In a Nutshell
Ever wondered how Han got the Millenium Falcon? Met Chewie? Did he really do the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs? Well, if you did Disney has the film for you!
[imdb]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644/[/imdb]
Review
With the release of A New Hope back in 1977, audiences around the world were introduced to Corellian smuggler and captain of the Millenium Falcon, Han Solo. With his trademark vest and trusty blaster by his side, the lovable rogue instantly became an iconic figure in science fiction history-making Harrison Ford an international star overnight.
Fast forward 41 years later and the cinematic empire that is Disney has released Solo: A Star Wars Story (the second in a new series of stand-alone Star Wars films). The latest in a seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of Star Wars films whose aim is to either answer needless questions or offer nothing more than fan service to a legion of increasingly contrary fans.
Set many years before Han met Luke and Leia to take down Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire, Solo begins on Han’s home planet of Corellia. On the shipbuilding planet, Han along with the woman he loves, Qi’ra dream of a better life away from the control of a local criminal gang.
A scoundrel with a heart of gold
Through a series of incidents, Han ends up joining a group of smugglers led by Tobias Beckett who takes a shine to Han. After a failed heist, Beckett’s group are left indebted to notorious gang boss, Dryden Vos leading them on an adventure to pay off their debts.
With one of the most troubled productions in recent memory, it’s a miracle that Solo has even made it to the big screen. Original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired midway through shooting after clashes with the studio and writer Lawrence Kasdan after their desire to take the film down a comedic route was frowned upon. There were also rumours of an acting coach being brought on set to help some of the main members of the cast which spelt nothing but trouble for the film.
Enter veteran filmmaker, Ron Howard who was tasked to guide the ship back to Disney’s idea of what a Star Wars film should be. With mass reshoots, the film’s budget ended up being an estimated $250 million making it one of the most expensive films ever made. Despite high expectations from the studio (given their financial gamble of the film), fan expectations have been much lower after previous Star Wars film, The Last Jedi received a mixed response and many felt that a Han Solo origin story would be almost redundant.
A surprisingly solid summer blockbuster
Despite the production’s tribulations, Solo is a surprisingly solid summer blockbuster. Under the guidance of Ron Howard, the film benefits greatly from his reliable and workmanlike approach. He makes sure that the story remains simple and focused guiding the audience on a simple but fun adventure into the past of Han Solo that crosses different genres. Howard’s simplistic approach is refreshing compared to many of today’s bloated and convoluted blockbusters but it is almost to a fault as it leaves a lot of the film feeling predictable.
With a running time of just over two hours, the film moves at a quick pace as the intergalactic adventure moves from planet to planet from one solid action set piece to the next with the legendary “Kessel Run” being a particular highlight. Whilst fan service throughout the film is handled well and doesn’t feel overbearing, a cameo from a familiar face towards the end proves to be jarring and out of place with the rest of the film.
When reintroducing familiar characters from the series (particularly with a scene-stealing Chewbacca) the film shines as it helps plunge the audience right back into a familiar galaxy from a long time ago. However, the film does falter at introducing new characters as most are gone almost as soon as they arrive. This serves to highlight the problems that Star Wars has under the control of Disney in that it struggles to establish new characters and memorable characters.
A Solo who’s eager for adventure
One of the biggest questions surrounding the film from its announcement was who could possibly play a young Han Solo. It is a role that is so intrinsically linked to Harrison Ford that the thought of another actor taking the role is almost heresy. Despite their abrupt exit from the project, Lord and Miller’s greatest contribution to the film was the casting of the relative unknown, Alden Ehrenreich in the titular role.
As Solo, Ehrenreich manages to capture the charm and mannerisms so brilliantly portrayed by Ford in the past but he makes the role his own without falling into the trappings of doing an impression. One of the reasons for this successful approach is that the Lawrence and Jake Kasdan’s writing portray Ehrenreich’s Solo as being less jaded and eager for adventure than the man we meet in A New Hope.
Whilst his performance won’t win any awards it certainly goes a long way to win over the most doubtful fans of the series. The return of Chewbacca is a more than welcome addition to the film as their budding friendship is a joy to watch.
Glover’s flirtatious scene-stealing Lando
Another role that on paper seems to be perfect casting is Donald Glover as renowned smuggler and pilot, Lando Calrissian. In the role, Glover walks a tightrope between impression and embodiment but manages to pull it off through his natural charm and flirtatious swagger in the role.
Emilia Clarke’s performance as Qi’ra, Han’s former lover/partner in crime is good for the most part but on occasion, Clarke seems a bit stiff in the role. As veteran smuggler Tobias Beckett, Woody Harrelson is solid as Han’s mentor in the world of crime despite some of the cliches in the character. Paul Bettany also does his best as the villainous gangster Drydon Vos in a very underwritten role. However Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s role as the sassy droid, L3-37 is grating for the most part.
Keeping in tradition with most of the other films, John Williams presence is more than felt in the film’s score with familiar pieces played through John Powell’s terrific additions which really stand out in the film. As with the score, the visuals are in line with the “used space” look established in the original trilogy. Bradford Young’s cinematography really captures the grit of the Star Wars universe with many shots that wouldn’t be out of place in a Western.
Verdict
Given all of its problems, Solo turns out to be a film that is better than it has any right to be. Whilst, not a game changer it is a thrilling, planet-hopping adventure that more than earns its place in the Star Wars saga with Ehrenreich exceeding expectations as everyone’s favourite rebel.
