I have to admit, I was unsure about this film before going in. Why? Director Ron Howard. While he's the director of some near classics, Rush and Parenthood, he's also the bland and workmanlike director of the crap that is the Da Vinci Code borefest. So was he the man for a Star Wars movie? To be honest, it wasn't as boring as I expected (sorry Ron), but it did little to stand out either. It ticked all the boxes we expect from the story - Han meets Chewie; Han does the Kessel Run; Han wins the Falcon - and while fun, it was a tad predictable. However, Alden did a great job as Han, and Donald Glover absolutely nailed the part of Lando. The action was good, though there was sometimes too much of it, and I wished it would slow down a little to delve further into Han's backstory. I was tired while watching the film, so my overall opinion may change, and admittedly, I would like to see more of Han Junior in future films, not that this is likely to happen.
Oh, and I was split down the middle about the return of a classic Star Wars character, though it did add some intrigue within the overall Star Wars universe.
I just stepped out of the theatre and I'm ready to write this review for you all. So, let me start off by saying, this movie is nothing like the other Star Wars movies. I was expecting something like Rogue One, but as soon as they started making jokes I knew it was going to be something different. I liked it though, I did. It was action packed, quite funny and a bit romantic. I dig it. The action scenes were probably my favourite thing about this movie, those were very well done.
Alden Ehrenreich did Han Solo proud. I didn't really know the actor before this, but he's good! Sometimes it almost felt like I was listening to Harrison Ford. It was great to see him and Chewbacca together en find out how their relationship started in the first place. I really enjoyed seeing them bonding and all that. Woody Harrelson never ceases to amaze me, to be honest. He is a brilliant actor if you ask me. I felt like his character stayed a bit in the background throughout the movie but I think Tobias Beckett sure made an impact on Han. Talking about making an impact, let talk about Qi'Ra (probably the coolest way to write Kyra). First off, I adore Emilia Clarke. I think she's a great actress and she's absolutely gorgeous. I had to get used to the idea of her in a space movie but she did very well. Her character is still a bit of a blur, to be honest, but I think Qi'Ra could be an interesting character to explore further. Donald Glover as Lando is perfectly cast. They truly did a great job. My brother said, "I thought he was the son of the original Lando". I think when people say that, you've done a pretty great job. I liked L3 as well, she was a bit much sometimes but she brought some humour to the movie.
Overall it sure was a fun movie to watch. It all looked very beautiful and the special effects were great. The only thing that bothered me was some of the creatures they created. I think they could've been "more real". I don't know if that makes sense, but maybe you notice it too when you're watching the movie. It could also just be me, I don't know, it confuses me a bit. I really liked getting a glimpse of Chewbacca's story and a closer look at the Millenium Falcon. That's one great ship with way too many buttons, isn't it?
I enjoyed Solo: A Star Wars Story and I'm going to rate it with a solid 7. I'm pretty sure there's more where this movie came from so I will be waiting patiently till then.
From the moment this movie was announced, I had zero interest in watching it. Now, a friend of mine came by with the BluRay, so - what the heck, right ? Nothing too lose. Should have listened to my gut feeling.
Han Solo is not only my favorite SW character but one off my favorite characters at all. Harrison Fords portrayal made me a fan off both, the actor and the character. So the bar was very, very high. For me Ehrenreich doesn't have it. I don't see Solo in him and making him say some well known quotes is not enough. And the love struck young man that does everthing to get back to his girl - that is not Han. Yeah, I'll get it. It's a younger version of the same person but I don't see it. It's the Disney-Love-Story. The rest of the characters are shallow and not well crafted. It does not matter who plays them if there is not much to play with. And don't even get me started about that stupid L-3. The political correctness installation that every movie nowadays seems to must have.
What about the story ? It felt like the writer had a checklist he had to work off. Han getting off Corellia, Han meeting Chewie, the Kessel run, winning the Falcon - everything the fan wanted to see for a long time. Problem is, it is all cobbled together by a very generic blockbuster story. It is also very convenient. Han trying for years to get back to Qi'ra only to meet her by a chance encounter. It also lacks logic. For example, when Han released the container at the raid it smashed into the mountain with a giant explosion, taking down said mountain. Yet, only minutes before the whole train went down the valley and nothing seemed to have happened. Another example, at the end when Beckett left with Chewie, how can Han already be there? The ship is in the distance, there is no short cut yet he stands there fresh as the early morning. Convienient writing again. It's a movie, a fanatsy, but a little effort would my much appreciated. Plus there is the biggest prequel problem there ever is - there is nothing at stake. You know the hero is not going to die. You need something really good to cover that fact and it just isn't there. Pulling out Maul at the end feels like a desperate move, more so that a lot of people will not understand how he can even be there in the first place and what he has to do in a Solo movie. That is Disney saying: go and watch the other stuff we put out And Han's choices leading to the start off the rebellion is, again, exactly the kind of thing that I would expect from Disney.
As you can gather I did not enjoy this, not as a SW movie, not even as a scifi action adventure in general. And I seem to not be alone in that. The Marvel formula does not work here at all. I don't know what the plan is going forward with the SW franchise but I know I won't be a part of it.
Please keep in mind, again, comments are personal opinions. You like the movie, I am happy for you and enjoy the next.
[6.1/10] When I wrote my initial review of Solo: A Star Wars Story after seeing it in theaters, I said the film was very enjoyable when it was a standalone, character-filled romp, and dull when it tried to be a grand statement about Who Han Solo Is:tm:.
I stand by that assessment. There’s moments where Solo is irreverent and fun, and manages the “madcap scoundrels bluffing their way through a heist” routine with charm and aplomb. But on rewatch, the balance between that and the painful rumination about who Han’s going to be in ten years time is way off.
That’s the weird thing about this movie -- its title character doesn't really have an arc. I guess Han goes from being a wannabe outlaw to a...somewhat more competent outlaw? I suppose he’s learned that he can’t trust people, even mentors and friends...except for the fact that he still trusts Chewie, and Enfys Nest, and others. I guess he’s supposed to learn to be underhanded and resourceful, but he’s trying to pull cons and trick people from literally the moment we meet him. The Han we see at the beginning of Solo isn’t meaningfully different from the one we meet in the middle of A New Hope.
That wouldn’t be a problem if this were just another adventure. There’s plenty of things Han could learn, about himself or others or about the galaxy that don’t have to do with whether or not he’s a roguish smuggler. If Solo had just been about Han, Chewie, Lando, and some new faces going on a caper, it could totally work (and it kind of did). Instead, so much of the film’s oxygen is taken up by having to make some grand declaration of what kind of person Han is, without really developing him at all.
What’s worse than that lack of development is that the movie is just so damn self-serious about it all. My natural inclination is to blame that on showing comic sprites like Lord & Miller the door and bringing in the competent but pedestrian Ron Howard to land the ship. But whether it’s Howard’s fault, or the script’s fault, or a lot of people’s fault, this movie is way too severe for such an irreverent character, and it makes the jokey interludes, pleasant though they may be, feel tonally out of place.
But the element of the film most out of place is Tobias Beckett. It struck me on rewatch that he is completely extraneous as a character, and the film would be better off without him. The idea is that he’s there for Han to model himself after in some way, so that Han can be a new version of the same guy with a heart of gold. But (a.) it’s pretty boring to have one of the most distinctive and original characters from the first Star Wars movie retconned into being a vague approximation of another character and (b.) Beckett doesn't really do much beyond spout dull, unnecessarily portentous life lessons. There’s nothing he brings to the table that couldn’t be fulfilled by Qi’ra or just figured out through Han’s own experiences and choices rather than have his hand held by Woody Harrelson’s increasingly tired good ol’ boy shtick.
What’s crazy, and what holds an otherwise rickety film together, is how well so many of the characters work. On rewatch, I still appreciate the job Alden Ehrenreich did, capturing Ford’s take on the character in spirit without resorting to an imitation. Donald Glover’s Lando still veers more toward the former, but his natural charisma carries the day. Regardless of the controversy, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s L3-37 is a delight. And despite basically only having two scenes that were, if my understanding is correct, reshot for the film, Paul Bettany makes one hell of an impression as a “look what you made me do” crime boss.
