The Book of Boba Fett, S1.E1 & 2
SCREENPLAY: C-
The Book of Boba Fett starts back at the Sarlaac pit, where we last saw Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy. Spoiler (I guess?) - Boba Fett’s new definition of pain and suffering lasts barely a thousand seconds, let alone years. We are quickly introduced to the two main storylines: Boba Fett is rescued and/or kidnapped by a tribe of Tusken Raiders, and he eventually commandeers the deceased Jabba’s throne as lord of the Tatooine underworld.
It’s a lot of info for a full episode, let alone the first few minutes. The first episode jumps back and forth so rapidly between the two storylines that it makes for a confusing watch. Sometimes confusion makes things more interesting, like when your English teacher stops class, cries a bit, and suddenly starts juggling rubber chickens while cranking a John Tesh CD full blast. Your English class just got a lot more interesting, am I right? This episode’s confusion doesn’t make me feel that way. My attention drifted. The second episode covers both storylines again but cuts the episode in half instead of chopping it into several small pieces. It works much better.
ACTING: C+
Does Temeura Morrison hold the record for the most live-action Star Wars characters played? Jango Fett in Ep. 2. Commander Cody in Ep 3. And now Boba Fett (whom he also did the voice for in the 2004 DVD release of Empire). Morrison spends most of his time posing in front of his foes like some insecure Alpha-dude at the gym trying to show how tough he is. It’s as if Morrison believes all before him will either fear him or follow him based solely on posture. It seems like he’s leaning on Boba Fett’s legendary rep a bit too much. Acting-wise, we will have to wait and see if he has the bite to go with his bark.
Ming Na-Wen is back from The Mandalorian as well. Her performance consists of equal portions of snark and badassery. She’s more than solid, as is Jennifer Beals in her limited time as a Tatooine casino club manager. Dave Pasquesi plays something called a Mok Shaiz’s Majordomo. I have no idea what that is, but I do know Pasquesi’s performance is gold - the best of the bunch.
CRAFT: A-
CGI is an amazing tool, but if it’s not done well it can quickly rip an audience out of the reality the story is trying to create. No one wields a green screen like Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The world of Tatooine is as alive as it’s ever been. You don’t doubt, even for a second, that you’re watching a real chase across the rooftops of a grimy desert metropolis. The CGI is top notch.
GENRE INSPIRATIONS (Elective Class): F
The Mandolorian won rave reviews for taking all the stuff that made old Western movies good and throwing it in a blender full of stormtroopers, light sabers, and adorable alien babies. The original trilogy did this too, except with samurai movies.
The Book of Boba Fett dips into Westerns as well. That’s cool and all, but one of their choices doesn’t sit well with me. Here’s a formula we see in a lot of Westerns: a cowboy gets captured by the Indians (I’m using that term because I’m about to describe something I feel is racist and I want the racism to shine through -- all love to Native Americans). It looks like the cowboy’s a goner. But then he does something that saves him from being killed. He eventually becomes accepted by the tribe as one of their own. Finally, he saves the tribe somehow from certain annihilation and is celebrated as a savior. The White savior. It’s an old pattern in movies that has worn out its welcome in today’s woke climate. Which is a good thing. I’m surprised - and disappointed - that of all the old Western tropes they could have recycled that they chose this one to tell the story of Boba Fett and the Tusken Raiders.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Have you ever seen one of those rom-coms where two people meet on the last day of summer camp? They don’t necessarily fall in love, but it’s a life-changing, major magical moment for both of them. Then they go back to their hometowns (which are always agonizingly far away from each other), and need to decide if they’re going to try and reconnect. Some of you may say, “OMG yes! Why wouldn’t you!?! Keep the magic going!” But what if they find out the other person isn’t as amazing as they seemed on that one day at summer camp? What if spending real time with the other person doesn’t live up to the idea of the person they’ve built up in their heads? What happens to the memory of that one day if we learn all sorts of other things about the person that aren’t quite as magical? It vanishes. Honestly, I’m scared that’s going to happen to me and Boba Fett. After watching the first two episodes, part of me wants to hold on to summer camp The Empire Strikes Back and carry those magical memories with me the rest of my life. But I also know I can’t resist watching.
The Book of Boba Fett isn’t a bad show. The second episode is better than the first. Favreau and Filoni definitely have earned their track record of success, so I’ll keep watching. But I’m more than a little scared.