The Book Of Boba Fett (December 2021)

[Sassafras]

I agree with everything except this. Do you mean the narrative could have worked?

I'll buy that. With competent writers and directors, absolutely. I wasn't married to the cipher of a 'character' Boba Fett was in the OT. He was more of an idea. Although fans of the EU will disagree with me, invested as they are in all that came before.

Star Wars really is as bad as any major religion.

Yeah, I stand corrected. It's a REASONABLE arc IMO. Execution tripped and stumbled badly. But, IMO in the right hands it's salvageable.

However Boba got there, he's essentially godfather in Tatooine; there's a possibility of some interesting dynamics with Vanth (who is firmly moral) and assorted villains; assuming the Battle for Mandalore starts brewing - what is Fett's or Tattooine's involvement; Fennec may also have old enemies coming out of the woodwork; BS like the mods can simply be offloaded. IMO there's plenty of season 2 potential. Even the incest twins may decide to stir things up.

Star Wars really is as bad as any major religion.

Yeah and like any religion can be interpreted a million different ways. Tho it can probably be universally agreed that it should have take Fett more effort to get out of the Sarlacc pit.

 

[Wor-Gar]

But while I can basically play the entirety of SW on an endless loop (either in the background or as a full on rewatch) I almost need a specific reason to go back to the MCU.

It's called age.

You'll never love anything again like you love Star Wars.

 

[Victοr]

It's called age.

You'll never love anything again like you love Star Wars.

I have a lot of pop culture things I loved as a child/kid/tween but don't really have any uniquely special relationship with nowadays. I've talked about it before, but I never had this singular obsession with anything. It all came and went and whatever stayed with me just goes in circles. I don't think there's ten films total I could watch all over and over again, stuck in an infinite loop. I don't know how you guys do it.

 

[ZE_501]

Same thing, Boomer.

Literally me again.

In pants.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I never had this singular obsession with anything.

Uh... Doom, and comics.

You can pull the most obscure reference from comics faster than Khev can justify the ST, and with detailed information.

 

[Victοr]

In pants.

I do have special pants. Doom pants.

Uh... Doom, and comics.

You can pull the most obscure reference from comics faster than Khev can justify the ST, and with detailed information.

Sure, but that doesn't mean I like them. I just know things. Depending on the day what I like in the morning I might hate by the evening. There's no consistent "love affair" for me. I can find a bunch of things about Doom that piss me off; he's just the closest to a character that I can enjoy most of the time. Same with the X-Men, Star Wars, WH40K, Metal Gear, Batman, and so on and so forth. Right now I can write you an essay about Y2K-era X-Books, then wake up tomorrow and feel disgusted towards them and want to read an Inquisitor short story. Two days later I'm in full Mass Effect mode, find WH40K too grimdark, and by the end of the week the only thing I can bear is old Dark Horse EU SW comics. The next one starts with me bored of SW and really into... dunno, Green Lantern. For all of three days until I inevitably remember something else to feel nostalgic about/be interested in. Then rinse and repeat in a randomised order. I just have a bunch of IPs/Properties/Characters I like enough to not hate completely, and I cycle through them with very short "half-lives" so to speak.

It's mostly autistic masochistic completionism with some glimmers of entertainment. I don't have that pure feeling of enjoyment you folks have with anything.

 

[abake]

Question for those brave enough to admit they love the PT: Do you hate BOBF along with everyone else?

Because so much of what we see in BOBF seems like it would have been right at home in the PT, or at the very least something that George Lucas would have wanted to put in the PT. I could easily see the Mods in that one club that Anakin and Obi-Wan track Zam to on Coruscant for instance. Or hanging out in that silly diner where Obi-Wan meets Dex.

Palpatine's antics (and facial expressions) when he duels Mace and later Yoda aren't that far removed from the craziness of Fett banging around the kitchen. Now I'm not saying that any of that stuff is ideal (far from it, lol) but I don't find the worst stuff in BOBF to be any lamer than the worst of the PT whereas the best moments of BOBF I find to be cooler than the best aspects of the PT. And none of BOBF seems to be trying to dismiss, mock, or retcon the PT. In fact it really leans into honoring it for the most part, moreso than the OT even.

