With one year already gone since The Mandalorian Season 2's dramatic cliffhanger - which saw the shocking appearance of Luke Skywalker - fans have been eagerly awaiting a return to the galaxy far, far away. The Book of Boba Fett follows up on where viewers left the iconic bounty hunter as he takes over Jabba the Hutt's former crime empire on Tattooine with the help of Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand.
The series premiere kicks off 2022's packed Star Wars Disney+ slate just a few days early as the new year will also include Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, The Bad Batch Season 2, and potentially even The Mandalorian's third season.
As The Book of Boba Fett gets underway, many will be left wondering if it lives up to the high bar set by Star Wars' last highly-acclaimed series, The Mandalorian. So does it jetpack up to its predecessor's peaks or does it fall headfirst into a Sarlacc Pit?
Book of Boba Fett Premiere Reactions
As The Book of Boba Fett premieres its debut episode on Disney+, critics and fans alike have simultaneously shared their first reactions to the opener after no early screeners were provided to the press.
Joey Morona from Cleveland Plain Dealer praised the series' leads, saying that the starring duo make the episode "instantly watchable:"
"The combination of Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen make The Book of Boba Fett instantly watchable."
Brian Lloyd from entertainment.ie shared his intrigue to "see where it goes from here" due to the "fascination" that surrounds Boba Fett:
"Boba Fett has predominantly been a character that's existed in the background or working as a henchman for some larger threat. Given that the character still holds this fascination, it's going to be interesting to see where it goes from here."
IGN's Hanna Ines Flint similarly called Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen's performances the highlight of a "slow but strong" episode:
"Excellent performances from Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen are the highlight of a slow but strong opening episode."
Ian Freer from Empire praised "Fett’s gangster’s paradise" as "the most compelling aspect" although was critical of the slow pacing:
"As a series opener, it’s an entertaining, low-key start with Fett’s gangster’s paradise the most compelling aspect. But, even for a first episode, it needs a bit of jet-pack propulsion."
Giant Freakin Robot's Drew Dietsch described that the series ought to "scratch your itch" in the wait for The Mandalorian Season 3:
"The Book of Boba Fett is going to scratch your itch while you wait for The Mandalorian Season 3 and it's clearly designed to do just that."
Collider writer Maggie Lovitt said the pairing of Morrison and Wen created a "very exciting energy" and called the series "well worth the wait:"
"The first chapter may be a bit of a slow burn, but The Book of Boba Fett was well worth the wait. Morrison makes for a spectacularly fun lead, bringing new life to the Bounty Hunter, and he pairs nicely with Wen, creating very exciting energy when the pair are in scenes together."
National World's Alex Moreland described that while the series shows "some early promise" it demonstrates "very little ambition:"
"The Book of Boba Fett shows some early promise, but very little ambition."
Huw Fullerton from Radio Times called the first episode "slightly unremarkable" for "[leaning] a little too much on the past:"
"Overall this is a solid, slightly unremarkable first episode that leans a little too much on the past, in a series that’s arguably doing that with its entire concept."
Movie Nation's Roger Moore criticized the premiere for having "a lot of boredom crammed into 38 minutes:"
"Almost everything about this is perfunctory - a slow-footed ambush by parkour-trained space ninjas, assorted brawls with the club-wielding Sand People. That's a lot of boredom crammed into 38 minutes."
Jack Shepherd from Total Film said that premiere "does little unexpected to draw [viewers] in:"
"The Book of Boba Fett establishes the badass bounty hunter as a new force in the galaxy, but does little unexpected to draw us in."
At the time of writing, The Book of Boba Fett holds an 85% critic rating and 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Is The Book of Boba Fett a Hit?
Rounding up the reviews, most seem to agree the series had a fairly positive start and shows promise for what's to come. Additionally, critics are loving the leading duo of Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand as many call them the highlight of the series.
Meanwhile, on the more critical side, almost all of the reviews note the premiere's slow pacing, for better or for the worse, while many feel there was little to stand out or surprise viewers. Nonetheless, Boba Fett's solo series certainly has plenty of time to improve its pacing and deliver surprises in the remaining six installments.
The Book of Boba Fett Episode 1 is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.
