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| Göransson |
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu: (Ludwig
Göransson) Due to Hollywood's labor disputes, the continuation of
the first live-action
Star Wars television series from 2019 to
2023 was transitioned to the big screen, yielding a new era for the
franchise in cinemas. While "The Mandalorian" was an immediate success
for Disney in its takeover of the concept from George Lucas, it also
represented the inevitable cheapening of the franchise as means of
seeking more money from its longtime fans. What the studio has done to
the galaxy far, far away is a shame, because with overexposure comes the
same dissatisfying taste of the loss of mystique that the sibling "Star
Trek" franchise has suffered as well. The plot of 2026's
Star Wars:
The Mandalorian and Grogu essentially takes writer and director Jon
Favreau's aborted subsequent season and shifts it into a series of films
instead, and you can't help but get the feeling that such entries are
all doomed to feel like bloated episodes. In this one, the heroic pair
of bounty hunter and child prodigy turned into agents of the New
Republic are sent to rescue the son of Jabba the Hutt, all in an effort
to obtain information about an Imperial warlord who just happens to be
the villain of this tale. The release was a test of Disney's strategy
with the concept, and with critics not thrilled by the transition and
grosses languishing behind expectations after the film's opening, one
could say that the franchise's saturation point may soon be met. One of
the biggest problems with this series by the 2020's is that so many of
its characters and plot points are derivative of some aspect of the
original Lucas trilogy. Not only are the look of the two main characters
clearly recycled from Yoda and Boba Fett, but this movie reuses the
Hutts, AT-AT walkers, and other elements that strive for nostalgic
dollars. By the desire of Favreau, the most brazen originality of his
take on the
Star Wars universe comes in the music he desired for
"The Mandalorian" and now
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Can a film score bring originality to a concept so steeped in
yesteryear? Such was the mission of composer Ludwig
Göransson.
Once Disney took the reins of the franchise with dollar
signs in its eyes, there would come the inevitable day when the movies
purposefully turned away from the sound of John Williams' iconic music.
The likes of Michael Giacchino and John Powell made admirable, sometimes
outstanding attempts to emulate Williams' unequaled mastery for the
prior films outside of the primary nine-film narrative to this point,
but if Disney was going to oversaturate the market with offerings, then
that legacy sound was not sustainable regardless of its efficacy. More
than anything else, "The Mandalorian" brought that day about,
Göransson helming the transition justified by the filmmakers as
addressing the needs of a new generation rather than the concept's
roots. The composer did utilize the classic Williams theme for The Force
sparingly in the show, but in his approach to
Star Wars: The
Mandalorian and Grogu, no use of that theme or any other Williams
identity is discernable in the major cues. Favreau and Göransson
instead take the cheap and easy decision that requires less thought from
the current composer. For intellectual argument, is Göransson even
capable of accomplishing what Powell did for
Solo: A Star Wars
Story? We still don't know. Instead, you hear him channeling Ennio
Morricone and Bill Conti for the 2026 film, not the names most listeners
would want to hear in this circumstance. Generally speaking, everything
from the show's music is simply beefed up here with a larger ensemble,
and the Morricone and Conti resemblances are increasingly unmistakable.
The additional heft doesn't necessarily make Göransson's style
sound any better; if anything, it's just more awkward than before. The
equation somewhat normalizes in the final cues, which are the definite
highlights of the work. What he's written is a Western fantasy sports
score rather than a space opera, but that's not the problem with this
music in and of itself. It's simply a lackluster Western fantasy sports
score on its own merits, cheesy without the necessary dose of genuine
nostalgia to justify that cheese. The Spaghetti Western aspect from the
inspiration of Morricone especially brings it into the parody realm,
making parts of the score sound unintentionally silly.
Göransson's orchestral ensemble for
Star Wars: The
Mandalorian and Grogu may be bigger but is still sparse-sounding
because of its very dry processing. All the sections are present, but
strings are particularly poorly placed and small-sounding; bass string
presence has seemingly been usurped by electric bass-like tones. The
percussive usage takes Powell's action style to ridiculous levels,
becoming abrasively distracting, and tribal-like percussion with
clanging bowls in "We Got to Find Him" are too odd to work in this
context. The composer's synthetics usage is a serious problem in the
score, the most obvious stylistic pivot in the universe that tries to
incorporate pieces of
Creed and
Black Panther where they
don't always make sense. The massive bass pulses as in "Next Mission"
are distracting, and the end of "The Twins" borrows some percussive
techniques and rhythms from Daniel Pemberton's
Project Hail Mary.