I've always been open about my love of the PT, so...


I'll try to go over the points you raise:

- The Mods. Yes, they would indeed not be amiss in the Coruscant bar. But... they'd only be filler in a larger scene within a large setting that is helping build the SW universe a bit more. They'd be fit in alright there, since we're in the middle of the Republic's Capital's trendy underbelly. And... at least the Death Sticks kid, as ridiculous as he was, was (for me) good comic relief, not a major player in the story. They could also certainly have been patrons of Dex's ridiculous Café, but again, just filler. Not important characters. In the regard, Dex is closer to them, since he actually is important to the story (sorta).

- Palpatine's antics/facial expressions. Hmm... that's a tough one. Because Palpatine is not really being played for laughs, whereas Boba Fett is, each in their respective scenes. So you might argue that Palpatine's acting is a worse offence, but I would argue that trying to make Boba Fett comic relief is worse.

- Best aspects of BOBF better than best aspects of PT. No, nope. Never. PT is pretty epic in scale (one might disagree about the quality or merit, but you can't disagree about the world building and epic scale). Boba Fett riding a rancor or having a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid moment with Mando do not come close to Duel of the Fates, or the battle over Coruscant, or Obi Wan fighting Jango on Geonosis.

And I do like that both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett don't try to dump on the PT, but rather embrace many elements of it. That, however, doesn't make them better or worse.

 

[JAWS]

Seeing IW in the theaters was an awe-inducing gut punch and EG was one of the single most exhilarating cinematic experiences of my life. But...I agree with a lot of the sentiments here that even the best of the MCU just doesn't call me to revisit it that often which based on the endless rewatchability of even the worst SW films just seems somehow wrong.

Like ZE_501 said it's a sentiment that is hard to describe. I watched IW/EG back to back again a couple months ago when Disney+ updated them with IMAX ratios and LOVED them all over again. But while I can basically play the entirety of SW on an endless loop (either in the background or as a full on rewatch) I almost need a specific reason to go back to the MCU. It was awesome, it was satisfying, it was completely unprecedented, it likely won't ever be replicated and yet...eh whatever give me more Boba Fett in a bathrobe hunting wabbits in a kitchen, lol.

The MCU is all basically the same. Some cool moments but nothing magical like SW.

The closest MCU film to capture that magical feeling imo was the first avengers film. I can return to that and watch it on any given day. All the others, you almost feel like they are a puzzle piece and you have to have all the puzzle pieces to fully appreciate the picture. Problem is all the puzzle pieces look the same and thus putting the puzzle together can be a bit boring lol.

Besides the best MCU films have nothing on ANH or ESB. And the MCU has nothing on the imagination of the first 6 episodes.

I like the MCU but are there really any truly great films out of that series? I’m taking, Jaws, ESB, ROTLA, LOTR, The Godfather type of greatness.

I don’t think so.

Bad SW has the imagination and some cool action to make it rewatchable The universe always feels huge and filled with adventure. MCU somehow always feels a little small… Low budget even.

I don’t include the ST in this conversation because I only find one of easily rewatchable and they are not filled with the GL imagination.

 

[JAWS]

Question for those brave enough to admit they love the PT: Do you hate BOBF along with everyone else?

Because so much of what we see in BOBF seems like it would have been right at home in the PT, or at the very least something that George Lucas would have wanted to put in the PT. I could easily see the Mods in that one club that Anakin and Obi-Wan track Zam to on Coruscant for instance. Or hanging out in that silly diner where Obi-Wan meets Dex.

Palpatine's antics (and facial expressions) when he duels Mace and later Yoda aren't that far removed from the craziness of Fett banging around the kitchen. Now I'm not saying that any of that stuff is ideal (far from it, lol) but I don't find the worst stuff in BOBF to be any lamer than the worst of the PT whereas the best moments of BOBF I find to be cooler than the best aspects of the PT. And none of BOBF seems to be trying to dismiss, mock, or retcon the PT. In fact it really leans into honoring it for the most part, moreso than the OT even.

