Oh, I don't think boas are more intelligent than Retics. From what I understand, reticulated pythons are quite a bit brighter than most other pythons, or, at least, their behavior suggests it.
There are trade-offs when it comes to live-bearing for reptiles, which is why most reptiles don't do it. It's not really a 'more evolved trait'. Birds are much further along the evolutionary ladder, and none of them are live-bearing. Even flightless birds lay eggs.
Better eyesight will make an animal seem more alert, reactive, and aware, but it doesn't actually indicate that it is smarter. Boas do have infrared vision--their heat pits are located between the labial scales, instead of in the center of them, as in pythons.
Of course, each individual species should be taken individually--I don't think a rosy boa shows any more intelligence or alertness than a ball python. The boa constrictor may be a bright animal, but I would guess that a retic gives it a run for its money in the brains department. The green anaconda, on the other hand, is not known for being brainy, or for having good eyesight, and it is a boa.
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