A Reel Review: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU

Nearly 50 years ago, STAR WARS exploded onto the big screen and changed the world forever. Since then, there have been ten live-action feature films (and one animated), building a galactic franchise despite many gaps in-between Sagas and stand-alone films. Here in 2026, for the first time in seven years, STAR WARS is back to the big screen, using perhaps its greatest asset: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. 

 

Set some years after the fall of the evil Galactic Empire, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), and his Force-wielding, judge-me-not-by-my-size foundling Grogu (played by himself), are working for the New Republic in bringing former Imperials to justice. Mando and Grogu are tasked with hunting down an important target, which leads them to a messy confrontation with the crime-lord Hutts. 

 

Directed by Jon Favreau, MANDO is a fetch-quest film. Capturing the Imperial asset (warm or cold), leads Mando and Grogu to the rescue of Rotta the Hutt (son of Jabba), in order to secure the information from Jabba’s other mafia-like leading siblings. One scrape leads to another, and the limits of Mando and Grogu’s abilities and powers are put to the test. 

 

MANDO is a high-energy film, racing from one location to the next, staging one battle after another, at light-speed pacing. Staying full-throttle is the beating heart of the film, and it is very much reminiscent of the early days of STAR WARS, when providing thrills took precedence over building a franchise. There’s little time for character development, nor does the film care. 

 

Jon Favreau, who learned how to direct effects-driven action sequences from his time in the Marvel universe, delivers some stunning set-pieces that bring the tension and the fun. And when the film does slow down for necessary pauses, the quiet moments are very well done. The entire cast is excellent, the references to the bigger STAR WARS universe are well-placed, and Ludwig Goransson’s score is outstanding. 

 

When STAR WARS first arrived, it was very much a stand-alone story with only hints of a larger world and what could come next. THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU is done very much in that style: it does not spend time building what comes next, nor does it rely on what came before it. It is self-contained, breezy, and fun…and is everything STAR WARS promised in 1977. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

A Reel 40: TOP GUN

“I feel the need, the need…for speed!”

This month marks the 40^th anniversary of TOP GUN. 

 

Directed by Tony Scott (brother of Ridley), TOP GUN followed hot shot Navy fighter pilot Lt. Mitchell, codenamed Maverick, who is given the chance to train at the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School. 

 

The film was inspired by an article in California magazine. Famed action-film producer Jerry Bruckheimer became interested and hired screenwriters Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. to write the script. Tony Scott was hired to direct on the strength of his work on a commercial, which featured a Saab 900 turbo racing a fighter jet. 

 

Tom Cruise was offered the role but was reluctant. Cruise, who was filming LEGEND at the time for Tony’s brother Ridley, was convinced by Ridley to take the role. The rest of the cast was filled out by Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, James Tolkan, Meg Ryan, and Tim Robbins. 

 

With script approval from the U.S. Navy, filming began in California in 1985, and later to Miramar. The Navy made aircraft and crew available for filming. Kenny Loggins performed two songs for the soundtrack, including Danger Zone. Berlin added Take My Breath Away. 

 

On release, TOP GUN earned mixed reviews but was a box office smash, finishing as the top earning film of the year worldwide. It would be nominated for four Oscars, with Take My Breath Away winning for Best Original Song. In 2015, TOP GUN would be selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 2022, the sequel, sub-titled MAVERICK, opened to widespread critical acclaim. 

 

*

With thrilling aerial stunts, a memorable soundtrack, and charismatic performances from the cast creating fun, and memorable characters…TOP GUN captured our hearts and our adrenaline from day one. The film inspired a generation of new fighter pilots, influenced even more filmmakers, and made Tom Cruise the world’s biggest star; a title that he would never have to give up. 

 

Today, TOP GUN can be looked at as a big chunk of 1980’s cheese, especially when compared to its towering (and superior), 2022 sequel. But decades after its release, its themes of ambition, friendship, and balls-out heroism really hits hard. TOP GUN flies as a cultural landmark. 

 

“Let’s turn and burn!”

 

 

 

 

 

A Reel Opinion: The Last Year

It will be a day long remembered. 

 

STAR WARS Month has arrived again. The month of May has long been held as the time to celebrate that far, far away galaxy that has captivated fans for decades. It is a time to revisit the films, streaming series, novels, and soundtracks that have long held inspiration, fun, and dreams of dusting across the stars. This year is a unique year, as it is the last year to celebrate STAR WARS before it turns 50 years old. That’s right, STAR WARS will be a half-century old next year. 

 

There is a certain point of view to look at before STAR WARS becomes a really old movie. When the first generation of fans saw the film in the Spring or Summer of 1977, a movie that was 50 years old was considered to be ancient. And that was no hyperbole. 

 

Fifty years before STAR WARS puts us into 1927, which was in the silent era. In this year, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars), were founded, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit had his debut, and THE JAZZ SINGER, starring Al Jolsen, became the first box office hit with sound…a hit that would change things forever. And to top it off, the science fiction epic METROPOLIS premièred; a film that would hold inspiration over STAR WARS. 

 

It is ironic, or perhaps the will of the Force, that 1927 would be a milestone year in the film industry, because when STAR WARS arrived 50 years later, things would change forever again. Where 1927 introduced sound and the Oscars, the galaxy full of stories concerning Jedi, droids, smugglers, rebels, and a Galactic Empire would alter not just film but our culture. In one year, we will be celebrating just that. We will be celebrating what STAR WARS has done to the world and to our lives. It will be a day long remembered.