Helmed by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Robert Rodriguez, The Book of Boba Fett takes place on the sands of Tatooine and follows former bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming Na Wen) who navigate the Galaxy’s underworld and fight for Jabba the Hutt’s old territory. Together they face great opposition and must find themselves as many allies and resources as possible for a potential war that can not only change the fate of Tattooine but also Boba Fett himself.
After the grand success of The Mandalorian’s two seasons, we now have our second live-action Star Wars show starring the cult-favorite character Boba Fett and finally seeing his story. Originally I considered Boba Fett to be a cool-looking but completely overrated character that pretty much did nothing of value to the Star Wars story and universe. That all changed when Jon Favreau and Robert Rodriguez brought the character back to live-action in The Mandalorian season 2, giving him the best comeback possible.
And now they along with other filmmakers have the chance to take a character who had a mostly blank slate in Star Wars media (not counting books) and give him his own story, as well as much more depth, with a seven-episode series.
And after watching all seven episodes I can happily say they succeeded in not only making Boba Fett an incredible character but also delivering an awesome series overall. It’s fun, brutal, beautiful, exciting, impactful, and further expands the world of Star Wars.
My main concern was that the series would focus too much on action rather than delivering plot or character development. Thankfully after watching all episodes my concerns went away completely, as they managed to deliver an awesome series that had substance rather than flash. I loved this series and no amount of gatekeeping “fans” are going to keep me from loving it just as much as I love other Star Wars installments in recent years.
There are a number of characters in this series that we see, both new and familiar from other Star Wars media. For the sake of spoilers and some surprise appearances I can’t go into all the characters but I will go over the main players, some of the new faces, and various groups.
We start off with none other than the titular character, reprised by Temuera Morrison who delivers a spectacular performance as the character. Whether he has scenes of dialogue or not he can really carry himself as a man who has been through hell and is now on a journey of rebirth and redemption, a journey that starts in the past with escaping the Sarlacc pit followed by being rescued by a Tusken tribe, and on to the present where he is fighting to take control of Tatooine from multiple forces.
He’s not a one-dimensional invincible badass that I was afraid he’d turn out to be, but a layered character that can be vulnerable both physically and emotionally. Yes we do get to see him kick ass in the series and it is awesome when he goes berserk, but I liked the fact that now he struggles against more dangerous foes rather than just easily defeating them. There’s a big difference between fighting incompetent storm troopers and fighting deadly assassins, as well as organized syndicates with nearly endless resources. Hence this is why Boba learns to invest in alliances with other individuals with strong loyal bonds, which in turn can make him a stronger force to reckon with than he ever was alone.
The writing of Boba is certainly the strongest point of this series, especially in the flashbacks, but it wouldn’t have been complete without the truly dedicated performance Temuera Morrison gives in this series. People don’t give Temuera Morrison enough credit for his work, not just in Star Wars but in everything else he has been in, so I hope this series does make people pay more attention to him.
Ming Na Wen once again delivers a kick-ass performance as Fennec Shand, sharing great chemistry with Boba in the series. The two are great partners who have each other’s backs as a result of Boba saving her life, and it’s not often you get to see such a strong friendship between two mercenaries.
Most of the time in Star Wars, bounty hunters and assassins are enemies, driven mainly by greed to fight each other for the bidding of others. So it’s great to see that for once we get a friendship based on honor, showing that not all mercenaries in the Star Wars universe are savages.
Also, I have to bring up how dedicated both Temeura Morrison and Ming Na Wen were for doing most of their own stunts at their current age. They proved that no matter what age you are you can still be an absolute badass on screen.
As for the new faces, the first among them, introduced through the inclusion of the Hutts, is the gladiator Wookie Black Krrsantan, played by Carey Jones. First seen in the Star Wars comics, this big brute was an absolute spotlight stealer who looks fucking incredible in live-action and is an absolute beast when it comes to combat. Carey Jones delivers the most vicious performance of a Wookie to date, making Chewbacca look like a puppy dog in comparison. And based on the character’s history, including one battle with a very well-known Jedi that left Krrsantan with a noticeable scar, it may not be the last time we see this big guy in live-action again.