I agree that BOBF seems more at home with the PT then any other part of the SW timeline. But it lacked GL so it was the worst of everThing

 

[Khev]

The MCU is all basically the same. Some cool moments but nothing magical like SW.

The closest MCU film to capture that magical feeling imo was the first avengers film. I can return to that and watch it on any given day. All the others, you almost feel like they are a puzzle piece and you have to have all the puzzle pieces to fully appreciate the picture. Problem is all the puzzle pieces look the same and thus putting the puzzle together can be a bit boring lol.

Besides the best MCU films have nothing on ANH or ESB. And the MCU has nothing on the imagination of the first 6 episodes.

I like the MCU but are there really any truly great films out of that series? I’m taking, Jaws, ESB, ROTLA, LOTR, The Godfather type of greatness.

I don’t think so.

Bad SW has the imagination and some cool action to make it rewatchable The universe always feels huge and filled with adventure. MCU somehow always feels a little small… Low budget even.

I don’t include the ST in this conversation because I only find one of easily rewatchable and they are not filled with the GL imagination.

Dude this is so well put I can't like this post enough, lol. Though it's also a little depressing because on one hand I want to mention the MCU in the same breath as those other films you listed, and if we're just talking about the experience of going to the movies then the MCU definitely had a few moments that rivaled those other films and yet...I agree at the end of the day there's a certain emptiness or lack of weightiness about the MCU when compared to say SW or LOTR. I wouldn't say "soulless" but it still feels lacking in a way that's hard to articulate.

 

[a-dev]

Can't agree. I'm happy not to be able to agree. Good MCU movies are easily more watchable to me than bad Star Wars. Matter of fact I can't even remember the last time I specifically sat down to watch Star Wars at its best - probably been a good few years since I watched Empire. It's a classic and I've filed it away as such. It's the MCU's time. Perhaps the day will come when it will no longer be the MCU's time - but it is not this day!

 

[ZE_501]

Weight Classes:

LOTR - Heavyweight
Star Wars - Middleweight
MCU - Lightweight

That's not referring to quality, but stakes and drama. The LOTR has more pathos and emotional weight, an operatic heaviness at times ... the Battle of Helm's Deep comes to mind amongst many other scenes.

Star Wars has moments of grandeur and weight but it's lighter and more 'fun'.

MCU is all popcorn and jokes. I loved the Infinity Saga save one or two films, but it's very fluffy. Empty calories.

 

[ZE_501]

Can't agree. I'm happy not to be able to agree. Good MCU movies are easily more watchable to me than bad Star Wars. Matter of fact I can't even remember the last time I specifically sat down to watch Star Wars at its best - probably been a good few years since I watched Empire. It's a classic and I've filed it away as such. It's the MCU's time. Perhaps the day will come when it will no longer be the MCU's time - but it is not this day!

Star Wars has decades of pop culture, a different historical period (sensibilities, technology, market saturation) and childhood anchoring it for most of us.

The MCU is fresh, and light and fluffy though it is, it speaks to different sensibilities for us. I'm sure children have a different perspective.

The glut of bad Star Wars content has worn me out and I re-visit any of it, even the good stuff -- much less these days. I'll let it rest a good few years.

Similarly the mediocre to poor MCU content of late has me putting it all down, which is fine. I'll re-visit the favourites some day and enjoy them.

Nothing lasts forever.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

I see through JAWS's bull****. JAWS is just angry because his boy Hulk was neutered. I see his pain.

Talking about bad SW feels huge and blah blah...gtfo.

98% SW is f****** Tatooine and deserts.

 

[Khev]

I've always been open about my love of the PT, so...


I'll try to go over the points you raise:

- The Mods. Yes, they would indeed not be amiss in the Coruscant bar. But... they'd only be filler in a larger scene within a large setting that is helping build the SW universe a bit more. They'd be fit in alright there, since we're in the middle of the Republic's Capital's trendy underbelly. And... at least the Death Sticks kid, as ridiculous as he was, was (for me) good comic relief, not a major player in the story. They could also certainly have been patrons of Dex's ridiculous Café, but again, just filler. Not important characters. In the regard, Dex is closer to them, since he actually is important to the story (sorta).