The location music in "Shakari" applies contemporary
Black
Panther coolness to the atmosphere while the synth tones in "Strap
In" aren't cool; they are simply obnoxious as presented in the mix. The
rambling bass presence on synths for "Embo" is tacky and shoddy in
execution. The techniques from "Shakari" and "Embo" return wholesale in
"Do We Run? Or Do We Fight?" On the other hand, the choir is fine,
surprisingly traditional in its employment compared to most other
elements of the mix. Thematically, the score relies heavily upon its
established ideas from the television series. No new dominant theme
exists for the story of
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu on
its own, which is a massive waste. It would seem that the composer saw
this assignment as a score for a fourth season of the show rather than
standalone film. For diehard enthusiasts of the show, this strategy may
prove highly entertaining, though for those more casually attached to
only the legacy film franchise, the usage may not garner the same
loyalty. The returning identities include the main theme of the concept
as well as the Mandalorian Western motif and the less obvious but
likeable Grogu theme. Expect the statements of these three existing
ideas to occupy nearly the entire running time of the thematic
development in the movie.
The Mandalorian Western motif is Göransson's
distinctive but potentially eye-rolling identity of easiest
identification in the television series and
Star Wars: The
Mandalorian and Grogu. The alternating, two-note call of the wild is
strongly informed by Ennio Morricone's
The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly, and it's even performed in its root form by bass recorder and
other elements to clearly emulate Morricone's use of an ocarina in the
classic 1966 score. A touch of polychord layering gives the idea a sense
of unease and suspense, mainly generating anticipation. If a listener is
unfamiliar with the Morricone legacy, then perhaps they may not realize
how ridiculous that motif can sound in this context. It opens "This is
the Way" in layered mystery on the bass recorder tones for two minutes,
Clint Eastwood nowhere in sight, and it also opens "The Mandalorian and
Grogu" with echoing, ancient horn sounds. The Western motif joins the
main theme in the central thematic bravado of "Next Mission," becomes
integrated with the hip electronic beat of the exotic location change in
"Shakari," and is adapted into a terrible European ditty in "Hugo
Durant's Snack Shack" as quasi-source music for the Martin Scorsese
character. After briefly informing the start of "Rotta," this motif
strikes a noble pose directly against the new Rotta theme in "The Pit
Fight" and punctuates the frantic action in "Rotta Chase." The recorder
echoes its original introductory mode in "We Got to Find Him" before
trumpets unleash it with force at the start of "The Helmet." The Western
motif for Mando is elongated for a more contemplative moment of recorder
and synth sadness in "Go Kid" but blends into the other identities late
in "Do We Run? Or Do We Fight?" Pounded with orchestra hits in the last
moments of "All Weapons Hot" for over-emphasis, the idea is thankfully
subtle at the outset of "Red Jammer." Often in tandem with this motif is
Göransson's actual main theme for the show and film, a cyclical and
repetitive sports identity clearly born from Conti's
Rocky. The
comparisons to Apollo Creed are especially pronounced in this score, and
it's no surprise that the director specifically referenced the Creed
character as a source of his own inspiration, allowing Göransson to
carry over his own musical voice from
Creed to this one.
The main theme for
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and
Grogu thumps with contemporary stylings on electric bass and guitar
in "The Mandalorian and Grogu," the melody occurring at 1:10 with silly
choir accenting the
Rocky-informed trumpet theme. Göransson
tries to give it a larger-than-life orchestral personality akin to
Williams but only strays into parody territory by doing so, though he
does intriguingly reduce this material to a twinkling piano and
percussion closing in that main thematic statement. Fragmented on
electric guitar at the start of "Next Mission" before turning cyclical,
this theme consolidates against annoying bass pulses in its next
Rocky and
Creed-like rendition in the cue's middle. It's
all over the score in various guises from there, very faint at the end
of "The Twins," providing some support on brass to the middle of "Rotta
Chase," and turning surprisingly dainty as a light, secondary device in
"Tracking Lord Janu." The theme thrashes against terrible synth lines in
"Strap In" and then totally shifts to slight yearning on lofty strings
in "Flying Home to Nevarro" in almost John Barry form. A more
traditional action stance starts to emerge with the idea in "The
Helmet," and Göransson slows it for a sparse orchestral statement
in "Do We Run? Or Do We Fight?" and reprises it in several modes with
more cheer later in that cue. The main identity maintains the bloated
persona of sports victory in "All Weapons Hot" and offers straight
victory from the ensemble and choir over synth pulses in "Red Jammer."
