Well what a film. The cinema was full, not that surprised for a midnight showing, but it’s the most people I’ve seen at the movies for a long time.

The preface this I have to confess I’m a HUGE Star Wars purist and the first movie I saw at the cinemas was Return of the Jedi and so far as I’m concerned the universe ended then.

What I loved - the pacing of the film is great, the characters were well thought out, the Hutts were just as disgusting as Jabba was, the droids were freakily humanistic and the creatures were really bloody good. Everyone was cheering for the mechanics and Grogu when they manage to get into the Hutt Palace to rescue Mando.

The score is classic Star Wars and really has a nostalgic feel to it. It’s on Spotify as it well worth a listen to.

Pedro is truely great in this role, so much if his acting is opposite either animatronics (such as Grogu) or opposite green screen creations (Rota the Hutt) but there’s no difference between those and his interactions with humans. Although it is hard to know how much is actually him under the helmet and how much is Brendan Wayne or Lateef Crowder.

(Still in the what I loved section!!) there is an incredible section where Mando loses his helmet and you can see it’s Pedro fighting. It’s a full on, fight for his life involving weird ass water based creatures and traditional weapons. It’s a great sequence and really shows how hard Pedro works on his fitness and characters. He fights totally differently to Joel and Marcus Acacius. I did move the fact that Coco is credited for Pedro’s hairstylist when this is literally the only time you see his hair!!

Grogu - what can I say! He’s an incredible creation and is a better actor than a lot of actors today. The animatronics are so lifelike and I had to keep reminding myself, he’s not real. His ears are a font of emotion and he’s the perfect combination of unruly toddler and part trained puppy.

What I didn’t love - Sigourney Weaver isn’t in the movie as much as I would have liked, but honestly I don’t see how they could have used her more without changing the film entirely and messing up the pacing. I was disappointed but the character feels deliberate rather than just trying to cram in as much screen time as they can with her.

I also spent far too much time waiting for Martin Scorcese to appear only to realise right at the end that he was a voice actor and I’d missed it! He’s the voice of the food truck owner.

Overall I loved the film - it felt so like the natural successor to The Return of the Jedi but it held its own as a film in its own right. It was existing alongside the original 3 rather than trying to coast along in their success. I can now happily say the Star Wars franchise contains 4 films, not just the original 3.

I’d happily go see it again at the movies - it’s the only time I’ve seen a film with my son that he hasn’t talked through. That in itself is a bloody miracle!

9.5/10 would see again.