‘The Mandalorian’s New 45-Minute Episode Fails To Live Up to the LEGO Legacy | Review

Since 2005, LEGO has explored a galaxy far, far away through fun and inventive shorts, series, and specials, with 2016’s The Freemaker Adventures series marking a turning point for the brick-sized franchise. In 2020, LEGO proved to be the most palatable way for Star Wars to continue exploring the Skywalker Saga after the calamity that was The Rise of Skywalker, with yearly releases including LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, Terrifying Tales, Summer Vacation, and the two-parter Rebuild the Galaxy and Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past. All of these projects delivered something fresh and new, reinventing the franchise through the LEGO lens with irreverent comedy and clever retooling of classic characters and locations like Darth Jar Jar and a luxury hotel version of Castle Vader.

Not only did these specials live up to the playful aspect of the LEGO franchise — where kids (and kids at heart) can use their imagination to create their own version of events — but they paid homage to fan theories and fan wishes, making audiences feel as if they were part of the action. Unfortunately, LEGO’s latest foray into the Star Wars universe is merely a rehash of The Mandalorian, feeling more like a recap that should have played ahead of The Mandalorian & Grogu's theatrical release.

What Is 'LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian' About?

Written by Michael Price (The Simpsons, LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales) and directed by Chris Buckley (LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy), LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian tries to do something new at the outset. The Mandalorian’s friends throw him a surprise party — complete with party hats and noisemakers — and it goes about as well as one might expect. But the appeal of the surprise party and ensuing pirate mayhem quickly becomes derivative of The Mandalorian, as each of Mando’s chums regales the party guests with how they met, essentially recapping each of the original series’ most memorable episodes. Very little new is added, beyond everything being recreated in LEGO form.

The real selling point of LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian is that nearly everyone from The Mandalorian has returned to reprise their roles, with the exception of Pedro Pascal, who has been replaced by Gavin Hammon. This includes Amy Sedaris, Rosario Dawson, Katee Sackhoff, Ming-Na Wen, Temuera Morrison, Timothy Olyphant, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Burr, Emily Swallow, and Taika Waititi.

'LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian' Is the Weakest LEGO Project of the Decade

Before the Holiday Special, I was admittedly a LEGO naysayer, writing these projects off as little more than bright, toy-to-screen synergy gimmicks. But the recent string of releases completely turned my opinion around, proving that the brick-sized universe had quietly become the most vibrant, inventive medium for expanding Star Wars lore in a fun, family-friendly way. That is precisely why LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian feels so disappointing. Instead of pushing those creative boundaries forward, it feels distinctly regressive, trading the limitless imagination of recent hits for a safe, uninspired retread of stories that fans already know and love.

The gags and jokes are surprisingly lackluster this time around, with perhaps the best tongue-in-cheek moments amounting to nothing more than jests about The Mandalorian’s simplistic naming conventions, the repetitive nature of the series, and Mando’s grand return in The Book of Boba Fett rather than his own series. Given how heartfelt and humorous Rebuild the Galaxy and the trio of holiday-themed specials were, LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian fails to live up to the high bar of expectations they set. Perhaps this is because this project relies solely upon The Mandalorian, rather than the galaxy at large, which not only narrows the scope but gives Price very little to work with in terms of true humor. While LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian fails as its own addition to the Star Wars universe, some fans might find it satisfying enough until Din Djarin and Grogu return at some point.

Both LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian and The Mandalorian & Grogu are streaming now on Disney+.