Another group of new faces we get introduced to are the Mods, a gang of cyborgs that Boba recruits into his fold. Cyborgs have always been a part of Star Wars, including notable ones like Admiral Trench, General Grevious, and of course Darth Vader, so I had no problem at all with the inclusion of cyborgs that have come from different parts of the galaxy and are obvious homages to traveling street gangs of the 50s-70s. And this was even confirmed by the cast as well with Ming Na Wen stating “This is a real homage to the things [creator] George Lucas always loved — whether it was the Mods in the ’60s, or [Lucas’ hot rod film] American Graffiti.” The hate the Mods get is absolutely ridiculous and they were a cool addition that also felt inspired by Alita Battle Angel, a very underrated sci-fi film by Robert Rodriguez. So people can quit the Spy Kids comparisons.
And speaking of Robert Rodriguez, it wouldn’t be a production of his without the inclusion of Danny Trejo, perfectly cast as a Rancor tamer. He may have a short role in the series but he delivers a great performance and gives us a new perspective on Rancors that ends up with a fucking epic scene involving Boba and a Rancor.
As for the factions, there were two that majorly stood out: the tribal Tuskens and the manipulative Pykes.
The Mandalorian was the first show to give us a new perspective on the Tuskens of Tattoine, but it is The Book of Boba Fett that makes us fall in love with them. We are introduced to a completely new tribe that saved Boba Fett’s life aand changed him as a person. Through Boba’s perspective, we get to dive into and feel captivated by the culture and lifestyle of the Tuskens, making us sympathize with them and deeply care for them in ways we never thought possible. Episode 2 in particular is where we get to spend the most time with them and the way they were handled was absolutely perfect. Honestly, I would have loved to have much more time with them but I’m grateful for what we got.
The Pykes on the other hand are a different story, as they end up being one of the main antagonists of this series. We have seen how dangerous and resourceful they can be in Star Wars both in live-action and animation so they are a great choice for villains. But sometimes a faction does need a notable face to represent them and holy fuck do the Pykes have a notable one; a foe long thought to be gone makes their return, raising the personal stakes for Boba in more ways than I could possibly imagine. The return of this character was menacingly perfect and it made the finale even more awesome.
The story is excellent and fun with many surprises. It takes things slower compared to The Mandalorian but delivers a lot through both visual storytelling and great performances by all the cast. Some episodes I wish were longer to allow better pacing, which I did feel was one of the main issues this show did suffer from. While the story does have a focus on redemption for our lead it is also focuses on how thriving in the galaxy is about building a team and a family.
Boba Fett no longer has the approach of a lone bounty hunter, he’s building a tribe of his own after his time in the past with the Tuskens. Instead of fear, Boba Fett leads with trust, fairness, and support, earning strong loyalty in return from the most surprising of individuals. It was something I didn’t expect to come from this series when it was initially announced but I absolutely loved it regardless, especially when it all culminated into a tension-filled and extremely satisfying finale.
I found the character development, themes, emotional surprises, and new world-building of this series far more investing than a typical non-stop action fest that some people were obviously wanting. It almost feels as if all everybody wanted was the one cool scene from episode 6 of season 2 of The Mandalorian to happen every single episode of this series. Can you imagine how boring that would be?
The fandom and some select reviewers don’t seem to care about a blank slate character having complex development or emotional depth and instead just want a one-note immortal character that just kicks ass all the time with no struggles or repercussions. I don’t agree with that at all and it is not at all what Star Wars is about. It’s not always about mindless action with one-dimensional characters that you wouldn’t give a shit about. If that’s what some Star Wars fans and certain reviewers want, then they are attached to the wrong franchise. They are better off with the Fast & Furious or Michael Bay Transformers if that’s all they care about. Leave the good stuff for the rest of us to enjoy.
