The Book of Boba Fett
Following the titular fan-favourite character’s appearance in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett tells the story of bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), explaining how he escaped his apparent demise in the Sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi and chronicling his attempts to take over the territory once held by crime lord Jabba the Hutt, along with mercenary and assassin Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). Fett wants to bring a different sort of rule to the desert planet of Tatooine, hoping to rule by respect instead of fear, but soon discovers that he is not the only criminal looking to fill the power vacuum left by Jabba.
It’s part space western, part crime drama, perhaps a little slow but very deliberate and confident in its aesthetics and pacing. Owing to Fett’s status as a pop culture icon the Star Wars, fanservice is heavy in this show, with familiar scenes and characters making appearances throughout, but the plot also makes sure to do enough narrative legwork to stand on its own and appeal to casual fans and newcomers.
The story is bolstered by strong performances from its main cast, with Morrison and Wen having a very compelling and entertaining dynamic as Boba and Fennec: Morrison paints a strong portrait of simultaneous resilience and vulnerability, adding nuance to a character who initially rose to fame entirely on the back of a cool suit, while Wen provides an effective foil as Boba’s stern assassin friend, bringing out different parts of the bounty hunter’s character in their interactions.
While a lot of the plot focuses on Boba’s attempts to build his criminal empire, it makes sure not to skimp on the action, with a number of kinetic and well choreographed fight scenes to break up the narrative – and capitalise on its popular main characters. There’s generally a good balance between talking and fighting, and even the action scenes serve to deliver some interesting visuals and communicate things about the protagonists in an exciting and engaging way.
Overall, The Book of Boba Fett is a decent enough self-contained Star Wars story, not delivering anything particularly groundbreaking but telling an interesting tale effectively and with generous heaps of distinctive style. It’s definitely a piece made with fans in mind, but there’s still a lot to enjoy even for audiences with only a passing knowledge of the franchise.
Umar Ali
The Book of Boba Fett is released on Disney+ on 29th December 2021.
Watch the trailer for The Book of Boba Fett here:
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