[8.7/10] Something about the Favreau branch of Star Wars feels so true to the franchise’s roots. There’s a continual sense that both The Mandalorian and *The Book of Boba Fett are throwbacks to the same sort of pulp storytelling that once inspired George Lucas. Favreau and the creative team behind this show are far from the first to do a Dances with Wolves-style tale of an outsider being taken in by, and eventually becoming a part of, a group of indingenious people. But the modern, fantastical reimagining of the idea works so well within Star Wars given that history of the stories told within this setting.
There’s nothing fancy or especially novel about Boba becoming a part of the Tusken tribe who initially captured him, finding common cause with them, and aiding them in the struggle against their aggressors. The story beats here are as well-worn as the sand-smacked tents the tribe takes with them. But the rendition of them is so good, the emotion and visual grammar and production design so committed, that you feel for it all nonetheless.
The show remains laconic, but the images tell the story here. We see the progression of Boba learning how to wield a Tusken staff, as his skill grows under the tutelage of the Badass Tusken in Black (or “BTIB” for short). We see him witness the loss of life and senseless devastation at the hands of a passing train of criminals shooting at the locals for sport. We watch him saunter into a biker bar and smash up the culprits so he can take their vehicles and use it for a greater cause. And we watch him continue this cultural exchange, showing his benefactors how to use the bike at the same time they teach him how to fend for himself amid this desolation. There’s a given-and-take, a growing mutual respect and admiration between Boba and his new compatriots, that needs few words to come across the transom for us to feel it.
It crescendos into one hell of a set piece. I don’t know what it is about action sequences set on trains, but they almost always work. (See also: Samurai Jack, The Wolverine, even Solo.) There’s excitement here not just because of the uptempo vibe and the exquisite production design and effects, (Seriously, that multi-armed train conductor droid is the most Star Wars thing I’ve seen in forever), but because it’s the culmination of the montage where Boba shows his friends how to leap from the speeders, of the BTIB proving his prowess is not just academic but also effective in combat, of Boba himself paying back these people who’ve suffered so much by turning the tables on those who slaughter them so callously.
There’s a real resonance in having a man of Maori descent like Temura Morrison star in a story of indigenous people reclaiming their ancestral lands from aggressors. For so long, the Tuskens have been treated as faceless, half-feral antagonists. Seeing them not only treated with such a humanizing gaze here, but put front and center in a tale of casting off the shackles of people who disrespect their land and treat them as disposable, is arguably a major breakthrough for Star Wars.
Granted, the vision quest is a bit of a cliche with its own problems, but that too has a long history in Star Wars. The way Boba Fett flashes back to key moments in his life as he finds the branch for his own staff adds a sense of spirituality to the proceedings. (Though it’d be nice if they found a way to incorporate a few of his adventures from Star Wars: The Clone Wars into those scenes.) Star Wars, at least in its original form, was a very tactile presentation. Taking time to show Boba being dressed by his new compatriots, the labor that goes into his staff, gives it extra meaning and a sense of rousing achievement when he walks out in his new clothes, or gets the nod from the BITB, having become a full member of the tribe through what he’s given back to it. The story there is simple, but by god is it effective.
The plot we get to see in the present isn’t nearly as moving, but is certainly intriguing. The presence of two twin Hutts, who turn out to be Jabba’s cousins, seeking to reclaim what they view as their territory, portends and interesting power struggle. (And the fact that they have a badass Wookiee bounty hunter in tow only adds to the cool factor.) We finally meet The Mayor, an Ithorian who seems crafty and a player in his own right (who seems to have a bounty hunter type of his own). And watching Boba and Fennec banter while making the captured assassin-for-hire squirm and talk is a hoot. There’s more table-setting than actual progression in the present-set part of the episode, but they’re doing enough to hold my interest.
Overall, the flashback story is masterful enough to make up for any sense of incompleteness in the latter day developments. It’s a return to pulp storytelling, done chiefly through intriguing visuals and setting-specific flourishes that make them Star Wars’ own. That’s in keeping with the approach that once elevated the franchise so many years ago, while also evolving it through the new treatment and exploration of the Tuskens here. It’s a wonderful tribute to what Star Wars has been, also what it could be.
(As an aside, it’s neat to see the Pykes unmasked and tangled with here. I wonder if they’re still affiliated with Maul and/or Dryden Vos.)