Finally, it's provided solo horn treatment over electric elements at the
start of "Your Turn, Grogu." The theme for the baby Yoda-like Grogu uses
repetitively cascading seven-note phrases in hopeful cycles, rooted in
soft lullaby default and sometimes truncated to four notes. It's often
voiced against harp, celesta, or other lighter, child-like elements to
suggest the character's size and wholesomeness. Some listeners might
appreciate this outreach to Williams' technique, but it's fairly
standard. Previewed with a fantasy burst from choir in the middle of
"This is the Way," the Grogu theme is heard tenderly at 4:53 in that cue
with dissonant action interference against its dainty tones. It later
influences the friendlier aspects in "Next Mission" with its
instrumentation and lends some ethereal impact with choir to the middle
of "The Helmet" and brass thereafter.
The Grogu theme comes to have a significant impact on
the last third of the score for
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and
Grogu. It envelopes the Mandalorian Western motif with breathy vibes
in "Go Kid," in which the fantasy crescendo at the end of this cue has
potential but is still off-kilter. In its most major exploration, the
theme is diluted in the wondrous woodwind and string atmospheres of
"Grogu's World" for much of that cue, the undercurrent of the main
phrase of the concept theme running under it like a rhythm. The flute
rambles in the latter half of the cue do begin to emulate Williams
usage. The idea charms its way into the last minute of "Do We Run? Or Do
We Fight?" against modern synths and confirms its role on choir as
counterpoint to the main theme in "All Weapons Hot." Its catharsis comes
with a bang, however, as it is most prominent on ensemble and guitar at
the end of "Your Turn, Grogu" when he learns to fly. Despite all the
narrative faults of the score, this closing moment is a fantastic and
appropriate evolution for this material. Other bits and pieces do return
from the television show, including a Mandalorian action motif
experiencing a bloated new, cymbal-crashing orchestral form in first
half of "All Weapons Hot." The all-new thematic music is where
Göransson truly struggles. If you can't grasp or accept the tone of
his existing themes from the show, then you can expect no rescue from
the themes written specifically for this film. Most obvious is the
identity for Rotta, the surprisingly agile Hutt who aspires to be Dwayne
Johnson in the arena. While it's moderately amusing, this music is
astonishingly out of place within the larger universe. When Williams
scored such spectacles, at least he strove for relative weirdness. With
Göransson, it's like Apollo Creed has been reborn as a giant slug.
The purely modern sports motivation in "Rotta" with synth keyboarding,
cheap clapping loops, and male grunting is joined by a
Creed-appropriate theme on trumpets in the cue's middle. This
passage is possibly the most distractingly awful music to ever exist in
the
Star Wars universe, so bad that it's actually funny. This
theme stomps its ridiculous posturing from orchestra hits against
rambling percussion in "The Pit Fight," and the
Creed material
from the previous cue returns but is abbreviated in action. The composer
does give the idea more orchestral weight in the second half of the cue,
the melody unleashed again as the protagonists get the upper hand.
Although the Rotta character persists through the
remainder of the picture, Göransson seems content only musically
addressing his arena persona, which means that his theme simply
disappears from
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu after those
scenes. It's a surprisingly amateurish misstep for a composer of
Göransson's capabilities. A handful of other ideas marginally exist
in the score, but none of them makes any lasting impact. Something of a
villain motif for action sequences uses chopping, staccato movements of
rather bonehead fright, and you encounter this material at the end of
"This is the Way" and latter half of "Next Mission." It pounds in the
middle of "Tracking Lord Janu" and gains more cohesion in the second
half of "Strap In" on brass and low piano. There also seems to be a
theme representing the overall mission that Mando and Grogu are hired to
complete by the New Republic, and this music alternately might accompany
the evil Hutts and Imperial warlord at 1:12 into "The Twins" and during
parts of "Tracking Lord Janu." On the whole, however, the music for
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is a mere extension of the
established Göransson sound for the television show. It's just too
cheesy and too dumb for this franchise's big screen presence. Again,
this is not necessarily terrible music (though the album is quite bad),
but it's lazy music for this universe. Should Göransson have met
the Williams sound to a closer degree? Probably, if he wanted to avoid
nostalgic blowback. Regardless of the franchise implications, however,
it's just not a very good score in and of itself. The show's themes are
well handled, but the all-new material is a waste. The long album
unforgivingly utilizes sound effects in both musical and non-musical
fashion with horrendously annoying results. The alarm noises two minutes
into "This is the Way" are a terrible version of Stephen Price's
technique early in
Long Distance. The 1960's space-oriented sound
effects late in "Next Mission" are truly hideous, and the
Gladiator-inspired crowd chanting sullies the action in "The Pit
Fight." For people who are tickled by seeing Sigourney Weaver flying an
X-wing fighter on the big screen, perhaps all these missteps are
forgivable. And even in the worst of light, the score offers some really
strong material at its end. But it's too little, too late for this
hybrid Morricone/Conti parody score that cheapens the franchise's
legacy. If the Williams sound is truly dead, then so be it, but there
has to be a better evolution than this.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
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There exists no official packaging for the digital album.