With that out of the way it’s time to talk about the technical elements of the series, including the visuals, effects, cinematography, music, and of course the action. Starting off with the action it is similar to the Mandalorian in terms of variety. There are fun and thrilling action sequences ranging from Clone Wars/Rebels-inspired chase sequences to full-on Mad Max-style vehicle sequences that give you a big rush of adrenaline. There are also brutal and close-up fights ranging from Western-style duels to Māori inspired combat to absolute all-out vicious brawls that can sometimes result in limbs being torn off.
When the action happens it is really well done but it wouldn’t be as interesting without having investment in the characters, which the series does make us have before putting us in the mix.
The visuals and effects of this series are absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. While most of the series primarily takes place on Tatooine there is no shortage of beautiful scenes, showing new sides of Tatooine that couldn’t be explored in early installments of the Skywalker Saga due to the limitations of technology. With the help of spectacular cinematography, we get some truly gorgeous shots in this series that make viewers feel all sorts of emotions, making us feel like we’re part of everything happening.
The CGI is impressive as expected but what was more impressive was the high usage of practical effects compared to every other Star Wars installment in recent years. The highly positive reactions to little puppet Grogu of The Mandalorian obviously inspired Jon Favreau and Robert Rodriguez to push for more practical work in this series, making the world feel much more real for viewers to be engaged in. We get to see a lot of practical designs for most of the alien races and a lot of old-school puppeteering for droids and larger beasts like Banthas and Rancors. There were a lot of great practical sets too, continuing the ongoing trend of avoiding high usage of green screen like the Prequels.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Star Wars without talking about the music. Composers Ludwig Göransson and Joe Shirley together make an incredible score for the series that rivals the music of The Mandalorian in terms of intensity, fitting the tone of the series perfectly. The main theme of the series in particular, which has a tribal vibe to it, has to be one of my new favorite themes in all of Star Wars for how incredibly unique and memorable it is.
Now before I discuss my final thoughts there is one more thing I want to mention about the series in regards to how it sets up The Mandalorian season 3. I won’t go into major details since this is a non-spoiler review but I will be mentioning minor spoilers so if you wish to know nothing skip past this section of the review labeled with warning signs.
⚠️MINOR SPOILERS⚠️ In this show we get two episodes, directed amazingly by Bryce Dallas Howard and Dave Filoni, that follow up with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and others since we last saw them in Season 2. Din is included in the show because Boba Fett hires him for help but it was really interesting to get a full-on mini story dedicated to him that gives viewers an exciting glimpse of things to come, with some truly impactful surprises.
Some have argued that this storyline should have belonged to Season 3 rather than Boba’s series, and I can definitely understand that argument. But at the same time, The Book of Boba Fett wouldn’t exist without The Mandalorian so the two are very co-dependent on each other and they do share a lot of creative DNA in terms of directing, writing, tone, and visuals. It’s very similar to the animated shows The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch, which were very connected with each other and had some major crossovers occur within each other’s shows that felt completely natural as part of an ongoing narrative they shared. We are basically seeing the exact same thing happen here and I honestly think this is a great direction for live-action Star Wars.
It all feels planned and connected, which is something Star Wars was in desperate need of after having no coherent plan for the sequel trilogy. Boba and Din are both Mandalorians finding their place in this post-Empire galaxy, two sides of the same coin, and both are part of a bigger more complex story. And on top of that, the series is called THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT not only because it features the titular character but also because Boba Fett’s existence has affected the lives of every supporting character that appears in the series, including some of the surprise ones. In books, you tend to get a chapter or two dedicated to a different character that later ties into the main story or has a significant connection to the main character. So I think the inclusions were perfectly fine and it succeeded in its job of getting me more excited for season 3. ⚠️MINOR SPOILERS END⚠️
Overall, I thought The Book of Boba Fett was a great Star Wars installment even if it’s not completely perfect in some areas. The pacing was definitely what hurt the series the most for me, but everything else I had no issue with, unlike some people. This series made me love the character of Boba Fett and makes me want to see more of him going forward with whatever planned story they have for him, whether it be in a second season or having him appear in other stories. The hate for this series is completely unwarranted and I encourage people to ignore what people have said about the series and watch it for themselves. I’m going to give The Book of Boba Fett Season 1 an A.
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