The Opening Credits Sequence For ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Is The Best Part So Far

It’s so good to see a Star Wars at the movies again. The Mary Sue attended a special 25-minute preview of The Mandalorian & Grogu in IMAX that proved, obviously, how much this franchise belongs on the big screen.

That said, what struck me most about the experience had little to do with Stormtroopers, hyperspace, or even Rotta the Hutt’s rockin’ abs. It was the film’s opening credits sequence. The Mandalorian & Grogu is immediately different from other Star Wars movies. There’s no “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….” or a prologue via opening crawl. It does not immediately identity as Star Wars. A few immobile paragraphs provide the necessary context for those who may not have watched the Disney+ series.

Then, about 15 minutes into the film, we see the title of the film followed by the names of the actors and the creative team over the titular duo walking through a bustling alien town. It’s not an animated opening credits sequence, like a Saul Bass joint. It’s certainly not a Woody Allen-style white text over black screen either, recently pastiched by Luca Guadagnino in his film After The Hunt. Nor does it feature future scenes that lowkey spoil the movie, like the Mission: Impossible movies. It’s just walking.

In contemporary times, many folks might associate this style of opening credits more with television than film. It feels a little bit like watching Law & Order, waiting to see which celebrity guest star will be the killer of the week. But I don’t think The Mandalorian & Grogu is paying homage to the characters’ television roots. Maybe a little bit. It feels more like a throwback to the pre-Star Wars era of blockbuster filmmaking and Westerns–a genre that The Mandalorian dipped into a lot, especially in the first season.

The Mandalorian & Grogu Special Preview Revealed More Than Just The Opening Credits, I Know…

This isn’t exactly new news. Earlier this year, at CinemaCon, attendees got to see the first 15ish minutes of the film. It’s been out there that the movie had a sequence like this. We’ve also known that, spoiler alert, the film finds Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin working with Sigourney Weaver’s New Republic character, Colonel Ward, and some of the Hutts in order to secure a white whale bounty by the name of Captain Coin. Din’s first task is to rescue Rotta, who as it turns out might not need saving. He’s kind of exactly where he wants to be.

The “exclusive” content in the special preview included the aforementioned body-ody-ody of Jabba the Hutt’s son voiced by Jeremy Allen White, as well as the heavily anticipated and genuinely hilarious Martin Scorsese cameo. There’s also a shot of Grogu eating space popcorn that’s going to be everybody’s favorite gif as soon as its available. They’re on an Outer Rim planet that’s uncharacteristically urban for the region. (Someone more versed in Star Wars animated series lore might disagree, but it was surprising to me to see a planet that far out looking more like Coruscant than Jakku.)

But the title sequence was the best part. It was sunny, bright, and light on CGI compared to the two action sequences sandwiching it. (Not that I’m against CGI. As a millennial Star Wars fan, I’ve had to learn to live with a lot.) I enjoyed spending a quiet moment with Din and his adopted 50 year-old son. The opening sequence was stylish and classy for a movie about space bounty hunters. It was a nice reminder of what Star Wars can be, especially on the big screen.

(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

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