REVIEW: Solo: A Star Wars Story Teasers
Well, it's about time. I mean, I'm still on the fence on how Solo: A Star Wars Story is going to turn out given its production issues. That being said, it's insane that the film is coming out is less than four months and this is the first footage we get to see. As always, I will pick you some of the more notable moments/images and give my take on them. For this article, I will be combining images and moments from both the full teaser released January 5, as well as the mini-teaser that was aired during the Super Bowl.
Well, for the most important question itself. What do I think of Han himself? Han, as you may be aware, is being portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich. Obviously, he has MAJOR shoes to fill, regarding Harrison Ford. I will say this, from what I've seen, he does kind of resemble what Han looks like. I mean, he's not a complete dead ringer for a young Harrison Ford, but he does have the young scrappy look and attitude that made fans love the scoundrel.
Plus, throughout the trailer, we see him undergo what appears to be dangerous operations, smuggling, and dreams of becoming the best pilot in the galaxy. There is even a sequence in the first teaser where it appears he wants to join an Imperial Academy. All of these traits and goals are not only reminiscent of his past in Star Wars Legends, but can be easily translated well to his character arc in the new canon.
That being said, and this is a major nitpick, but I'm not entirely sure on Alden's portrayal yet. I know it's not fair to judge until the final film is out, but for some reason, during the few moments he speaks in the teaser, he kind of seems off. Maybe I need to not compare him directly to Ford. However, since he is supposed to play a younger version of Ford's character, you can't help but make comparisons. However, I will give him a shot, though, I am still worried because there was rumors he needed an acting coach on the set of the film, which, if true...isn't too promising.
However, I have no doubt, despite him not even speaking a single word in the teasers, that acclaimed actor Donald Glover will nail the role as young Lando. Unlike Alden, to me, Donald immediately showcases the same look, charm, and wit of Billy Dee Williams. This is truly what I picture Lando looking like in his twenties.
You can't have Han Solo without his partner-in-crime and co-pilot Chewbacca. The film will showcase how the iconic duo met, and what led them together. This is a younger version of the wookie, so hopefully, Chewie will get to do more acrobatic, extreme feats in the film that they haven't been able to do in years.
Woody Harrelson, another world-famous actor, will be playing a character named Tobias Beckett. He is described as being a criminal, who is Han's mentor. This is honestly a very important character in the film because he is, basically, the one that will put Han on his path to becoming a smuggler, which in turn, eventually leads to him running into Luke and Obi-Wan in A New Hope. In the trailer, Tobias tells Han he is putting together a team, which is such an original plot line. Regardless, I guess it would make sense for Han to work with a rag-time group of individuals.
The first major member of the team, not counting Lando and Chewie, is a new character named Qi'ra, played by Games of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke. I know what everyone is thinking. She going to be a tragic love interest to Han, isn't she? We don't know that. All we know so far, is that she will work with Han throughout the movie, and that she knows, "who he truly is." I take it that means she knows deep down Han has a caring side to him. Which begs the question, dis she know Han growing up? Is she a spy? Is she a romantic lead? Who knows.
Also, there is another new droid coming to a Star Wars film. This droid is called L3-37. Droids in Star Wars is tricky for me. Obviously I love R2, K2-S0, and BB-8. I have had love-hate relationships with C-3PO and Chopper throughout the years, and the droid arc in the Clone Wars was the worst arc of the show, to me. Hopefully, this droid will be on the good side of droid history.
Here are two other members of Tobias' crew. The top picture is a woman named Val, played by actress Thandie Newton. The second picture is of a four-armed creature, which currently doesn't have a name. There's really not much to say yet, just, here are some of our side characters.
Many people are saying that this film will be heavily inspired by westerns, which makes sense, given the early nature of the character. I got to say, from what I've seen from the teasers, I like the atmosphere and locations I've seen so far. We see new ice and beach worlds, but we also see a new nightclub, and what might be Han's home world of Corellia. I also like some of the enemies we see. Of course the Empire will be in it, but we also see numerous criminals, and these weird people with masks. How does it connect to Han? We'll have to wait and see.
I also like, again, from what we've seen, what type of action we will be getting. We most likely won't be getting a big massive battle, and we won't certainly get a lightsaber duel. However, the action feels gritty, close-cornered, and more importantly, how smugglers and criminals would fight and pursue someone. There is a cool sequence on a moving train that looks like it will be one of the highlights of the film.
As mentioned previously, the Empire is still in the film, as we see them pursuing the Millennium Falcon through what appears to be a massive cluster or black hole in space. We also see there will be a new Tie Fighter variant in the film.
Ah yes, the Falcon itself. The film will most likely showcase how Han won the Falcon off of Lando. Man, Han and Chewie really let the ship go. All these special modifications must have really taking a lot of time away from, you know, cleaning the ship.
The teasers showcase the Falcon in action, which is always fun to see. The teasers showcase Han flying the ship through the same cluster, which contains a giant tentacle monster for some reason. Many people, including myself, thinks this sequence will be the famous Kessel run, which, as we all know, was made in 12 parsecs.
So, overall, I am a little more confident of the film now that I've gotten to see some footage. That being said, there are still elements that concern me. Therefore, I will still go into the film cautious, with my expectations in check. However, now there is a tiny bit of optimism going into the film for me as well.
