'The Book of Boba Fett' premiere is an abysmal failure on every level (spoilers, so beware)

[Celerity]

https://www.sfgate.com/culture-columns/article/The-Book-Of-Boba-Fett-Premiere-Was-The-Worst-16738851.php



It’s been a long time since I’ve watched something as embarrassing as "The Book of Boba Fett." I’ve seen better acting in home movies. I’ve played iPhone games that have better special effects. I’ve seen more convincing fight scenes on reality television. The whole affair, from beginning to end, is the worst episode of television I’ve seen this year, or any other year. It’s worse than polio. It makes me never want to watch anything related to "Star Wars" ever again, and maybe I won’t.

Some background: "The Book of Boba Fett" is an original Disney Plus series about intergalactic bounty hunter Boba Fett, who became a "Star Wars" fan favorite long ago by embodying the “less is more” maxim. Boba Fett only had four lines in the original movie trilogy, but they were good lines. Also, he had a cool helmet, he didn’t care about any of the other characters, and he died a hilariously ignominious death in "Return of the Jedi" after falling into the Sarlacc pit: a living cavern that slowly digests people over a period of a thousand years. A thousand years, by coincidence, is exactly how long the premiere of Fett’s namesake show feels. There is no less made more here. This show is all chicken s—t, no chicken salad.



"TBOBF" comes off the heels of "The Mandalorian," which was an excellent space Western: so much so that "Star Wars" fans, apparently bereft of actual loved ones, spent days profusely thanking creator Jon Favreau on Twitter after its second season ended. They will do no such thing this time around. Favreau wrote the first episode of "TBOBF" and handed directing duties over to 1990s relic Robert Rodriguez, who’s no stranger to making outlet mall-quality children’s cinema. Together, they’ve made 38 minutes of entertainment — God, how could 38 minutes move by so slowly? — that would end the careers of people with lesser resumes. Let me highlight some of their failings right now. And trust me: You’d rather read the spoilers here than endure the story they spoil.

Originally, Boba Fett died when he fell into that Sarlacc pit. But what "The Book of Boba Fett" presupposes is … what if he didn’t? "Return of the Jedi" was released 38 years ago. So Favreau, along with every other living American, had ample time to imagine all kinds of creative ways for Fett to escape that pit. Here’s what he and Rodriguez came up with: Fett, played by wooden New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison, remains conscious inside the toxic digestive tract of an alien beast, finds a dead Stormtrooper there, siphons off that Stormtrooper’s oxygen supply for a little pick-me-up, and then uses his wrist-mounted flamethrower to, like burn a few surrounding innards. HEY PRESTO! The screen goes white and we’re gifted a cliched shot of Fett’s hand reaching out of the ground. How did he dig up through that ground? How long was he trapped in there? Didn’t he need a glass of water at some point?

snip

[Lovie777]

1. I enjoyed it . . .

[Jirel]

2. You're blaming the wrong people.

They didn’t invent that escape. The various comics and books came up with the basic version (https://www.vulture.com/article/book-of-boba-fett-sarlacc-escape-explanation-canon.html). Not that I’m interested in reading those because, well, as you pointed out, it’s dumb. But I’m not going to get all upset at Favreau et al over their attempt to make existing canon work. I watched the episode prepared to roll my eyes over the escape, and yep, they dragged the explanation along. But I’m going to watch, and probably enjoy, the series because I’m interested in the story of him being the new Tatooine crime boss, not in their rehash of a poor escape story that has been out there for years.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. Hubby and I thought it was so-so

It had better get more compelling soon or we will pass on the remainder of it and find something better to watch.

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. Definitely weaker than the Mandalorian.

Fight scenes alone were almost laughable.

Episode one was, I guess, supposed to be the back story to the back story already covered in the Mandalorian. Pretty tedious.

Hopefully, future episodes will be better.

Edit: and why were the Gammorean guards half naked? Budget cuts in wardrobe?