Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (in theaters)

If you’re looking for gritty, politically nuanced “Star Wars,” this isn’t it.

“The Mandalorian” streaming series started out as “awkward space loner does odd jobs throughout the universe” and gradually transformed into “the adventures of awkward space dad and his magic toddler.” “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” is an absolutely charming continuation of that, and fans of the series will love the opportunity to spend time with two of our favorite guys. There’s no point to the movie if you don’t already love them, but if you do then you’ll find their latest adventure both sweet and deeply satisfying.

The movie was clearly condensed from what was going to be season 3 of the series, and as such suffers from a fairly episodic nature. Still, the little adventures are all fun, from bringing down an illegal fight ring to facing off against some of the surviving Hutts. There’s also a sequence or two where Grogu takes center stage, with audiences getting to see everything he’s learned and how he’s grown. Though there are Easter eggs for Star Wars fans, you don’t need to know anything about the wider universe to enjoy the movie.

One of the biggest advantages of this are some excellent puppet-based sequences. The best of these features Grogu on his own, managing to communicate a ton of emotion without words. Though the movie also does a nice job with its CGI characters, these puppet sequences are classic “Star Wars” at its finest.

Grade: Three and a half stars

Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix)

If you want a really great comfort movie, get Sally Field to star in it.

“Remarkably Bright Creatures,” an adaptation of the hit novel, manages to do just that. A sweet little tearjerker of a movie, “Creatures” is anchored by a strong performance from Field and solid accompaniment from Lewis Pullman. Alfred Molina is also great as the narrating octopus, and if that sentence alone doesn’t chase you away then this is the movie for you. Sometimes found family includes an Oscar-winning actress, the increasingly famous son of another famous actor, and an octopus.

The movie features Field as Tova, a widow still mourning the son she lost several years before. She works as a night janitor at the aquarium, bonding to their octopus and even saving its life. When she gets injured, she slowly bonds to a new employee (Pullman) and learns how to move into the future.

Field is excellent in the movie, providing all the emotional nuance you could hope for. She and Pullman have an engaging chemistry, which is good because it’s the center point around which the entire movie spins.

Though he’s less involved than he is in the book, the octopus is also a great addition. The CGI is incredibly well done, enough that you might even forget that’s not an actual octopus interacting with Sally Field. His big scene at the end may feel a little heavy-handed to non-genre fans, but the thing about certain tropes is that they’re effective. Even though I saw it coming miles away, I got a little teary about it.

You might just get a little choked up yourself.

Grade: Three stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society and the Utah Film Critics Association. Drop her a line at [email protected].