Fan Film Mondays - The Jedi Hunter Review

 

Today's May the 4th Be with You! Now I could've reviewed a Star Wars movie or season three of The Mandalorian what with the upcoming movie (don't worry I'll still do that but at a later date). But I decided I wanted to celebrate with Fan Film Mondays!

But before we get into the review I do want to tell you my personal history with this one. Back when I was a kid I remember getting into Star Wars because of Genndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars and watching the old movies thanks to my Grandpa. I not only watched the movies and show but I also explored the internet to see other Star Wars related material. Don't worry little Michael didn't see anything naughty involving Twi'lek women, that came later in life 😏. But seriously I wanted to see more of Star Wars, and I got that not only in the form of the upcoming Revenge of the Sith, but by watching fan films. And this one was the very first Star Wars fan film I ever watched. But more importantly then that, it exposed me to the world of fan films. So in a way, you guys kind of this movie to thank for Fan Film Mondays.

The Jedi Hunter is a 2002 fan film that spoofs both Star Wars and The Crocodile Hunter. It was produced by Z-Team Productions, with John E. Hudgens directing and writing the story along with Lowell Cunningham and Denny Humbard.

The story is, Boba Fett invites us to join him as he travels in throughout space to hunter Jedi. It's a gonna be a wild ride so ya better strip in and let the best bounty hunter in the galaxy do what he does best.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Now typically I don't go too hard when it comes to effects. It goes without saying but for the longest time fan films had to use what they got because there were no crowd funding sites. With The Jedi Hunter there are a lot of good effects, blasters and lightsabers are pretty good. But there are times when things are rough around the edges. The biggest example is whenever Boba Fett flies you can plainly see it's CGI. But once again, let me reiterate, I won't give Hudgens and co. too much grief because again, this was 2002 and Kickstarter wouldn't be a thing until 2009.

• Positives

First let me praise the concept. Making Boba Fett, a badass, ruthless bounty hunter and turning him into space Steve Irwin is pretty funny. Especially since they made a good call by having Boba have Irwin's iconic Australian accent. I don't know why but it's just funny hearing "Crikey!" come out of Boba Fett's mouth.

Speaking of funny I also want to give credit to the humor. There's a lot of funny moments throughout. Like the beginning having mock commercials, some good one-liners, or the fact that Boba's treating his Jedi killing in a very lighthearted manner despite some pretty brutal kills. And of course Boba Fett just being Steve Irwin. Of course if none of you ever heard of Steve Irwin then shame on you! Stop reading this review right now and go watch some Crocodile Hunter! In all seriousness, I think even if you haven't seen Irwin's work you'll still get a laugh over how hokey Boba Fett is acting.

The last thing I'll praise is the pacing. Now this isn't a very long fan film. It's only six minutes and that's not counting the end credits and post-credit scene, but counting those then it's only eight minutes. Either way, this is a breeze.

Guys, if you want to get into the world of Star Wars fan films, then The Jedi Hunter is one of many good starts. Especially if you're curious what fan films were like during the early 2000's.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. I hope you all enjoyed May the 4th. Come back on Thursday, May 7th, where I'll begin the Road to Street Fighter (2026). Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.