That’s the hardest part! It’s the thing that all but doomed the Star Wars prequels. And yet, despite managing to not only conjure some likable and intriguing characters, but managing to recast some beloved actors and make it work, Solo suffers from a similar sort of overexplain-y prequelitis. It strains credulity that everything noteworthy about Han basically happened in, what, a day? Maybe a week?
He meets Chewie. He meets Lando. He does the Kessel Run. He flies the Millennium Falcon for the first time. He wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando in a card game. He shoots first. He makes plans to do a job for a “big gangster on Tatooine.” He...gets his blaster? It’s not quite to the level of “Anakin built C-3P0 and the Clone Wars were basically fought by an army of Boba Fetts” but holy cow is it corny and contrived that every significant development in Han’s life that’s relevant to the Original Trilogy happened during the short timeframe of this film.
(And don’t get me started on those damn dice. I barely even remembered them from A New Hope, and now they’re some uber-important symbol for Han? What a weird, lionization of a random prop.)
Apart from those broader issues, some of the nuts and bolts problems in the film stand out more on a second look. For one thing, Solo looks much uglier than I remembered. I enjoy the grimy muck of the galaxy’s underbelly, and maybe something’s just lost in the translation to the small screen, but at times, between the color pallette and the lighting, the film is just downright unpleasant to look at. And the direction is just as uninspired, with so many of the action sequences going overlong and turning into one big mush of different, not particularly exciting shots that can’t hold your attention.
The film’s also considerably more boring the second time around. Maybe on a first watch, when you don't know for sure where the movie is going, there’s more excitement and anticipation for what might be happening next. But when you know the plot, the pacing seems way off, the acts feel lopsided, and more and more parts of the film feel like extraneous material that doesn't tell the audience anything or move Solo closer to its intended point, but rather just marks time with more hard-to-follow CGI hash.
Even focusing on that is to set all the minor points in this one that are downright odd. The Enfys Nest reveal is confusing at best, where the fact that the antagonist is a fresh-faced young woman is supposed to be a shock in a franchise where Yoda taught us not to judge potential allies and enemies based on appearance. I still like L3, but drawing attention to Star Wars “Are droids slaves?” problem feels like a bad idea for escapist fantasy whose world was never built or intended to be able to withstand such scrutiny. And Val and Rio, Becket’s original running buddies, are all but devoid of personality despite great performers in tow, and go from introduction to untimely death too quickly for the audience to give a damn. Their existence also immediately undermines Becket’s “don’t trust anybody” message that...Han seems to eventually disregard anyway?
That’s the weird thing about Solo: A Star Wars Story. In a movie so devoted to trying to explain the mindset and trajectory and psychology of a major franchise character, he doesn't really learn or grow very much. And the need to fit every action and detail of this adventure into something we know about Han from later in the timeline hamstrings every choice Howard and the Kasdans and the whole creative team makes.
Honestly, Lucasfilm would have been better off making a Dash Rendar movie, something that replicates the rakish rhythms of Han Solo’s outskirts-of-the-galaxy existence without all the baggage that comes from three of cinema’s most iconic films and one of the modern era’s highest grossing movies ever. There’s a good movie lurking somewhere within Solo, about enjoyable, rough-around-the-edges characters getting out of a tight spot with humor and guile. But it’s too deeply wrapped in self-serious armchair psychology and Original Trilogy leftovers to vindicate that.
The second time around, this “Star Wars Story” goes from being a fun romp dragged down by some unduly overdramatic navel-gazing, to a heap of unnecessary and unsuccessful attempts to explain a character the audience already knows, occasionally livened by a glimpse of the lighter, nimbler, more irreverent film that could have been.
For a movie about Solo, a lot of its issues come exactly from its titular character.
Considering the film takes up a smuggler, criminal-esque take, there's too much Disney-esque good and evil morality. Solo was too much of a good guy. This is supposed to be Han Solo at his grimiest as a smuggler running drugs for the Hutts, and they went to far out of their way to make him a good guy. With the questionable background they gave to Solo, they could've made him with shades of grey, like an antihero Solo. But they took the easy Disney route and went with another Luke Skywalker.
The way Alden Ehrenreich performs Han Solo doesn't help either - if not making it worse. The performance looks weak and unconvincing, like a completely different person portrayed by Harrison Ford years earlier. There is no gruff, nor James Dean-like bad boy charisma coming from Ehrenreich. He looks like someone that's been living on a well-off family instead of street urchin from the lowest depth of the world.
The visual itself is below than average. There is too much darkness it's hard to follow the scenes. When it does look good, it's decent. The plot plays too safe and completely forgettable. Yet the movie wasn't a complete let down. It's just shallow. Unless you have too much time to spare, there is little reason to watch Solo.
Here’s the thing. A Star Wars movie made by Disney coming under a massive amount of criticism from a huge section of society seemingly mostly male and mostly the same age as me. What are they so upset about? I don’t know. The whole Star Wars phenomena is a hokey set of science-fiction stories that if examined under the cold light of day make very little sense. That includes the original films and examination as a callow teenager. Pining for feeling the same as you did then is a pointless and fruitless exercise. Me? I’d rather watch the film and see if I enjoyed it. I don’t care what’s coming next and I don’t really care what came before.
Firstly this is not a ‘Star Wars’ film, it’s more of a Star Wars set-up, there is no war and the resistance is just starting, so what we have is a gung-ho adventure. We’ve seen it many times before in westerns, war films and every genre ever made. The story is exciting and nail-biting with sacrifice, romance, double-crossing and heroics. It has finely defined heroes, villains and rogues. The plot isn’t complicated and is linear and easily digestible. What is wrong with that?
As expected there is a very, very, bad villain played by the every reliable Paul Bettany and twist that maybe you couldn’t see coming initially. The CGI is strong and not overwhelming, the comedy is comedic, the peril perilous and the romance romantic. It really is not that bad.
On the minus side, you could say it was extremely vanilla and for a Star Wars film perhaps even plain. Not me but I can see that point of view. There have also been complaints that Alden Ehrenreich is not like Harrison Ford in appearance and character during the film. Well, the appearance complaint is deranged, would you cast a less skilled unknown in the role because he might slightly resemble Ford rather than an actor who clearly knows his craft and certainly seemed to bring much of the original performances quirks to the screen. Emily Clarke as Solo’s love interest brings enough energy to the role although the onscreen chemistry was not as strong as some actors have been in other films. Woody Harrelson brings Woody Harelson to the role which sounds like an implied criticism but it really is not. He’s perfect for his pivotal role. All the other roles range from perfect to adequate, there’s no real bad acting on display after all this is a kids’ science-fiction baddies versus goodies film. We’re not looking at Richard III.
It does pay to remember that Ron Howard came in to direct the film after the original directors left and for a franchise as big and seemingly important to so many people this it was always going to be a difficult job. I have been a fairly stern critic of some of Howard’s output but in this case not so. He delivers a fine stand-alone adventure story set in a known universe without getting bogged down in the previous stories whilst pointing to them all the time. We get the crowd-pleasing and fun first meeting of Solo and Chewbacca alongside his first meetings with Lando and the beloved Millenium Falcon. It’s all fun. It’s meant to be fun.
So going against the grain I’d say overall I like this new adventure in the Star Wars universe. It was fun, full of robots and strange looking creatures, had English actors left, right and centre and had Clint Howard in it (just so you know it was a Ron Howard film). The CGI was impressive, the action sets and planets convincing but overall it was fun. Plain and simple fun and that is what a children’s science-fiction yarn should be about.
Just relax and enjoy the whole silly ride and don’t be foolish.
This movie objectively lowers the bar for any future Star Wars flicks. Before I go on, I am not one of the mega-fan boys who get angry at every new star wars, I loved The Last Jedi, I liked Rogue One, and I enjoy the prequels but Solo is different. It is not bad in a campy way, it's not bad in a controversial "I didn't like that even though someone else might" kind of way, it's bad in a they took a perfectly good story and fucked it up with a bunch of nonsense type of way.
Pros
+The main story is good. The idea of showing the Kessel Run, the involvement with the outlaw squad with the larger crime syndicates, Lando being introduced along with the Millenium Falcon; that all was great
+Acting: Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany, and Woody Harrelson
+Beginning was solid
+The soldier/first heist bit was a great introduction to everyone
+Sabaak parts were good
Neutral
*The small throwbacks were tasteful in this one for once: the reference to Lando making deals getting worse over time, Solo shooting first, "I've got a good feeling about this", etc. They didn't take away from anything by having them be hammed up.
