The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land (2021) Review

 

Spoilers!

Boba Fett (haunted by his past) takes over Jabba the Hutt's old territory, along with mercenary Fennec Shand, however he is met with deadly resistance.

The resourceful usually excellent Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, From Dusk Until Dawn to name a few) directs this opening episode of The Book of Boba Fett. However, something feels off and it's not just the choreographed fights. Multi-talented Jon Favreau who brought the Mandalorian to life seems unnaturally off his game, with a little too on the nose spoon feeding exposition, the flashbacks particularly don't come across as strong. The cool mysterious Sand People raise an eyebrow but the wonder and excitement is largely missing from the outset. Favreau with his writing hat on goes out of his way to show the Sarlacc Pit escape, uncannily it had already been done in fan made films and in other another mediums. And if not, you can imagine how Boba had escaped.

Unnecessary retro fitting aside and the particularly stilted action fight scenes, it's an entertaining opening episode. However, it felt a little cheaper and/or rushed, right down to the sound mixing compared to the opening episode of the Mandalorian. That said, there is a nice tribute to Ray Harryhausen but again it doesn't hold up to close-ups. There's nods to Star Wars saga throughout including places like Geonosis, Mos Espa, Kamino, there's Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Banthas, a bacta tank to name a few. There are plenty of brilliant callbacks to Return of the Jedi, including locations including Jabba The Hutt's Palace (seen briefly in the Mandalorian finale) and characters, Max Rebo and some band members, Gamorrean guards, even an 8D8 droid. The costumes, make-up and music are the star of this episode.

Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett is still not fully healed, therefore, his appearance in The Mandalorian and here he is not on his peak form. This suggests there is much more to come from the galaxy's best bounty hunter turned ruler of over Jabba the Hutt's (and Bib Fortuna’s) criminal empire.

Overall, Boba unmasked (again), Temuera Morrison even with another great gritty performance as Fett can't save Chapter One from its lack of quality or inject that Star Wars je ne sais quoi magic. Let's hope it's just a bumpy start and there is greatness to come.