Also, piracy exists. You can support the show without your finances! I wouldn’t 100% encourage it, but it’s an option.
Watch it or don’t watch it, but be aware of stealing and our position on it. #3 and #4.
EDIT:
Sorry about that, Tobar . Didn’t read to the end of the page before I jumped in.
Review, with mild ***** SPOILERS *****
You may or not be aware, but Ive been a Batman uber-nerd since grade school. To say the least, I’m a tough audience. For me, it’s always been 1966 and 1989 only.
No second Keaton/Burton (it was terrible). The Schumacher films were insultingly bad. Nolan/Bale was too much of everything and to me they haven’t aged well at all. Ledger should have gotten an Oscar for scene chewing. 1 or 2 viewings and I said goodbye. They look like cosplay at a comic book convention.
Skipped all the Affleck films. No interest. DC lost me with their inability to understand their own characters. Don’t get me started. Which brings me to this new film;
Pattinson nails this darker version. Plus - Batman as a detective - and the villain isnt the focus of the film, Batman is. What a novel idea. Oh, and FINALLY, we don’t have to watch Bruce’s parents being murdered. Zoë Kravitz Is the best Catwoman since Lee Meriwether. She is a perfect live action version of Catwoman as she’s been drawn and portrayed for the past ten years. Several of the Batman/Catwoman scenes looked like they used the current comic books as storyboards. Really well done.
I like that the film doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t. It tells a story of Batman and does it unapologetically and without pretense. That’s something I didn’t care for with the Nolan films. There was this sort of air about them that they were to be the true and authentic Batman. There isn’t one after 80 years of the character and all the changes in the Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern ages of the comic books.
My other favorites, ‘66 and ‘89, were authentic versions of specific periods in the comics. The TV show was an exact representation of what the comic books were in the 60s. Several episodes were direct lifts from specific issues.
Burton89 had Frank Miller’s fingerprints all over it. After Burton, each new take seemed to be insinuating that it was a correction to the previous mistake - whether either side of that argument is true or not. I can’t speak to Batfleck, so I won’t.
I very much appreciate that this new film is its own story and take. I like that, as a lifelong fan, I can sit and watch Batman without it having any franchise or fan base subtext.
It feels clean, as an entity. The way ‘66 and ‘89 did. It speaks to my outlook on the world at this point in my journey. After a few days of pondering it, as well as having these emotional reactions as the story progressed in the theater, this is my go-to now.
In short, I really liked it. I’ll see it repeatedly and buy it. Will elaborate if the discussion warrants it. Also, I’ve been listening to the soundtrack all day while I worked. It took a lot to back ‘66 and ‘89 down a bit, but this has done it. My Batworld is now ‘66, ‘89, and ‘22.
Second viewing in a few days, third a week later and then waiting for the home release.
Let us get back on track before the mods make us shall we?
Best advice so far.
I mean, originally Vader was not Luke’s father, Beru and Owen were actually Obi wan’s family etc.
I’m truly sorry Lucas got away with making sure people forgot about that.
Back to the topic. Disney has really leaned into bringing the Prequels back into the franchise. Not being familiar with the Prequels, I’m not as clear on when I’m seeing a tie-in. I recognize a few though (I think) and I’ve had to make peace with them when watching Bad Batch, which I really like. Same with Mando, which I also really like. I’ve seen a few I’m sure of and I’ve accepted that it’s the price of admission for these shows. No doubt, Kenobi will be thick with them. Can’t say for sure I’ll watch it beyond an episode or two.
People really need to stop projecting so many expectations onto Star Wars.
People really need to stop projecting so many assumptions onto how others consume tv shows and movies.
hy·poc·ri·sy | \ hi-ˈpä-krə-sē also hī-
plural hypocrisies
I’ve never said it before, but I’m an occasional article writer for the website sweditorig.com and posted a full review of The Book of Boba Fett the other day. Here it is in case anyone is interested.
https://www.sweditorig.com/post/the-book-of-boba-fett-series-review
Well articulated, reviewed, and written, sir. I have to say, after chewing on the whole series a bit now that it’s over, I agree fully with your article. I started excited, became more so, suddenly lost interest, scratched my head at Mando Season 3 episode (even though it was my favorite), loved Ms Howard’s episode, then enjoyed bits of the finale. I’ll look for more of your work on that site. Again, great piece.
I’ll add a couple of positives for me that I left out of my initial review of the final episode. I liked the way Fett killed Bane. It was Fett being shown as the capable and sometimes ruthless tough guy we’ve long known him to be. He looked and acted strong standing over a soon to be victim.