Cons
-That dumb Droid was not funny and annoying as fuck. I didn't feel even slightly bad when she died
-Those raider ending up being Proto-rebels was dumb and the way in which it was done was also really awkward. When the chick pulled off her mask it made it feel like you should have known who she was even though the intention was just to surprise you(?). I don't know it reeked of tired desperation to link the plot to other movies. This also makes it confusing as to when this all takes place. If the rebels haven't even formed yet it must be 5-10 years at least before the first movies, however Solo is not that old in the originals. Does this mean he's like 16 here? Is he supposed to be like 30 in the originals? It doesn't quite add up.
-Dialogue. Yes, Star Wars has always had absolute garbage dialogue right from the first mention of "power converters on tachi station" but this is a whole new level of garbage. It's awkward at all times.
-Directing felt absent. I love Ron Howard so it's hard for me to say this but there really didn't feel like much of a style to this movie and there weren't any scenes that I can say were really that gorgeous. The best was probably the intro to Dryden Vos with his yacht but even that was iffy. Not immensely disappointing but still slightly disappointing
-The effects. This is a FUCKING STAR WARS MOVIE! it has unlimited cash to do whatever it wants with effects. The millenium falcon looked ok but honestly it was a downgrade from literally every ship in TLJ or Rogue One. The droids even looked mediocre. The biggest issue is the hyperspace effect, they added some weird swirly shit in place of the lines. The one place where they add a new effect and it's absolute shit compared to the one created in the goddamn 70s.
-Acting: Donald Glover and Alden Ehrenreich. These aren't huge negatives but Glover's impression of Billy Dee is really awkward to listen to and it may have been just how Alden's face moves but half the time I felt he was trying really hard to contort his face into the typical Harrison Ford squints and glares and it felt awkward as well. Just try to do your own thing guys, you don't have to copy shit.
-10 million unnecessary back stabs that were added in to show "You just can't trust these scoundrels" without thinking about whether or not they made sense to the story or characters or greater plot, even slightly.
---------------The final twist This part was comically awful, making Darth Maul's resurrection cannon in the most absurd and fucking idiotic way possible is a really bad direction for Star Wars to be going. This is the type of shit that makes it okay for them to pull more stupid shit in the future and should never have gotten past the rough draft stages of the screenplay
--------------- The terrible revisionist main theme of Solo having him not in fact being a scoundrel who through living in the underworld is just trying to survive and turning him into a good guy who will do the right thing even when it isn't beneficial to him. It was apparent that the people who wrote this did not understand the purpose of Han Solo's character in the originals; he is supposed to symbolize how things have gotten so bad for some that all they can focus on is scavenging and surviving at all costs, eventually he is turned to side with the rebels because he sees a small bit of hope in them for something better and realizes that if he helps he could make a real difference. Revising this to make him into someone that will always do the right thing destroys the purpose of his character.
I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant about watching this movie since it seems to have received quite a bit of flak. But then so did The Last Jedi and I liked that one a lot so a few days ago me and the kids sat down to watch Solo on my home cinema rig.
What I found was a quite enjoyable action adventure movie. Yes, the story is simple and quite predictable but that is fine by me. What I wanted was a simple and straightforward action roller coaster and that was pretty much what I got. I did not want some deep crap with a lot of social pointers all over the place. It is Star Wars, it is meant to just entertain. Action and special effects “über alles” plain and simple.
Portraying Han Solo when he was young is of course a quite tall order for any actor. Everyone is going to compare him with Harrison Ford and that is pretty much a recipe for failure. Personally I am happy that they picked an actor that was not especially well known from other movies, at least not to me. If they had not done that I would have compared him not only to Harrison Ford but also to whatever character he had played before. I think Alden Ehrenreich did a fairly good job of portraying a young Han Solo.
Actually, I think most of the actors was fairly okay. It’s not a Shakespeare play after all. It did sadden me that Woody turned out to be such an asshole in the end though. For most of the movie I quite liked the guy.
The story was, as I already wrote, simple and straightforward. Predictable as hell of course but then, in these kind of movies the story is more or less only a means to tie together the action. It worked for me. I am so glad that they actually did tie up a certain loose end at the end of the movie though. If Solo hadn’t been in that last game of cards with Lando and the outcome not been what it was I would have been seriously miffed about the entire movie. Probably one of the scenes I liked the most actually.
As I am writing this the movie has a rating of 7 out of 10 on IMDb and I think that is pretty much spot on. I have to say that I am quite sad about Disney’s knee-jerk reaction to pull the brakes on the Star Wars movies. This is so typical of the Hollywood bean counters nowadays. If a movie is not making an insane amount of money the first couple of weeks it is considered a failure and the standard response is to pull the franchise. That is essentially saying that there is something wrong with the audience. We made a good movie but you did not like it so we kill the franchise way of thinking. Well, news flash dumb asses, if the movie didn’t sell as well as you estimated either there is something wrong with your over-inflated estimates or with the movie you did. It’s your fault, not the audience. Make a better one or fix your estimates! Okay, as a Star Wars fan I am perhaps biased but I am so tired of dumbass bean counters, not just where movie making is concerned.
Solo: A Star Wars Story had a troubled production, with the original directors, Lord and Miller, being replaced by Ron Howard. Despite this, the movie is a fun and action-packed addition to the Star Wars universe. Alden Ehrenreich delivers a solid performance as Han Solo, capturing the character's trademark swagger and bravado. Donald Glover also shines as Lando Calrissian, bringing his own charm and smoothness to the role. The movie also features strong supporting performances from Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, and Paul Bettany. The visuals are impressive and the score by John Powell adds to the familiar Star Wars feel. However, the movie does have its flaws, such as a slow and clunky start, and some moments where the execution doesn't fully support the story. Overall, while it's not without its faults, Solo is a fun and enjoyable addition to the Star Wars franchise.
Solo: A Star Wars Story tuvo una producción problemática, con los directores originales, Lord y Miller, siendo reemplazados por Ron Howard. A pesar de esto, la película es una adición divertida y llena de acción al universo de Star Wars. Alden Ehrenreich ofrece una actuación sólida como Han Solo, capturando la arrogancia y bravuconería características del personaje. Donald Glover también brilla como Lando Calrissian, aportando su propio encanto y suavidad al papel. La película también cuenta con sólidas actuaciones de apoyo de Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke y Paul Bettany. Las imágenes son impresionantes y la partitura de John Powell se suma a la sensación familiar de Star Wars. Sin embargo, la película tiene sus fallas, como un comienzo lento y torpe, y algunos momentos en los que la ejecución no respalda completamente la historia. En general, aunque no carece de fallas, Solo es una adición divertida y agradable a la franquicia de Star Wars.
I seem to be enjoying these new Star Wars "stories" more than the continuation of the larger epic. I prefer this and "Rogue One" over "The Force Awakens" and much more than the space fart that is "The Last Jedi". I'm a lover of short stories and anthology movies and TV. There's only so much you can do with a story, and when it's stretched out over 8 films, well, things tend to run out of stream. These single Star Wars features offer a chance to see favorite characters in different situations, battling different foes, forging new relationships. They would probably be even better if Disney wouldn't work so hard to try to tie them to the larger soap opera that the original eight-parter has become.
"Solo" starts off slowly. Sitting in the theater, I couldn't see anything. Everything was black and blue. I don't know if the theater I saw it in was saving money on projector bulbs or what?!? It consumed my initial impression of the movie. Things got better once the train heist scene started. Very exciting. Woody Harrelson was great as Beckett. There were some great action sequences and I loved the Kessel Run. That giant space monster being sucked into the gravity hole while the Millennium Falcon fights to escape was tense and beautiful. The Star Destroyer hovering in the passage within the maelstrom was breath-taking.
Alden Ehrenreich really grew on me as the film progressed. His portrayal of Solo is something I look forward to seeing in the future. The Han Solo savvy is on full display during the coaxium exchange scene. Chewbacca was an absolute force. He's massive and powerful and grounds the movie in Star Wars lore as much as the Falcon does.
