Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian, with a number of supporting players reprising their roles from the series, including Amy Sedaris (who narrates about half the movie), Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Burr, Rosario Dawson, Katee Sackhoff, and Timothy Olyphant. Moving at a brisk pace, the movie hits all the highlights and happily mocks everything with a cheerful joi de vivre, fully embracing the silly tone and snapping off their lines with delight.
Among the witty one-liners, writer Michael Price, who is also a longtime writer and producer of The Simpsons, keeps things appropriate for a family audience, yet with many, many references that only adults will fully appreciate, including joking about every one of the man, many silly characters names the live-action writers have devised over the years.
While LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian can certainly serve very well as a lively program for children to watch, while parents can watch or rewatch The Mandalorian and Grogu and decide if it’s appropriate for their children, LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian also stands tall as a smart and clever primer for adults who never saw or don’t remember the events of the original series before watching or rewatching The Mandalorian and Grogu. Your choice. [Disney Plus]