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-01-07T04:34:53Z
[8.7/10] Something about the Favreau branch of Star Wars feels so true to the franchise’s roots. There’s a continual sense that both The Mandalorian and *The Book of Boba Fett are throwbacks to the same sort of pulp storytelling that once inspired George Lucas. Favreau and the creative team behind this show are far from the first to do a Dances with Wolves-style tale of an outsider being taken in by, and eventually becoming a part of, a group of indingenious people. But the modern, fantastical reimagining of the idea works so well within Star Wars given that history of the stories told within this setting.
There’s nothing fancy or especially novel about Boba becoming a part of the Tusken tribe who initially captured him, finding common cause with them, and aiding them in the struggle against their aggressors. The story beats here are as well-worn as the sand-smacked tents the tribe takes with them. But the rendition of them is so good, the emotion and visual grammar and production design so committed, that you feel for it all nonetheless.
The show remains laconic, but the images tell the story here. We see the progression of Boba learning how to wield a Tusken staff, as his skill grows under the tutelage of the Badass Tusken in Black (or “BTIB” for short). We see him witness the loss of life and senseless devastation at the hands of a passing train of criminals shooting at the locals for sport. We watch him saunter into a biker bar and smash up the culprits so he can take their vehicles and use it for a greater cause. And we watch him continue this cultural exchange, showing his benefactors how to use the bike at the same time they teach him how to fend for himself amid this desolation. There’s a given-and-take, a growing mutual respect and admiration between Boba and his new compatriots, that needs few words to come across the transom for us to feel it.
It crescendos into one hell of a set piece. I don’t know what it is about action sequences set on trains, but they almost always work. (See also: Samurai Jack, The Wolverine, even Solo.) There’s excitement here not just because of the uptempo vibe and the exquisite production design and effects, (Seriously, that multi-armed train conductor droid is the most Star Wars thing I’ve seen in forever), but because it’s the culmination of the montage where Boba shows his friends how to leap from the speeders, of the BTIB proving his prowess is not just academic but also effective in combat, of Boba himself paying back these people who’ve suffered so much by turning the tables on those who slaughter them so callously.
There’s a real resonance in having a man of Maori descent like Temura Morrison star in a story of indigenous people reclaiming their ancestral lands from aggressors. For so long, the Tuskens have been treated as faceless, half-feral antagonists. Seeing them not only treated with such a humanizing gaze here, but put front and center in a tale of casting off the shackles of people who disrespect their land and treat them as disposable, is arguably a major breakthrough for Star Wars.
Granted, the vision quest is a bit of a cliche with its own problems, but that too has a long history in Star Wars. The way Boba Fett flashes back to key moments in his life as he finds the branch for his own staff adds a sense of spirituality to the proceedings. (Though it’d be nice if they found a way to incorporate a few of his adventures from Star Wars: The Clone Wars into those scenes.) Star Wars, at least in its original form, was a very tactile presentation. Taking time to show Boba being dressed by his new compatriots, the labor that goes into his staff, gives it extra meaning and a sense of rousing achievement when he walks out in his new clothes, or gets the nod from the BITB, having become a full member of the tribe through what he’s given back to it. The story there is simple, but by god is it effective.
The plot we get to see in the present isn’t nearly as moving, but is certainly intriguing. The presence of two twin Hutts, who turn out to be Jabba’s cousins, seeking to reclaim what they view as their territory, portends and interesting power struggle. (And the fact that they have a badass Wookiee bounty hunter in tow only adds to the cool factor.) We finally meet The Mayor, an Ithorian who seems crafty and a player in his own right (who seems to have a bounty hunter type of his own). And watching Boba and Fennec banter while making the captured assassin-for-hire squirm and talk is a hoot. There’s more table-setting than actual progression in the present-set part of the episode, but they’re doing enough to hold my interest.
Overall, the flashback story is masterful enough to make up for any sense of incompleteness in the latter day developments. It’s a return to pulp storytelling, done chiefly through intriguing visuals and setting-specific flourishes that make them Star Wars’ own. That’s in keeping with the approach that once elevated the franchise so many years ago, while also evolving it through the new treatment and exploration of the Tuskens here. It’s a wonderful tribute to what Star Wars has been, also what it could be.
(As an aside, it’s neat to see the Pykes unmasked and tangled with here. I wonder if they’re still affiliated with Maul and/or Dryden Vos.)