Qi'Ra (Emily Clarke) was lifeless. I suppose that's partly because she is basically a slave to baddie Dryden Vos. Donald Glover is serviceable as Lando. All the kids telling you he's the best thing about the film are wrong. Glover is popular as Hell right now. The dude is everywhere. Popular culture is eating him up and there's nothing that Millennials and teenagers like more than social media and being part of whatever is hot. Childish Gambino, anyone?
The most annoying thing in this movie is Lando's droid, L3. Seriously!! An activist robot!?! It barks "Equal Rights!" at Lando, screams "Liberation!" to a bunch of droids. It says it's found its purpose. Really? Then why the Hell is it working for a shyster like Lando? Lando clearly loves L3. But his reaction when L3 is attacked gives no indication that it's anything more than if your dog gets hit by a car. I see other reviews using the term "pansexual". Wow, that sounds so enlightened. WTF...Lando actually says he kept the crazy thing around because it had a useful navigational database, which by the way they link into the Falcon later. L3 thinks Lando loves it sexually...cause, it's crazy.
One thing I credit this movie for...it was good enough to make me want to immediately watch another Star Wars film. It whet my appetite for more. I ended up watching "The Empire Strikes Back" again for the umpteenth time. Thanks, "Solo"!
“It's risky, but it's worth a try”.
At least you tried.
Even before the camera’s began rolling, this movie was met with trouble. You probably heard all about the behind the scenes drama - If not, basically Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were attached to direct, but got fired halfway through shooting, because I’m guessing Lucasfilm had no idea these guys are best known for making comedy movies, even though you hired them to add ‘a comedic touch’. Lord and Miller were replaced by Ron Howard. An acting coach was called on set for Alden Ehrenreich who’s playing Han Solo, as he was struggling to capture the spirit of Fords iconic character. Michael Kenneth Williams role was removed from the final film and new characters added in.
Just madness. However, how was the final product? Surely it must have paid off, right? Well, not quite.
‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ is a mix bag and feels unimportant. Nothing about it felt thrilling or exciting. Not to say it’s a bad movie, because it’s not. There is good things about it and surprisingly none of the re-shoots showed, it’s not visible like “Justice League”. Unfortunately, the flat jokes and an obvious cash grab for future franchises only left me cold. It adds nothing to the Star Wars universe, just exploring little things we were told about briefly in better movies. Nobody asked for it and yet here we are, so let's dive in.
I couldn't imagine the amount of pressure Alden Ehrenreich was facing. Talking on an iconic character played by the most iconic actor alive today. Must be a daunting task and the fan base didn't help either. His casting was met with a lot of negative reactions - I, however, always stood by Ehrenreich ever since he’s casting, after seeing his breakout performance in “Hail, Caesar!” gave me a little hope for the young Solo. I can safely say that he deserved a good performance and never felt like an impression of Harrison Ford. Portraying him more innocent and naive. Although, I can think of others actors who would've gotten the part and might have done it better. I must admit, there was plenty of times where I kept on forgetting he was Han Solo, but from what he had to work with, he did the best he could and I applaud him for that.
Donald Glover does a great job capturing the mannerisms and the voice of Lando Calrissian. You can tell he put a lot of effort into this role. Even trying to step into the shadow of Billy Dee Williams and he slips right in. While feeling like an impersonation at times, but makes every scene enjoyable to watch, no matter what. Comparing the two actors, you can see this younger version transforming into the older version of the character, easily.
Emilia Clarke was fine. She’s certainly better here than any other movie or role outside from Game of Thrones. I didn't fully buy the chemistry between Emilia and Ehrenreich, and yet, that never took me out of the movie, as it wasn't prequel level bad. I must say, her character could go into an interesting route if Lucasfilm kept they promise of where she could go next from the set up. I’m interested to see where it goes, to be honest.
The others cast members were also great. Thandie Newton and Jon Favreau, while having small screen time, but brought so much character into their roles that I wished both stuck around a little longer. Same thing with Paul Bettany, who could've been a fantastic villain if more development and screen time was put into his character. I mean, a space gangster with sag sounds amazing. Still, Bettany was excellent and was clearly fun with this role. I’m surprised not a lot of people are talking about Woody Harrelson, who’s great in everything and proven to have a wide range of incredible roles under his belt - Of course here, there’s no difference. Towards the end of the film, I didn't like where he’s character went, but I blame the writing on that, not the actor. What more is there to say about Woody, he’s never given a bad performance.
Ron Howard did the best he could, as a last minute replacement to fix all loose ends. The camera work during the action sequences were visually pleasing and very much his style of film making. Let's not forget the gorgeous cinematography and some fantastic set designs, creature, and droid designs.
Now for my issues with the film: Despite some nice looking shots, the dark color palette and how poorly lit this movie was really surprised me, because it didn't add anything to the story. Some may argue it adds to environment of the story, but to me just made it look worse. Every Time there was a reference, nod or wink from the original franchise it kinda felt, well…’forced’. I saw this almost a week ago and nothing super memorable stuck with me.
Oh and L3-37 is the absolute worst. The character itself is another sassy droid duplicating K-2SO from Rogue One. The difference here, she got on my nerves straight away. The droid rights sup plot kept pushing the main focus away from the actual story itself. Many have pointed out how she came across as a parody of SJW (Social Justice Warrior) and I can see the comparison. It's odd that Disney would do that, being all about diversity and equal rights would make a joke of this. Just replace L3 with Thandie Newton character and everything will be fine.
Speaking of the studios...
Lucasfilm needs to get their act together if the schedule of movies expands to 2030, from what some early reports say. It’s obvious there’s no plan with these movies and making up things as they go along. Because as I speak, this movie is under performing at the box office as fans clearly had enough. From what I have heard, that cameo at the end was only added in at the last minute. Telling the origin of a character that should have be left as a mystery. You even find out how he got his name and how that scene was presented was so cheesy.
Overall Rating: “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is a mess saved by a great cast, great production designs, impressive action scenes, and characters (except for L3). I've heard different opinions for this movie - Both sides gave solid arguments and made me realize this movie has it’s fans. Again, not a bad movie, just a decent one. Also lightsaber!
Solo: A Star Wars Story does a lot of things right. The backstory of Han Solo has always been one of the most interesting things in the Star Wars universe for me. This movie manages to provide a nice origin story for one of the most beloved characters of movie history.
Let's start with the cast. Great performances all around, but especially to Ehrenreich, who really captured the essence of the character. I had no problem believing he was a young Han Solo, he really got the mannerism and cockiness of the original trilogy down to a T.
I also really liked Emilia Clarke's character and I hope we will see her again in this universe. Same for Glover and his portrayal of Lando Carlissian.
The visuals were, as you would expect, stunning. Especially the scenes in the Maw or the train heist. Absolutely marvelous.
The story was a bit of a hit and miss. While we got to see a lot of important moments of Han life, such as how he gets the Millenium Falcon or how he meets Chewie, at times I felt the story was dragging itself a bit too much. Certain scenes felt too much like fan service and were kinda ham-fisted and out of place. Plus the ending could leave many people that only watched the movies confused. Having never seen the animated series, seeing Darth Maul alive really threw my understanding of the timeline for a spin. I had to look on the Internet to clear things up. I would have liked more backstory for Chewbacca and less L3-37. That droid was annoying and I was kinda glad when the movie threw it away halfway through.
In conclusion, Solo is a really nice look to the origin of one of the most iconic characters of the Star Wars saga. It's not a perfect movie, but it is an easy watch with great visuals and CGI.