I also really liked the X-Wing entrance for Grogu. I was totally expecting Luke to sleepwalk through another sequence and deliver him, while going on to a lengthy discussion with Fett and Mando about who knows what. Having R2 deliver him was a great surprise touch. Also happy we get to fill in Grogu making his choice to Luke with our imaginations. For me, that whole sequence - X-Wing approach, Peli having a mild panic about it, to the cockpit opening is possibly my favorite part of the entire series.
This finale and now in retrospect, this show, was a complete, and utter, mess.
Having seen the last episode just now, I have to say I agree. I enjoyed all The Mandalorian parts, but the rest seems pointless. The Luke episode even more so. He did nothing but sit around. In 1983 I found Jedi Luke boring. 40 years later, I still do.
As for Fett himself, the best of this Book was last year’s teaser.
There were moments where I found the last battle interesting, but it was too long and at times unfocused. I liked all the Rancor parts. That worked well I thought.
I agree. It wasn’t a wasted episode. To me, It was the most interesting by far. Not surprising though because it’s an episode of The Mandalorian. That’s the show I’m interested in, not the BOBF, which has been lackluster. A great deal of which is the weird choice to light everything like a 1980s soap opera. WAY too much light. It all looks like a TV show with a limited budget, all filmed on sets. It looks and feels nothing like the teaser we got last year or any Boba episodes of The Mandalorian.
How in hell did this upside-down civilization get started?
I’d be fully on board with them bringing in Omega and Rex. That would give the story some needed depth.
If not, I think it would be great to see a live action version of the two of them in a series of their own.
For Omega, they could cast Angourie Rice. She’s a ringer for Omega and she has the chops to bring her to life.
Lucas said, (at the time anyway) he was going for an Arabian Nights fat sultan vibe with Jabba. Would you rather Jabba have looked like this guy? 😉
Yes. 😉
At least he was someone who could move and function like a crime boss.
That said; having him as someone who is never seen, just a plot point to keep our rogue hero on the run worked much better for two films. We never needed to see him. He worked perfectly as an unseen threat.
Didn’t Luke strangle him with a chain in Return, or was he killed when the barge crashed?
Leia was the one who strangled him, actually.
He’s being sarcastic
I wasn’t. I forgot who strangled him and then thought maybe he died on the barge crash. Its been a really long time since I saw Return.
Weird how time gets away from you. I remember where I worked and how we had Lunchtime Theater everyday. We did a Star Wars week one time. That was back in '97. Like I said, been a while since I saw it. Last time before that was the one time in the theater on its Opening Day release.
Jabba moved around fine in A New Hope special edition …
Haven’t seen any special editions and I’m unfamiliar with the prequels. I’ll take your word for it, but they still seem ridiculous to me. They would be slaughtered very quickly.
Didn’t Luke strangle him with a chain in Return, or was he killed when the barge crashed?
Went back and finished #3 and watched #4. My opinion hasn’t changed. It’s a weird mix of interesting (Fett and Krrsantan), uninteresting (Hutts), stupid (kitchen scene that felt like 1978 Holiday Special), and weirdly unnecessary (Mods). Fennec being repaired by the Mods (who behave like Rockers) seemed like Prequel style backstory.
The Hutts, in 1983 and in this, seem ridiculous. If the show even flirted with realism, they would have been done away with quickly and easily. If you’re a worm that has to be carried everywhere, you can be easily killed by the criminals and killers you keep close by. But I digress…
This thing is a mess. It reminds me of the film Solo. Too many chefs and too many side character stories. Boba is the only really interesting part for me. The rest feels and sometimes looks like TV show filler. I won’t be watching this series a second time. My personal canon for Fett will stay Empire and Mandalorian.
After the excellent restoration of Fett in The Mandalorian, I was very excited for this series. Particularly after that teaser scene last year.
I have to say, I’ve been less than enthused. It’s slow, he’s soft, the sets look like sets, and for the love of God - we’re on Tatooine AGAIN?!!
What the hell? Just how tiny is the Galaxy Far Far Away?
Along that line, it’s once again being depicted as some sort of very populated planet, complete with some very large cities. That’s very Prequel-esque. Mandalorian had gone a long way toward restoring it to some sort of backwater planet with very few inhabitants, circa 1977.
I don’t need to see more Hutts, Hammerheads, Gamorreans, etc. I’m assuming I’ve missed a Gonk or two by now.
I thought the Mods looked completely out of place on Tatooine. In fact, when they first show the Mods, I stopped it and put in a Spider-Man film.
