The Book of Boba Fett (2021) Review

The Book of Boba Fett (2021)

The Book of Boba Fett follows Boba Fett, now the Daimyo over Mos Espa, who must try to unite the people of Tatooine under his rule. Pushback from the Pike Syndicate however threatens to send him into all out war. 

As a massive fan of Boba Fett and the mystery and levity such a character brings, I must say I was left very conflicted with The Book of Boba Fett, as it greatly alters “the baddest man in the galaxy” image he had garnered throughout the original trilogy. Instead, Fett embarks on a classic heroes journey, quite literally rising from the belly of the beast to become a changed man; no longer a ruthless bounty hunter but a respectable leader whose interests lie in his people, stemming from his life among the Tuskens. It’s a show that works on paper, but the execution was flawed for just that reason—that’s all they had to offer of Boba. After speeding through his evolution by way of interesting but horribly muddy flashbacks that don’t progress the story of the present, we’re left with nowhere to go until the explosive finale. 

Luckily, we detour after Boba’s flashbacks catch up to the present and go to the far more interesting journey that Din Djarin has been on since The Mandalorian Season 2 finale, as he struggles with being apart from Grogu and his ownership of the Darksaber. We also get cameos from Luke, Ahsoka, and Cad fucking Bane (and wow, what a treat), setting the stage for an action packed finale of rancor riding, jetpack blasting, and a bloody good finish to a mediocre season. 

We get a wonderful cast, starring Mark Hamill, Jennifer Beals, Timothy Olyphant, Amy Sedaris, Carey Jones, Jordan Bolger, Joanna Bennett, Sophie Thatcher, Ming-Na Wen, Pedro Pascal, and Temuera Morrison. While Morrison did get stunted midway through his own show, I did appreciate the regality he brought to a more heroic Boba Fett, even if it did greatly alter the character in my eyes. Major credit to Pascal though, coming in as a side character and stealing every bit of spotlight before his return in Mandalorian S3. 

The Book of Boba Fett, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is a hard sell for me because while we got some of the best Star Wars in awhile, in never felt there to serve Boba Fett, with him becoming no more than a background character in his own show, never hitting it’s full potential in fleshing out the famed bounty hunter. 

7.5/10