7/10
Updated to read more coherently
Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. If you're new and reading this, I think I should lay down my opinions on the Star Wars franchise. I have a lot of nostalgia for the original trilogy, I unironically enjoy The Phantom Menace, genuinely love Revenge of the Sith, and currently dislike the direction Disney is taking the series with Episode VII and VIII. Rogue One is the only new film put out that I liked, attributed primarily to Gareth Edwards' vision for that particular story. The saga has a special place in the back of my heart, but I'm not a blind fanboy. I recognize when something is poorly done, or in Solo's case, having no reason to exist. It's amazing a pop culture icon as big as this has sunken into bargain bin or Netflix territories of inconsequential narratives. Aside from a couple winks and clever callbacks to aforementioned, and soon to be coming up, events in future and past films, there's no consequences in the story and nothing seems to matter. We have a stagnant and poor actor playing alongside Emilia Clarke in a bad school play of Bonnie & Clyde while doing shit that doesn't make sense, other than that it needs to happen to satisfy callbacks in future installments. And what's a shame, is there was potential here. Maybe Gareth Edwards' hands being dug into this universe indirectly influenced the design in a way, but seeing Han fight as a soldier in the beginning was an interesting route to explore. I liked some of the dialogue, a bit of it feeling much more natural than what's been going on in other quip filled biggies. Ron Howard does a decent job, I'm a fan of his work, and his direction is unique and hands on. Unfortunately, his flavor doesn't seem to appear much. Once more, a committee and a yes man cobbled this up, Howard seemingly compromising his style for simple "wow" moments. But overall, it is competent. I wonder how much of this is Lord and Miller way back from what they shot. I wish there was more of Howard, his look just seemed scattered throughout. There's a moment at the end where Emilia is looking out the window at Han, and, it was a small gesture, but the cinematography combined with Powell's music made for a surprisingly memorable moment. It had a raw quality and felt like... a movie, specifically reminiscent of a 60's drama. But it was just another little nugget in a space of nothing. I liked the idea of showing the storm troopers as actually threatening, pushing civilians around, it felt right. The scene of Han and Kira getting separated between the bars works, there's attempt at character building. But around after the opening on Carillion, the arc kind of stagnates. Everything interesting happens in the first twenty minutes. They may have played all their cards out too early, but just, I don't know. Once they arrived on the ice planet for their first heist, I became so disinterested, and anything kind of established early wasn't considered for bringing back up later in the story (aside from the dice). Arcs weren't considered, things just... happened. Scenes just happened. The most satisfaction I found were just a few shining pieces of competent film making, like the spectacular storm chase with the Falcon, but they're thrown in service of a story with characters as wasted as Rose Tico. Woody Harrelson is wasted in this shit, his only purpose is to teach Han to never trust anyone, which doesn't even really seem to affect Han anyways. He buddies up with Chewbacca at the end regardless, so Harrelson's arc ends with no impact. His girlfriend dies during the first heist, and everyone forgets about it so quick. When droid asked for equal rights, I swear I was ready to walk out. Yes, Star Wars has always been political, but the stories themselves have underlying subtle political echoes. This was just a lazy call out to current year politics, and screamed lazy writing. As for the lack of any tension, it doesn't have anything to do with me knowing none of these characters will die, because this is a prequel, but this doesn't tell me anything I care to know. Oh yeah, I'm so worried the annoying female droid is going to die. It's more useless than the C3P0 and R2-D2 meeting in Episode I. So, Darth Maul is back miraculously. Cool. What does that add to this story? How does it develop the characters anything beyond fan service tripe? Why does it matter? Why does anything that go on in this movie matter? Stuff just happens. Think about it. Take away the brand for a second and think about the events that happen here. I don't know who's saying it, but Donald Glover is passable at best as Lando. So, he smiles a few times and says some snappy things at a card game. That's not a character. Han Solo is not developed anymore than he was in the originals. His character doesn't really evolve or learn any lessons. After the opening, he's reduced to standing around really awkwardly and repeat how much of a great pilot he is. They were just hitting the beats at the right moments and hoping it was entertaining enough so you wouldn't hate sitting through it. The villain is one of the most useless, throw away, gangster cartel dealing baddies you've ever seen. I've seriously already forgotten his name. You know, I go to movies to be enriched. To either be gleefully entertained through worthwhile action that carries meaning, learn valuable life lessons, and to think. I don't go to be numb for two hours as recognizable flashy colors simply blast on a big screen. And like I have to repeat, I don't preach this to be pretentious, these are my feelings. I'm done getting peer pressured into seeing all these big movies I have no interest in, a lot of which leave me feeling empty, rather than quenched. I'm done giving Star Wars a chance. My highest compliment to Howard is, I didn't hate this. It didn't destroy the legacy and reputation like The Last Jedi. I'm just disappointed. Rogue One was the lucky strike in the losing ball game.
One of the problems with prequels is that, if you've seen the films that take place afterwards, you know who lives and who doesn't. That's what took all the drama out of the battle scenes in Attack of the Clones and Obi-Wan's battle with General Grievous in Revenge of the Sith. Those who watch the flicks for the first time in chronological order may feel differently, but, for those like me who grew up watching the original trilogy on VHS back in the day, there's no surprise there.
Also, after The Last Jedi, I lost faith in Disney's take on "a galaxy far, far away". If you've seen my other reviews, you know that I've watched a lot of shows and movies from the House of Mouse: Lizzie McGuire, Queen of Katwe, Incredibles 2...and plenty more! Since high school, I've been known as "the Disney guy," which is why I had faith that they'd do Star Wars justice...and that made the travesty that was Episode VIII all the more heartbreaking.
So, how was Solo? To be honest, Han Solo has never been among my favorite characters from the franchise; I was a much bigger fan of the Jedi: Luke, Yoda, Obi-Wan, etc. Still, I felt that I had to watch it...and, although it had its moments, it didn't really feel like Star Wars. Between the annoying feminist droid, the excessive profanity--seriously, even the novels don't have that much language!--the appearance of Darth Maul--wasn't he cut in half?--and occasional crude allusions, this only furthers my opinion that Disney has ruined the franchise. Instead of more of this dreck, Lucasfilm needs to reboot the series and bring the Thrawn trilogy to the big screen. Now, there's good space opera!
In many ways, Solo: A Star Wars Story feels like a sci-fi adaptation of Casablanca. Boy loves a girl. They get separated. Boy tries to rescue the girl. The girl shows up unexpectedly.
The main problem with Solo, and there are a number of problems, is that it tries to connect too many connect-the-fan-service-dots, that it deviates from the central arc. Another main problem is that it reveals the mysteries and scruffiness of Han Solo in matter-of-fact ordinary scenes. Perhaps the film would've been more successful if it is told from a third perspective. Possibly Lando Calrissian, who is one of the best things about the film.
Considering all the production troubles, it is a small miracle that Solo is as coherent and watchable as it is. It mostly avoids cringeworthy moments (with an exception of L3-3L) and for the most part, feels fresh.
The film has few heist scenes, but they come across as ill conceived and poorly executed. I think they would've been a lot more successful with Ocean's 11 style story telling.
All in all, I think I enjoyed the film. There are several sprinkles of great potentials, such as Qi'Ra, Beckett, and Lando. Sadly, the film focuses too much on Han, without developing his arc and transformation.
World Premiere Review:
If I can sum up it up in one word, it's a giant "meh." I liked all of the new Star Wars up until this point, but this one was so forced. It didn't help that they had to reshoot more than half the movie with a different director, albeit with the great Ron Howard.
First problem, no one can fill Harrison Ford's shoes, it's impossible. The new characters are boring and forgettable. Still, Donald Glover just nails Lando...they should just do a Lando stand alone movie next time. Chewie is also awesome and funny as usual. I should also mention Malla is cannon now from the Christmas Special? Just speculating that's who he kisses with when he frees his people. Lumpy will probably show up in Solo 2. I saw George Lucas shift uncomfortably in the theater a couple seats over during that scene which was amusing. The story is just ok, it's a little slow and boring. At least the action sequences are fun.
Here's my biggest peeve: L3-37 is the most forced, obnoxious Star Wars character since Jar-Jar. I was so happy when this Social Justice Robot, who is supposed to be Lando's co-pilot, gets destroyed close to the end. This attempt to be "relevant to the times" sticks out like a sore thumb and the actress voicing it made me wince every time she spoke. Hopefully that's the last we hear or see of it.
Finally, Emilia Clarke's character has the depth of a sheet of cardboard. Worst of all though was the twist at the end where fucking Darth Maul shows up now post Episode 3. She is working with him and it was so cringey and shoe-horned in, I'm so tired of him not being dead. I tolerated it in the Clone Wars with spider-maul, but he just needs to go away.
My, how the mighty have fallen! It used to be that Star Wars could do no wrong. People were even forgiving of the prequel trilogy (eventually) and its many, many flaws to accept them in the multi-billion dollar franchise. There was some trepidation over the whole “Star Wars Story” side story films, but that seemed to be allayed by the excellent “Rogue One.” Then comes “Solo,” and I’m sorry to say that our fears have now been realized.