Hopefully it gets better. If not, I have The Mandalorian episodes of Fett to hold me. They restored the character and his dignity. That’s fine for me.
I think he’s right about that. I also think that’s why recent entries have been (for me) so much better than the Lucas films. Rogue One, The Mandolorian, and Visions have been as big to me as a fan as the 1970s. They aren’t tethered to that BS ”original vision” lie of Lucas.
Free of his smothering involvement, writers and directors have been able to explore the vastness of the GFFA. Similar to the way the EU novels have been for decades.
If you’re not familiar with her films, she’s long been an action star. She does all her own stunts as well. She has some mild fight scenes in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. They’re mild compared to her other work because the character is instructing someone, not actually fighting them.
I’ll be brief because I still have a few episodes to go. I’ll say this: Outside of Speed Racer as a kid (which I loved), I’ve never really cared for anime. To my inexperienced eye, it all looks the same; big eyes, no facial features or depth. I get that it’s huge in the world, it just seemed flat to me.
Until this past week. I hadn’t planned to watch Visions. However, it was only out of disinterest not as any sort of issue I had with the premise. In fact, the idea sounded interesting. A nerd friend pushed a bit and said he thought I’d dig them, at least three or four of them. Plus they’re only 15 minutes each, he said. Give one or two a look and then bail if they don’t interest you.
Long story maybe shorter: I have thoroughly enjoyed these. The artwork is really interesting and the stories are even more so. They’re not connected to The Saga outside of familiar terms and realities in-universe (e.g., the Force, lightsabers, the Empire, Jedi).
These are truly alternate takes in a tangent Star Wars universe. I haven’t even finished the series yet and I’ve already watched two of them twice. I have a whole new appreciation for anime. Color me a fan.
The two I’ve watched twice are The Duel and The Ninth Jedi. I’m sorry they aren’t two hour features. Maybe these seven anime studios will get a second go-round to develop longer episodes.
edit
Finished all but one. I don’t have any interest in the second episode. It seems silly, plus enough with Tatooine already. I saw clips and it looked prequel Tatooine anyway. hard pass for me.
Anyway, I really liked the others quite a lot. I’ve watched all of them twice, two of them three times. If I had to rank by interest, whether it’s story, art, or both;
The Duel
T0-B1
The Ninth Jedi
The Twins
The Village Bride
Lop And Ocho
The Elder
Akakiri
Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s been a nice change of pace to meet some new characters. I was talking with a friend of mine in our weekly nerd discussion about how the stories have been easy to watch because they have, for the most part, been free of world ending weight.
That’s not a criticism. I don’t always need everything to be so heavy. That said, they really upped the weight the last few episodes and I thought it worked really well. The last two in particular brought the story into a more complex place. I thought it was very interesting that they left it there. No resolution, just a lot more on the line as our heroes get deeper into their journey.
I went into this series thinking it would be a nice decompression show every week. Nothing to get to deep into. Just some one-of adventures, interesting animation, etc. It had that for sure, but it also had some very interesting character development. Turns out I’ve enjoyed it much more than I thought I would when it was announced. The animation was fantastic and the score is fantastic… I listen to it regularly while I work and commute.
The acoustic guitar work in Onderon is some of the best music to ever come out of the franchise. Caleb At The Cliff is very much an homage to Bernard Herrmann. Those two are my favorites.
@DrVibble Regarding your review. At one point you mention drama about Lucasfilm and Kennedy. You better not be referring to those false “civil war” rumors from Doomcock…
Word that less like a threat. Consider this a warning.
@DrVibble Regarding your review. At one point you mention drama about Lucasfilm and Kennedy. You better not be referring to those false “civil war” rumors from Doomcock…
“You['d] better not be,” followed by an ominous ellipsis? What the heck? Am I the only one reading this as a threat? DrVibble took the time to write out a very thorough and kind review, and that’s your response? What’s your problem?
Hey mods, is making vague threats against other users enough to get Testing kicked off this thread? Please?
I was just logging in to discuss that very issue.
Worth noting also; in 1977 there wasn’t a series of films or yet-to-be-filmed second movie. It was a single story. No plot hole.
For sure one of the stronger episodes. Great location and depth of story. I’m really digging Omega’s character growth. She’s still innocent and learning, even when she’s being resourceful. Also nice to have a large part of her escaping being facilitated by the two bounty hunters having to fight each other to the point of distraction.
This has been the case all along, but maybe even more this week; the animation is amazing. The lighting and atmosphere on the derelict facility was my favorite of the series so far.