- Palpatine's antics/facial expressions. Hmm... that's a tough one. Because Palpatine is not really being played for laughs, whereas Boba Fett is, each in their respective scenes. So you might argue that Palpatine's acting is a worse offence, but I would argue that trying to make Boba Fett comic relief is worse.

- Best aspects of BOBF better than best aspects of PT. No, nope. Never. PT is pretty epic in scale (one might disagree about the quality or merit, but you can't disagree about the world building and epic scale). Boba Fett riding a rancor or having a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid moment with Mando do not come close to Duel of the Fates, or the battle over Coruscant, or Obi Wan fighting Jango on Geonosis.

And I do like that both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett don't try to dump on the PT, but rather embrace many elements of it. That, however, doesn't make them better or worse.

Thanks for your insights!

I assume you meant Obi-Wan fighting Jango on Kamino? Either way I find your PT "greatest hits" lineup quite fascinating (DotF, Coruscant Space Battle, OB1 vs. Jango) and don't think that they hold a candle to the BOBF finale. Not with the way that each was executed anyway. I agree that the setting and ideas of the PT were indeed great but I also don't think that BOBF was lacking in those areas either. I think if BOBF had just zigged instead of zagged in a couple of key moments with 95% of the show remaining as it was then the massive negative outcry against it would be all but neutralized. You know like if Fett had blown the door instead of fiddled with the button, dropped a seismic charge into the Sarlacc while doing a quick flyby instead of hunting for his armor and so forth.

But then without those moments we wouldn't have had nearly as much fun, lol.

One thing that helped prevent me from being too offended at a lot of the silliness in BOBF is that save for the button pushing moment pretty much all of the goofy stuff is done by a bald guy in a bathrobe (or undies, lol.) And since for me he isn't truly Boba Fett unless he's got the armor and helmet on I found his overall showing in BOBF to actually be superior and more respectful than his appearance in ROTJ. Because whenever the real Boba Fett showed up in BOBF (whether he was standing down two Hutts and Black Krrsantan, blasting away back to back with Mando or riding the Rancor) he was freaking cool! (IMO obviously)

Then whenever the helmet came off it was almost like he became another character that I wasn't so attached to, and therefore wasn't so easily offended when he did something silly. Maybe it's like someone saying "okay you can make Banner be silly or do embarrassing things but not the freaking Hulk!" Maybe not the best example but I found myself seeing the show as overlapping comedy, then cool, comedy, then cool. And when they wanted to do something comedic bald bathrobe guy showed up and when it was time for cool Boba freaking Fett showed up. Yes I know it's technically the same guy, and alternating comedy and cool is a damn slippery slope indeed, but for some reason I found that it worked when all was said and done. Probably because as I've said before I find some of SW's sillier derails like the Holiday Special, Droids cartoons, and even the PT to be quite endearing and a still legitimate piece of the overall puzzle that is SW, even if my favorite stuff by far is what we got in ANH, ESB and the more serious/badass aspects of the Saga like RO and Mando.

And to me even though BOBF ventured off into Crazyland like I never would have imagined beforehand it still brought the over the top cool, but I say that as a longtime RR fan and realize that his version of "cool" isn't for everyone either. Anyway I'm once again in TLDR land so I'll wrap this up but thanks for giving your take as a PT guy.

 

[DeChino]

Question for those brave enough to admit they love the PT: Do you hate BOBF along with everyone else?

Because so much of what we see in BOBF seems like it would have been right at home in the PT, or at the very least something that George Lucas would have wanted to put in the PT. I could easily see the Mods in that one club that Anakin and Obi-Wan track Zam to on Coruscant for instance. Or hanging out in that silly diner where Obi-Wan meets Dex.

