REVIEW: Solo: A Star Wars Story (No Spoilers)
Well, the moment is finally here! It's time to review Solo: A Star Wars Story. This is a film that is filled with controversy. Whether it be through production issues, whether it be through bad publicity, and whether it be people trying to justify its own existence. Solo had so much going against it. It's projected to not do as well financially as other films, critics and audiences seem to be lukewarm at best to it so far, and again, did we really need to tell the origin of Han Solo?
Despite all the negativity surrounding the film, in my opinion...I think the film is pretty good. Yes, despite everything that could...and should have...went wrong, I think the film is pretty damn entertaining and has a few surprises in it. Is it perfect? No. But it is better than it has any right to be? Yes. (For the record, I'm not a Disney shill, I can like something in the Disney Star Wars age without having an agenda.)
So, let's get the biggest question mark out of the way first. How was Alden Ehrenreich as Han? I don't envy Alden. Any actor would feel pressure to play a younger version of a character so intertwined with an actor such as Harrison Ford. Obviously, he was biggest concern going into the movie. However, despite all my worrying, he was honestly one of my favorite parts of the movie. To me, he played the role well. While he had some mannerisms of Ford, for a large part of the film, he made the character his own, while also acting like a younger version of the character we saw in A New Hope.
Like I said, he makes the character feel different enough to where it doesn't feel like a direct imitation. I imagine some people will like that, some people won't. For me, it worked to the movie's advantage.
So, what is the story like in the film? Well, without getting into spoilers, it does, sort of accomplish what it set out to do. We don't see a direct origin of Han, but we see enough to where it answers questions most fans had regarding the character. As for the story, it's pretty simple and generic. The main plot is Han, as well as a group of side characters, trying to pull off a heist for a gangster. It's fitting for the character, but it is nothing we haven't seen before. It's not horrible, to me, but it doesn't really stand out as well.
However, when it comes to Han's journey in the film, to me, it does do a decent job in setting up his personality and mindset to how we see him in A New Hope.
You can't have Han without Chewbacca, so how was the loveable Wookie in the film? I thought he was, and wasn't used well in the film. I liked how he was introduced in the film, and I liked his relationship with Han in the film. He is also used a lot more in the film than in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. That being said, and this is coming from me who is a massive Chewie fan, I wished he was used more in the film. He does have some standout scenes and has a good connection with Han, but I would have liked to have seen some more of him towards the latter half of the film.
While Alden was criticized for his casting of Han, almost everyone was thrilled at the casting of Donald Glover as Lando. And yeah, I can see why. He was really good in the film. While Alden made the character his own for the most part, you can tell Glover did his best to make the character feel like Billy Dee Williams. I mean, that's not a bad thing. I feel like with Lando, it works to have a younger version of Williams' character. As for Lando in the film, he was good. He has a good rivalry with Han in the film and there's a sequence with them that is sure to have t-shirts printed of it. However, he is not in the film as much as you would have thought, which was a little disappointing. However, I wouldn't mind at all seeing both Alden and Donald reprise their roles as Han and Lando in the future.
Next up, there's Qi'ra, played by Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke. In my opinion, I liked the character and I liked Clarke's portrayal. Without getting into spoilers, there's a tragic element to her character throughout the film, and, to me, her character, and the choices she makes, it a big reason why we see Han as cynical and out for himself in A New Hope.
To me, she has good chemistry with Han and the rest of the cast. Will she be as popular of a character as Leia or Rey? No. But did she serve her purpose well? To me, she did.
Almost every new Star Wars droid introduces a new droid character. This film shows Lando's co-pilot, L3-37, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. This is where my complaints begin with the film. There are moments with her that I liked or I found entertaining. However, if I'm being honest, I really didn't care much for the character. L3 does give Lando more depth, but L3 herself is really just one note. Throughout the film, she fights for "Droid rights" and she heavily implies that Lando loves her and wants to...you know..."Swoon her." Ignoring that creepy image, to me, and I hate to sound bigoted because I'm not at all, but I thought she was just a representation of the modern day civil rights issues, whether it be for women, African Americans, etc.
Again, I'm all for everyone having equal rights. However, I thought the writers ham-fisted the message down our throats instead of it being subtle.
As far as other characters, they are a mixed bag. I really liked Woody Harrelson's character, Tobias Beckett. I loved the mentor relationship he had with Han throughout the film, and I liked the arc he had throughout the film in his own right. Thandie Newton plays his wife, Val. Slight spoilers...she wasn't in the film much, so there really wasn't a lot there to get me invested in her character. The same can be said for Jon Favreau's character Rio Durant. He was charming, and I liked him more than Val, but again, there wasn't much of him in the film as well.
You can't have a Star Wars movie without villains, and the film has two. The first is Enfys Nest, the leader of a rival gang called the Cloud Riders. The character isn't in the film much and wasn't too memorable, minus one huge twist towards the end. The same can be said for the "main" villain of the film, Dryden Vos, played by Paul Bettany. Bettany plays the character really well, as he makes the character more interesting and charming than what is written for him. He is intimidating and has a lot of good moments, but again, there isn't much too him to make him truly memorable.
One thing the film does nail is the action. The film is described as a heist film, and it does deliver on that front with a lot of great action scenes that can lifted straight from a western film, just you know...in a galaxy far, far, away. Another thing too is that I loved how dark, gritty, and lawless the galaxy feels in the film. It makes sense given what story we have, and I also loved the mood and tone of the film as well. That being said, there were some parts of the film that I had trouble seeing due to the lighting. Maybe it was the theater I was in, so I will have to see the film again to see of that opinion holds up. But overall, I loved the action and tone of the film.
I also liked the effects in the film. This is probably the best looking Star Wars film, as the costumes, practical effects, and real-world locations look great. Plus, the stuff that is CGI, isn't as noticeable as in past films, at least to me. A lot of people tend to overlook all the hard work by all the cast and crew when reviewing a film. Say what you will about the acting and writing, but nobody should criticize all of the hard work and dedication that goes into these types of films from the production end.
Also, I liked the music in the film as well. There is a lot of great original work, which is sprinkled with samples of classic Star Wars themes as well.
So overall, how was the film? Like I said before, I thought it was really good. It was smaller scale, but I think that worked to the film's advantage. Did everything work in the film? Of course not. Can I see why people would not like the film? Yes. I will never say somebody is wrong. But for me, I am just amazed that the film turned out as good as it did. It's rumored that this film might get a sequel or two, and the end of the film does set that up. If it does, I will have a lot more confidence and excitement because this movie was a big surprise in a good way to me.
