For anyone who has never seen a Lego movie before, it may come as a surprise that these films are often among the funniest movies around. The Lego movies have repeatedly proven that they can be surprisingly entertaining, and Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian is no exception. It regularly manages to put a smile on your face. At the same time, however, it is difficult to escape the feeling that we have seen most of this before.
Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian Is Above All Very Funny
For those who have never seen a Lego movie, it may be surprising to discover just how funny these films can be. The humor is not aimed exclusively at children. In fact, adults are often the ones who get some of the best jokes, particularly when they are familiar with the franchise on which the movie is based.
Typical of Lego movies is the way they approach familiar moments in a deliberately absurd manner. Characters are made slightly more clumsy, dramatic scenes are given a comedic twist, and well-known Star Wars moments are treated with plenty of self-mockery. The films are also filled with little jokes in the background, strange Lego constructions and situations in which the limitations — and possibilities — of Lego itself become part of the humor.
That works surprisingly well here too. There is plenty for Star Wars fans to recognize, and there are moments when it is clear that the filmmakers are having fun with the source material.
The Original Actors Add Extra Charm
One of the biggest strengths of Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian is that several of the original actors return to provide the voices for their characters. It may sound like a minor detail, but it makes quite a difference.
Hearing the familiar voice of a character makes the Lego version feel much more authentic. At the same time, however, there is a downside. Because some of the original actors do return, it becomes even more noticeable whenever a character is voiced by someone else.
Bill Burr and Giancarlo Esposito are particularly entertaining in their roles. Their voices fit the comedic approach of the movie extremely well and help ensure that their characters remain recognizable even in Lego form.
The Characters Don't Get Much More to Do
Anyone hoping that this movie will add a lot of new depth to the characters from The Mandalorian may be somewhat disappointed. The characters receive very little additional development, and there is hardly anything new added to their individual arcs.
That is not particularly surprising, because the movie clearly has a different purpose. Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian is primarily intended to retell the existing story in a light-hearted and accessible way.
And that immediately brings us to the movie's biggest problem.
Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian Is Mostly a Recap
In practice, the movie is little more than a recap of the three seasons of The Mandalorian, supplemented by important events from The Book of Boba Fett. It is certainly fun to see, especially when the story is presented from a Lego perspective.
However, it also means that there are very few surprises when it comes to the story.
Anyone who is already familiar with the three seasons of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett will know more or less exactly what is going to happen. The approach is original, but the underlying story obviously isn't.
That raises an important question: is a Lego version of a story you already know enough reason to experience it all over again?
For some viewers, the answer will undoubtedly be yes. For others, the movie will mainly feel like a funny summary of something they have already watched several times.
The Story Sometimes Feels Too Simple
On top of that, the story often feels just a little too simple. Of course, Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian is primarily aimed at a younger audience, and there is no need for the movie to be a complicated Star Wars epic.
Still, it could have offered a little more.
The movie follows the major beats of the existing story in a fairly straightforward manner and rarely takes any real risks. Even for a film clearly aimed at younger children, some parts feel as though the filmmakers have made things a little too easy for themselves.
Fortunately, the humor helps compensate for that.
Humor for Both Kids and Adults
The humor remains one of the strongest elements of the movie. Children can enjoy the physical comedy, Lego characters and ridiculous situations, while adults and hardcore Star Wars fans are regularly rewarded with more subtle jokes.
That is exactly what makes the Lego formula work so well. The movie does not have to be complicated all the time to be entertaining. A familiar character behaving slightly differently than expected, a recognizable scene being completely turned on its head, or a small reference to another part of the Star Wars universe can be enough.
As a result, Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian remains entertaining despite its relatively simple story.
A Lego Movie That Makes Good Use of Lego
The movie also regularly demonstrates what is possible with Lego. The world of The Mandalorian lends itself extremely well to this approach.
Vehicles, locations and characters are playfully reimagined, and the filmmakers clearly enjoy the fact that they are not bound by the rules of the real world. This results in several fun visual ideas.
At the same time, it rarely feels like you are simply watching a long advertisement for Lego. Of course, the possibilities of the toys are very much on display, but thankfully the movie never becomes overly pushy about it.
And let's be honest: if Lego wants to sell its sets this way, this is probably one of the better approaches.
Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian Looks Good
There is also little to complain about visually. The movie looks good and the Lego style comes convincingly to life. The filmmakers have clearly had fun translating the familiar Star Wars universe into a world built entirely from Lego.
The way familiar locations, vehicles and action sequences are recreated works particularly well. At the same time, the movie maintains enough distance from the realistic look of the original series to genuinely feel like a Lego production.
Why Now?
Another interesting aspect is the timing of the movie's release. It would actually have made quite a lot of sense to release Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian before The Mandalorian and Grogu arrived in theaters. A Lego movie like this could have worked nicely as a light-hearted introduction or refresher of the story.
Instead, the movie has been released around the same period that The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives on Disney+. That is perfectly reasonable as well, but it does make the whole thing feel a little like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.
Conclusion: Fun, but Not Essential
Ultimately, Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian is primarily an entertaining way to experience a familiar story all over again. The Lego approach is original, the movie looks good, and the humor provides plenty of laughs for both children and adults.
The return of several original actors is another nice bonus, with Bill Burr and Giancarlo Esposito standing out in particular. At the same time, their involvement makes it more noticeable whenever another voice actor is used.
The biggest problem, however, is that the movie does not have much new to offer. It is primarily a recap of the three seasons of The Mandalorian and the most important events from The Book of Boba Fett. Anyone who already knows these shows well is therefore unlikely to be surprised. On top of that, the story sometimes feels overly simple.
For younger Star Wars fans and Lego enthusiasts, that will probably be less of an issue. For viewers who have already watched the original series multiple times, however, the added value is limited.
Fun to watch once, but hardly essential Star Wars material.
Rating: 6/10