Palpatine's antics (and facial expressions) when he duels Mace and later Yoda aren't that far removed from the craziness of Fett banging around the kitchen. Now I'm not saying that any of that stuff is ideal (far from it, lol) but I don't find the worst stuff in BOBF to be any lamer than the worst of the PT whereas the best moments of BOBF I find to be cooler than the best aspects of the PT. And none of BOBF seems to be trying to dismiss, mock, or retcon the PT. In fact it really leans into honoring it for the most part, moreso than the OT even.

pt>bobf

even if the pt can come off silly which it does a lot, those moments never feel as silly as the ones in bobf. not too mention the pt clearly had a reason to be told where the bobf just feels like another disney sw cash grab.

power ranger scooters or pod race? pod race of course.
boba stumbling around and barely knowing what do or obi v jango? jango.
poor very noticeable cgi or pt's aged cgi? pt's cgi for sure.

dont get me wrong, i like a lot of the stuff in bobf. the tusken and mando stuff was really good, way better than a lot of the stuff we got in the pt. but overall bobf felt very "dry" for lack of a better term for sw. pt has that sw feel, it doesn't feel unnecessary and the important parts of those movies are done really well, maul duel and lil ani finale, geonosis battle, mustafar duel are all way better finales than what we got.

 

[Khev]

pt>bobf

even if the pt can come off silly which it does a lot, those moments never feel as silly as the ones in bobf. not too mention the pt clearly had a reason to be told where the bobf just feels like another disney sw cash grab.

power ranger scooters or pod race? pod race of course.
boba stumbling around and barely knowing what do or obi v jango? jango.
poor very noticeable cgi or pt's aged cgi? pt's cgi for sure.

dont get me wrong, i like a lot of the stuff in bobf. the tusken and mando stuff was really good, way better than a lot of the stuff we got in the pt. but overall bobf felt very "dry" for lack of a better term for sw. pt has that sw feel, it doesn't feel unnecessary and the important parts of those movies are done really well, maul duel and lil ani finale, geonosis battle, mustafar duel are all way better finales than what we got.

I may not agree with your take or comparisons but only because I have different preferences, thanks for sharing!

 

[Khev]

It's called age.

You'll never love anything again like you love Star Wars.

That's definitely a huge factor but Marvel Superheroes, LOTR, etc., were around in the 70's and I remember enjoying them at that time but it's funny how we just latch on to certain things and never let go. I mean there's millions of people my exact age who would have watched the same OT as me in the theaters at the exact same time, loved them, and then moved on with their lives to focus on other things, lol.

 

[Khev]

Can't agree. I'm happy not to be able to agree. Good MCU movies are easily more watchable to me than bad Star Wars. Matter of fact I can't even remember the last time I specifically sat down to watch Star Wars at its best - probably been a good few years since I watched Empire. It's a classic and I've filed it away as such. It's the MCU's time. Perhaps the day will come when it will no longer be the MCU's time - but it is not this day!

So much of the MCU for me is like Solo. Solid, inoffensive, even cool but by the numbers and never really achieving massive highs. And with SW I so love the highest highs that I'll take them even if they're simultaneously intertwined with the lowest lows, lol. So much of AOTC is bad, cringy, outright frustrating...but it's got freaking Geonosis so I'll still take it over most of the MCU, lol.

I also love when movies really give it their all and for better or worse RR absolutely held nothing back. Whereas I can't imagine that the filmmakers on Solo really thought that the finale of that film was the best possible way to end that story. Same with most of the MCU. Solid and respectable but also with a feeling that the filmmakers were often coasting or on autopilot (with some notable exceptions obviously.) And that to me is ultimately more annoying than when they shoot for the moon and fall on their face. Lucas and RR are both definitely guilty of the latter but RR stuck the landing (IMO) so that's why right now at least I'm finding myself rating BOBF higher than the PT and Fett's demise in ROTJ.

 

[ZE_501]

I mean there's millions of people my exact age who would have watched the same OT as me in the theaters at the exact same time, loved them, and then moved on with their lives to focus on other things, lol.

I had mostly forgotten Star Wars outside of quoting it between nerd friends for years ... I remembered it for a while when the PT films came out, forgot it again. Around 2011-2012 I took a deep dive into costumes and props when I became obsessed with 1/6th stormtroopers and sandtroopers ... and around about now I feel like I'll be putting it away again.