Starting with Han growing up as a youth on Corellia, we see how each aspect of his character comes into being. Each. Aspect. Even how he gets the name Solo. I mean, seriously! They create a checklist, from his relationships to Chewie and Lando, right down to his blaster, and shows how each one comes to pass or be in his possession.
It’s actually kind of...well, sad. It turns out that every iconic aspect of this character we’ve loved all sprang out of one single caper in his career. Talk about peaking early! They even recreate some famous scenes, but they’re still the same scenes just with a new coat of paint. And paint is a very apt metaphor. “Solo” is very much a paint by numbers Star Wars film. No surprises. Purely for fans, and even then there’s some issues. Even the cameo at the end felt ridiculously overdone. Star Wars fatigue definitely seems to be setting in. Still, as a Star Wars fan, I’m probably being more forgiving even though I rate this movie as just “Okay."
“It's risky, but it's worth a try”.
At least you tried.
Even before the camera’s began rolling, this movie was met with trouble. You probably heard all about the behind the scenes drama - If not, basically Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were attached to direct, but got fired halfway through shooting, because I’m guessing Lucasfilm had no idea these guys are best known for making comedy movies, even though you hired them to add ‘a comedic touch’. Lord and Miller were replaced by Ron Howard. An acting coach was called on set for Alden Ehrenreich who’s playing Han Solo, as he was struggling to capture the spirit of Fords iconic character. Michael Kenneth Williams role was removed from the final film and new characters added in.
Just madness. However, how was the final product? Surely it must have paid off, right? Well, not quite.
‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ is a mix bag and feels unimportant. Nothing about it felt thrilling or exciting. Not to say it’s a bad movie, because it’s not. There is good things about it and surprisingly none of the re-shoots showed, it’s not visible like “Justice League”. Unfortunately, the flat jokes and an obvious cash grab for future franchises only left me cold. It adds nothing to the Star Wars universe, just exploring little things we were told about briefly in better movies. Nobody asked for it and yet here we are, so let's dive in.
I couldn't imagine the amount of pressure Alden Ehrenreich was facing. Talking on an iconic character played by the most iconic actor alive today. Must be a daunting task and the fan base didn't help either. His casting was met with a lot of negative reactions - I, however, always stood by Ehrenreich ever since he’s casting, after seeing his breakout performance in “Hail, Caesar!” gave me a little hope for the young Solo. I can safely say that he deserved a good performance and never felt like an impression of Harrison Ford. Portraying him more innocent and naive. Although, I can think of others actors who would've gotten the part and might have done it better. I must admit, there was plenty of times where I kept on forgetting he was Han Solo, but from what he had to work with, he did the best he could and I applaud him for that.
Donald Glover does a great job capturing the mannerisms and the voice of Lando Calrissian. You can tell he put a lot of effort into this role. Even trying to step into the shadow of Billy Dee Williams and he slips right in. While feeling like an impersonation at times, but makes every scene enjoyable to watch, no matter what. Comparing the two actors, you can see this younger version transforming into the older version of the character, easily.
Emilia Clarke was fine. She’s certainly better here than any other movie or role outside from Game of Thrones. I didn't fully buy the chemistry between Emilia and Ehrenreich, and yet, that never took me out of the movie, as it wasn't prequel level bad. I must say, her character could go into an interesting route if Lucasfilm kept they promise of where she could go next from the set up. I’m interested to see where it goes, to be honest.
The others cast members were also great. Thandie Newton and Jon Favreau, while having small screen time, but brought so much character into their roles that I wished both stuck around a little longer. Same thing with Paul Bettany, who could've been a fantastic villain if more development and screen time was put into his character. I mean, a space gangster with sag sounds amazing. Still, Bettany was excellent and was clearly fun with this role. I’m surprised not a lot of people are talking about Woody Harrelson, who’s great in everything and proven to have a wide range of incredible roles under his belt - Of course here, there’s no difference. Towards the end of the film, I didn't like where he’s character went, but I blame the writing on that, not the actor. What more is there to say about Woody, he’s never given a bad performance.
Ron Howard did the best he could, as a last minute replacement to fix all loose ends. The camera work during the action sequences were visually pleasing and very much his style of film making. Let's not forget the gorgeous cinematography and some fantastic set designs, creature, and droid designs.
Now for my issues with the film: Despite some nice looking shots, the dark color palette and how poorly lit this movie was really surprised me, because it didn't add anything to the story. Some may argue it adds to environment of the story, but to me just made it look worse. Every Time there was a reference, nod or wink from the original franchise it kinda felt, well…’forced’. I saw this almost a week ago and nothing super memorable stuck with me.
Oh and L3-37 is the absolute worst. The character itself is another sassy droid duplicating K-2SO from Rogue One. The difference here, she got on my nerves straight away. The droid rights sup plot kept pushing the main focus away from the actual story itself. Many have pointed out how she came across as a parody of SJW (Social Justice Warrior) and I can see the comparison. It's odd that Disney would do that, being all about diversity and equal rights would make a joke of this. Just replace L3 with Thandie Newton character and everything will be fine.
Speaking of the studios...
Lucasfilm needs to get their act together if the schedule of movies expands to 2030, from what some early reports say. It’s obvious there’s no plan with these movies and making up things as they go along. Because as I speak, this movie is under performing at the box office as fans clearly had enough. From what I have heard, that cameo at the end was only added in at the last minute. Telling the origin of a character that should have be left as a mystery. You even find out how he got his name and how that scene was presented was so cheesy.
Overall Rating: “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is a mess saved by a great cast, great production designs, impressive action scenes, and characters (except for L3). I've heard different opinions for this movie - Both sides gave solid arguments and made me realize this movie has it’s fans. Again, not a bad movie, just a decent one. Also lightsaber!
"I thought we were in trouble there for a second, but it's fine. We're fine."
That is exactly what this movie is, could of been a huge bust with all the problems it had behind the scenes but it ends up a totally serviceable Star Wars movie. I really wish I could see what Lord and Miller would of done with this. Alden Ehrenreich is decent but no Harrison Ford, it could of been a lot worse. Donald Glover is great and there is not enough screen time for him but sometimes he felt a little off. Maybe that's just me and maybe after I see it again it will go away. Everyone else is fine except L3-37, she was super annoying. The story is predictable but also a little unexpected at the same time. Most of the action is good. The cinematography is ok but some of the movie was way too dark. The best thing about this movie is that it is a Star Wars movie and it has that world to reference and expand on. If this was just another sci fi movie it would be really mediocre.
THERE WERE WAY TOO MANY SHOTS OF THE GOLD DICE, WE GET IT GIVE IT A REST!
Honestly, it's a really good film. It's got great action, great dialogue (oh how I wish Lord & Miller were still on board) and just because you can kind of guess the outcome, what with it being Solo's origins, that doesn't mean the film can't surprise you on the way.
I only have a few negatives, actually. L3 was a little much, it doesn't help that you end up inevitably comparing her to the outstanding K2SO from Rogue One and of course, K2 is better. Paul Bettany tries, god bless him, I know his character is more efficient/ruthless than evil but he's just too nice to really pull it off. It's not a mark against him, but I guess rather the casting? Finally, I guess the score could have been better, but I did like the little moments of classic score when significant events happen (i.e. seeing the Falcon the first time).
All in all, yeah it's mostly predictable (I really want to go see this with someone who hasn't seen Clone Wars/Rebels to see their reaction to that moment), but it's a damn fun ride.
(It's 9 on here, but I guess it's more an 8.5 realistically, it'd round down to 4 if it was out of 5 stars, basically).
An utterly zero-stakes movie with some good performances (Harrelson and Bettany) some terrible ones (Clarke) and a distracting film-long impression of Ford by Ehrenreich. Which, ticks some boxes but it takes you out of the movie in doing so.
I was just bored. There's no one thing to say it failed on other than it's plot after the first act is just an hour and a bit of "no really, Lucas MEANT parsecs as distance, not time!"
A much braver version of this film would expand the whole first act into a film, bring in more of the unseen universe/syndicates and perhaps end with Han being invited to a card game where you all know he's going to win the falcon.
