I could go through how this one episode of The Book of Boba Fett confirms what I’ve been saying for about a year now. I could even go into how this confirms what I’ve been saying for more than a year (what with the road map for fixing the sequel trilogy that I presented two years ago). But this is a review, and I’ll stick to reviewing the episode. I can come back to what all this means for Disney and Star Wars in future articles. If you’re wanting to know what I’ve been saying, the best article to start with is provided here:
Let’s get to the review:
This episode has very little to do with Boba Fett and his assortment of characters we’ve learned about in the first four episodes. We’re essentially dealing with two series under the same title at this point. There are the first four episodes, one of which was average (the second), two of which were lackluster (the first and fourth), and one that was downright awful to the point of ridicule (the third). Then we have episodes five and six, which are totally different. You might think the’re Mandalorian episodes, except that they’re really “Favreau and Filoni Star Wars Universe” episodes. If you haven’t seen the episode yet and want to not be spoiled, you should should stop reading now.
Spoilers Follow:
The reemergence of Luke Skywalker is not a surprise at all if you’ve been reading what I’ve been writing about Bob Chapek’s studios directive. It’s also not a surprise if you know what Favreau and Filoni are trying to do: namely, fix what happened in the sequel trilogy by making Luke Skywalker into the hero again. I can get into how all this plays out (or did as of a year ago), but essentially, Luke’s behavior in the sequel trilogy will be portrayed as having been a ruse to protect the whereabouts of Grogu. Grogu is the future of Star Wars, but Luke Skywalker is a solid part of it. So are the other original characters, in live action form, using CGI for the rest of time. This is never going back as long as they’re what is required to excite Star Wars fans and generate Disney+ subscriptions and box office money. The poor treatment of legacy characters is over.
What is surprising, and surprising to people who worked on this series, is that Luke Skywalker and Grogu were essentially all of Episode 6. They take up the majority of the screentime, along with the Mandalorian. Boba Fett has perhaps less than a minute, again, in his own series. As strange as that sounds, it’s probably a good thing. As soon as we were back with the Vespa Kidz and the other denizens of Boba Fett’s circle, I immediately groaned at the thought of having to spend time with them. Who cares about this compared to watching Luke train Grogu? We’re finally getting to see Luke train a padawan.
I don’t like that Grogu has been given an ultimatum about being a Jedi or having friendship. I also don’t think it’s in line with Luke’s original trilogy character. Did he cease caring about Han or Leia? No. I also don’t think that this is going to hold up, no matter which way the writers have Grogu selecting. Grogu is going to combine the Jedi and Mandalorian beliefs, mark my words.
The CGI for Luke Skywalker is phenomenal and almost perfect. It really is like watching a young Mark Hamill again. There’s a reason they brought on a YouTuber who was beating them with deepfakes, and Shamook has elevated this technology to a new level. This will be the future of cinema for as long as cinema exists now. No actor who signs over their likeness will ever age on screen or be lost through death, so long as technology can keep them crystallized in the exact form that audiences want.
So how do I rate this episode? Well, I think it’s literally everything a Star Wars fan could truly want. Maybe I’m wrong and hardcore Star Wars fans will find problems. Maybe somebody out there is so over it that they don’t care anymore regardless of what Disney tries. But if this had been released with Rey, rather than Grogu, in The Last Jedi, Disney would be billion and billions and billions of dollars richer. The episode is marvelous. Except when we go back to Boba Fett. And that’s why while I think the vast majority of this episode was at the very top of what will drive Disney subscriptions, I also acknowledge that we have to go back to Boba Fett and his gang in Episode 7. We have to rejoin Director Rodriguez for an Episode 3 sendoff. It’s disjointed, and I have no excitement for going back to Tatooine.
This is basically two episodes, so here’s how I rate them:
The Luke, Grogu, Mandalorian Episode: 9.8 (Nearly Perfect)
The Boba Fett Snippets Episode: 3 (Who Cares?)
Now it’s time for you to let me know your thoughts. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Are you ready for a Luke and Grogu series (I don’t think we’re getting that soon)? And as always, keep checking out That Park Place to know what will be happening in Star Wars before anybody else.
Oh, one more victory lap for me, if you’ll indulge me? I told you they’re trying to get Yoda.