45mins+ of the runtime is just CGI exposition of things you already know. At least the prequels had a full story to tell and weren't based solely on two lines of dialogue.
Just unnecessary, unfortunately. The one upside is it seems to have killed further "Star Wars stories", at least until they work out why Rogue One worked and this didn't (hint: tying the last act to things you know is how you do it, you don't make it the whole plot).
LucasDisney brings us the Han Solo origin story nobody really asked for, recasting several iconic roles to get the ages right and unintentionally positioning the new crew behind the eight ball because, let’s face it, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams are an awfully tough act to follow. This is really the breaking point of the entire picture: either you’ll accept Alden Ehrenreich as the Skywalker family’s favorite bootlegging scoundrel, minus about fifteen years, or you’ll never be able to move past the comparison and the movie will have already lost you.
I thought I was in the second camp, avoided the film for years due to it, then found I was actually in the first. Ehrenreich doesn’t look like Harrison, doesn’t move like him and barely manages a halfway decent vocal approximation, but somehow, he fits the role. He carries the same charismatic magnetism, the same visible delight over adventure, excitement and ridiculously long odds. He’s got more nervous energy than a sugar-crusted toddler, a witty retort for every occasion and, crucially, he’s fun to watch, whether luck is on his side or, more often, not. I still think the film would’ve been better served by a brand new character struck by the same circumstances, but then we’d lose the little dashes of lore and history that make the third act such a rich ride.
Donald Glover, on the other hand, is unqualifiably excellent as Lando, all swagger and confidence and allure. I just wish he had more to do. As it stands, he’s little more than a flashy minor supporting character who conveniently connects plot waypoints. I’m sure his role would have expanded in the planned sequels, but no extended franchise is a given - even in the Star Wars universe - and, as those follow-ups appear to be dead in the water, it’s now just a missed opportunity.
Solo was better than I expected. I enjoyed it, in fact, largely because it had the balls not to take itself so damned seriously. A New Hope wasn’t all grit and consequence, so why have so many of the newer films leaned so hard in that direction? I’m curious how much of this one’s pervasive sense of humor can be attributed to original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, chased from the project after five months because the Disney bosses found their work “too screwball.” New captain Ron Howard toes a difficult line in maintaining that freewheeling air while also mixing in a little gravitas, but he gets carried away with sentimentality at the very end.
This isn't going to be like other reviews, mostly. Instead of just saying why this disappoints and was pointless, I'm going to suggest something to read instead, as a direct replacement, since this fell so far short of earning its place in the canon of Star Wars fans' hearts.
Excepting Rogue One (which had its own problems, but I still consider to be the only Disney Wars film that has any place alongside episodes IV and V) this is the only Disney Wars film with a director that could have created a good Star Wars film. In fact, Ron is the one George wanted to direct the Prequels. (Dammit, Ron! Why now?!)
Unfortunately, the script is, of course, rubbish, giving uncompelling backstories and is almost entirely concerned with answering stupid questions no one cared about, while being used as a fix-it setup for badly written sequel lore in the main series, while being insultingly and obnoxiously "Hello, fellow kids" with hollow corporate social pandering.
It's not entirely without anything good. The acting is almost all good, unlike the main series. I don't remember why they fired the black actor and hired Paul Bettany to replace him, but that's a thing that happened. Woody Harrelson is always good, but most everyone else was just kind of there.
The plot? I barely remember it. There was some backstabbing, some ret-conned fuel nonsense, and some premature Darth Maul cameo that is now extra pointless since this film bombed.
Also, this film just didn't feel like Star Wars. Rogue One felt like Star Wars, which is why people loved it, if perhaps with too little reservation. There were just too many rubber-stamped franchise inclusions handed down by a corporate committee for this to feel like a genuine effort. Thus the blehhh.
Now, here's the point where I tell you what you may want to read if you want to see an actual Han Solo origin story with an interesting plot and characters, and compelling social/civilizational science fiction concepts. A.C. Crispin wrote a book called Paradise Snare that serves as an origin story for Han Solo. It covers his childhood as a gang street urchin, but the main story chronicles his misadventures on a mind-control cult's drug producing colony. It's both fun and serious, while serving as a great introduction for Han's history, character flaws, and cynical, disaffected persona. Han's a character that I'm kind of ambivalent towards, but the book makes him more sympathetic and compelling.
Well, I was very sceptical in watching this film as I know a lot of people weren't happy with the casting and also the development of this film wasn't great behind the scenes as it got stuck in hell for a while. But I can confirm that this is a really fun film and its a pretty great origin story, in my opinion, I urge everyone to give this film a chance as even the casting, in my opinion, Alden Ehrenreich is a pretty good actor and he nails the role of Han Solo as this takes place a while before A New Hope and I believe that this is a young Han Solo.
But I would be disrespectful if I didn't mention the rest of the cast, Donald Glover and Woody Harrelson are awesome in this film and they both give great performances with Donald Glover being the perfect casting for Lando, also I need to mention that this film is actually a pretty good Heist film as well. Ignore what everyone is saying and form your own opinion on this movie as I believe people were very harsh on this film, it is super fun and the story will keep you engaged the entire time.
I'm not a Star Wars-fan, on the contrary, but I attempt to view all these films for the sense of nostalgia I had from seeing the first couple as a kid. Those movies were adventurous and thrilling, it was fantasy in space: knights, lords, robbers, the clergy and an odd brigand or two. These films were what they were and nothing more and it was good... Till the point they weren't and became bloated and pompous, much like the ego of George Lucas - who, in my humble opinion, isn't the genius they portray him or he pretends to be. The prequels were a huddled mess and made me dislike this franchise the way I dislike Apple... It just didn't deserve the status it was given and yet I still wanted to like it (unlike Apple). The new movies being pretty much rehashes of the first trilogy were fine but it still didn't really get there, Rogue One was ok but nothing much...
And Solo, despite going in with the though of "yet another Staar Waars"-movie, made me feel again like seeing those first movies on that old TV at home. It made me feel like I watched the Goonies, or the BMX-Club or any of the other (incl Star Wars) adventure movie from the 80ties. The characters were great, the action was good, it was exciting, funny, there were good guys and bad guys and not-so good guys... It had all the marks I didn't expect this movie to have.
Not far into seeing this I wished I was watching this with my children who, I'm sure, would enjoy this movie very much. The only thing bringing it down a bit, for them, is the length as 2h is pushing it. Despite wishing they'd turn into Trekkies/Trekkers I'm sure I'll show them this movie soon enough and have them experience the adventure it is.
Assorted musings:
- Alden Ehrehreich is uncanny as Han Solo, at times the voice is on par with Harrisson Ford's
- L3 was a blast, tongue-in-cheek and avoided the pitfalls of this movie being to SJW like Rogue One
- Glover was great too, almost pulling a tear when L3 "died" even though he didn't really give a shit afterwards
I'll admit that I was quite apprehensive about this movie and I really just wanted to watch it for Donald Glover. However, my expectations were really proven wrong and I enjoyed this movie quite a bit! Donald was, of course, amazing as Lando and my apprehension about Alden as Han was also proven wrong as he did quite well in his role. This didn't really feel much like a plot driven story that much despite the whole heist thing and felt very much like a character focused story. Everyone had depth to them and were interesting to watch on screen. Except Thandie Newton's character which is such a tragedy that she was so under utilized for this film since we all know what a phenomenal actress she is from Westworld.
The standout of this film for me though was Qi'ra. God I love her. She's so interesting and mysterious and a total badass. I really want to learn more about what happenned in that three year gap between leaving their planet and meeting her aboard the yacht. Also I would love to know what happens to her afterward as the movie ends. Also the reveal for who the marauders happen to be was great. To have a young woman, Enfys Nest, lead them in the fight to take on the Empire and planting the seeds for the Rebellion is so great. I loved her. I hope we get to see more of what becomes of her character at some point in extra content from the books or what have you.
Overall, this film was a lot of fun and we get to learn more about the beloved characters from this franchise and of course expand the world even further.
Lemme start by saying I didn't have high hopes for this movie from the get go: iffy casting, production woes and the teaser being released on February of this year with the movie releasing in May. Thanks to these low expectations I didn't really felt spat on like other people.
I'll be honest, the movie isn't complete garbage considering all of the stuff above. The iffy casting worry I mentioned was mostly around Alden Ehrenreich that played our titular hero Han Solo, a staple of the Star Wars universe. But all things considered he wasn't as horrible as I was bracing for. No he wasn't anywhere near as engaging and charismatic as Harrison Ford but alas he gave it his best I believe. Most of the other actors are well known so their performances were as good as the scripts they were given.
Speaking of let's get to characters, I didn't personally connect with anyone other than the ones we knew already. So we were left to meet the new ones: Beckett the flip flopper, Qi'ra the walking cliché, L3-37 the SJW bot that the movie could have been the same without and Dryden Vos the generic wealthy evil dude in a cantina-like setting. By the end of the movie I was questioning myself what the hell had happened because I didn't really understand why these characters were doing what they were doing.
It's a pretty generic adventure with no real stakes since we know at least Han, Chewie and Lando will survive ahead of time. It would have been nice to see more of Han being an imperial soldier since that would have actually given his character some depth in my opinion. Of course the first encounter with Chewie is a pure coincidence cause why not... out of all the planets and prisons he could have been thrown in, the guard dog was a wookie then didn't kill him.
Here's the gist: Han is a rebel in the planet of Corellia he has his girl Qi'ra, they want out of there so they almost make it and get separated. We then move to an initial purposeless heist after some stuff just to kill some of the crew and force our heroes to meet Dryden and by AGAIN COINCIDENCE Qi'ra in order to get the plot moving. After that, we get to the main mission with goes by absolutely hitch-free, then later we get to the completely bonkers scene with the space squid and the black hole (arguably the most fun part of the movie) and then we get to the tail end of the movie where it all goes apeshit.
The way some of these characters were forced to part ways (which I understand has to be done to keep the canon relatively intact) just felt lazy, sure lets make Beckett a traitor for no reason and Qi'ra also a traitor that apparently has contact with Darth Maul (aka fan service)? I mean what?
tl;dr
Pros:
-Good Action sequences
-Good performances (especially Glover)
-Good VFX (Great work by ILM as always)
-Sexy brand new Millennium Falcon
-Good Direction
Cons:
-Boring characters
-The music was pretty underwhelming for a SW movie
-Purposeless story
All in all, could have been better I don't know how much changed with the reshoots and if it was for the better. No high hopes so not as disappointed, watchable. However, if you're not much of a fan of SW maybe consider waiting for the home release.
6.5/10
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-05-26T17:23:43Z
[7.6/10] Solo has the scruffy confidence to be its own movie. Of the ten Star Wars films, it’s the only so far not to tie directly into the events of the main saga. That alone makes it interesting and laudable as the first real cinematic step of Star Wars ceasing to be a film series and starting to be a “cinematic universe.”
Which isn’t to say the film isn’t closely connected to its predecessors. Solo reveals how Han and Chewbacca first became a team. It features the first meeting between its title character in Lando Calrissian. It even shows how Han ended up with the Millenium Falcon. And that’s setting aside references to a “gangster on Tatooine” and hints of a growing rebellion and familiar characters popping up in unexpected places. Make no mistake -- the film is certainly interested in reminding its viewers where all these characters will be in ten years time.
But it’s also good enough not to be about that. Solo is part-heist flick and part coming-of-age film. It’s more interested in Han’s big adventure in this movie and how he gets to be the sarcastic smuggler we meet in A New Hope than it is in how he fits into the broader Star Wars Universe, to the film’s benefit. The promise of these “Star Wars stories” is that they can use the diverse, elaborate world that George Lucas and his collaborators created to spin all kinds of yarns untethered to the concerns of the Skywalker family. Solo still anchors its story on familiar faces, but tells its own tale, and comes out the better for it.
The big problem with Solo is that it has two modes: (a.) irreverent action/adventure flick filled with colorful characters and (b.) semi-serious interrogation of What Han Solo Is™, and it’s much more entertaining and effective at the former than the latter. The script, penned by Empire Strikes Back scribe Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jonathan, does a superb job at introducing all these figures, old and new, and then letting them bounce off on another in the confines of a rickety old ship and a job pulled at various rough-and-tumble locales. But it falters when trying to use that setup to get at its title character’s true nature.
The film’s thesis on that front is a solid one -- that he is unavoidably rough around the edges, and wants to be “bad,” but deep down he’s good. That is, after all, his essential arc in the Original Trilogy, where a seemingly good-for-nothing smuggler is revealed to have a heart of gold and sympathies to the cause of the Rebellion, or at least his friends. Solo retraces that arc a bit, and weakens Han’s progression in the saga films a little in the course of that, but the Kasdans get Han: the talk that’s bigger than his paydirt, the cocksure improvisational confidence, and the innate goodness that peaks through his rough-hewn if charming exterior which he’ll deny to the end.
The film just does a much better job of showing us those qualities through Han’s actions and attitude than in having various other characters ham-fistedly comment on it and wax rhapsodic about who he’s been and who he’ll be.
The best parts work, as they must, thanks to Alden Ehrenreich, who takes over the role originated by Harrison Ford in 1977’s A New Hope. Following in those iconic footsteps is a tall order, but Ehrenreich makes it work. He doesn't stoop to doing an impression of Ford, short of a few conspicuous mannerisms, but still manages to capture the character’s rakish charm and overconfident, anything goes spirit. Yes, it’s a little hard to grok that this guy becomes 70s era Harrison Ford in ten years, but Ehrenreich absolutely works as Young Han, and the movie wouldn’t work at all without that.
The other characters that populate the film vary a bit more, but are largely fun and entertaining. Woody Harrelson’s turn as Beckett sees him filling the weathered good ol’ boy niche he’s carved out for years now. Emilia Clarke does fine as Qi'ra, who manages to be a little bit more than just Han’s love interest, but only a little. Donald Glover’s charisma carries the day as he inhabits Young Lando, but occasionally he comes across like Glover doing his best Lando impersonation than a fully convincing character (though his chemistry with Ehrenreich sparkles over that nicely). And there’s plenty of other fun, if seemingly disposable side characters, like Paul Bettany’s genteel but menacing villain, Dryden Vos, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a delightfully irrepressible droid revolutionary named L3. Even relative newcomer Joonas Suotamo brings character beyond the fur to Chewbacca, alongside Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt’s traditional groans and growls.
When Solo deploys these characters well, it’s a hell of an action-filled romp. Seeing Han’s Oliver Twist-esque origins blossom into his up-and-down efforts to live on the fringes of both the law and the galaxy are fun and thrilling. The movie takes the viewer to new, scrappier corners of the galaxy, packing the frame with wild new creatures and settings that help make Star Wars feel big and diverse again.
Han’s goals and wants are clear; his compatriots are well-if-quickly sketched, and the set pieces are nicely chaotic and spontaneous, as befits the way any plan involving Solo should shake out. The pacing is off here and there, and certain action sequences extend to the point of exhaustion (likely a casualty of the hand off from the nixed boundary-pushers Phil Lord & Christopher Miller to steady hand Ron Howard). But the core setting of the film -- a band of well-traveled and wannabe outlaws does a job with pitfalls and smart remarks -- works like gangbusters.
Then, the final act hits, and the film stops being fun and starts being serious. There’s double-crosses on double-crosses, heavily sign-posted character-defining choices, and cliché, ponderous statements about who Han is supposed to be or can’t be or might have been that one time (we’re not really sure).
Solo, like its protagonist, has its heart in the right place here. It’s laudable to try to turn this adventure into something revealing about one of the franchise’s biggest characters and not just an empty-calorie escapade. But the film can’t support the weight of that introspection (not to mention all of that clunky extrospection) and becomes bogged down when trying to unravel both its less-compelling plot threads and its character study in one big convoluted finale.
But one thing is for sure. This movie is not about the Skywalkers. Despite an eyebrow-raising tie-in, it is not about the broader Star Wars Universe. It’s about Han Solo, and It is, for the first time, a genuinely independent Star Wars story. For most of its run time, Solo is a standalone (if franchise-winking) adventure from the days when Han was still cutting his teeth as a smuggler and outlaw. The film has its problems when it departs from that, but still shows the benefits, and the fun, of Star Wars movies that follow the lead of Solo himself and aim to go it alone.