Solo: A Star Wars Story | Film Review

Ever wonder what it was like for Han Solo before he became General Solo, the hero of the Rebellion? Well, wonder no more because in Solo: A Star Wars Story, every minutia of his origins will be explored. We go on an adventure through the Star Wars galaxy’s criminal underworld. Robbing stuff, boosting cars, a flippant lack of concern for the safety of others, and even falling for the woman who’s no good for you. Or is she? Yes, it’s that kind of story, fun and maybe a little overstuffed.

We first meet Han when he was just…well, Han. A kid on the streets, simply looking to survive and break out of his restricted living situation (i.e., indentured servant). Fortunately, when I say kid, it’s the same guy we spend the entire movie with, not some ridiculous excuse to see diaper-wearing Han wheeling and dealing his way through the slums of daycare. He escapes his life of captivity while reluctantly leaving the girl he loves behind. Because she was captured, not because he’s a jerk or anything.

Han then joins the Imperial Navy to become a pilot. From there on out, his life is a haphazard set of situations that – from this observer’s point of view – might be bad ideas and at the least poor decisions, but somehow for Han everything looks like a great opportunity. Oh, and now he has a last name because he’s alone. Get it? Even though he talks about a father later on, no other last name is ever mentioned. Look, this movie had so many hands on it, it’s a wonder it works as well as a Jim Henson creature.

There is a lot to cover story-wise; we experience Han and Chewie meeting for the first time, we see the beginning of Han and Lando’s tumultuous friendship, and we see exactly how Han won the Millennium Falcon. Those are just a few of milestone checkmarks those of us well versed in the character of Han Solo all know are important to fans. For the first time in the Star Wars movie universe, it seems like they are paying attention to and trying to maintain continuity, while simultaneously respecting pieces of the canon from the extended universe.

Alden Ehrenreich – there just seems to be no way to say that name without sounding angry – is Han Solo. Stay with me here, he isn’t Harrison Ford, but I’m sure Harrison Ford wasn’t even Harrison Ford when he was in his 20s, it’s the mileage that makes that roguish charm work. So let’s give the kid a handicap. Alden did the role “good enough” justice through most of the movie. He had the charm, he had the confidence, and I believed that I was looking at a very young Han Solo.

And you know what sold it the most? When he had to play off the seven-foot-tall walking carpet Chewie, It was enough to ignite a little joy in the heart. Each moment onscreen with these two will tickle every nostalgic inch of your inner fanboy. Donald Glover’s Lando Calrissian was a bit of a different story. Lando is a fun character yes, but it really shows how hamstrung someone can be when the previous actor to play the same role is very distinctive. Billy Dee Williams is the epitome of “cool”. If you do not exude a coolness at a similar temperature as Billy Dee, well at some point, everything begins to feel like an impersonation.

Now, on to all the characters we don’t already know. Woody Harrelson plays the same archetype he always seems to play. It’s like his version of “I’ll be back” is “Careful who you trust”, the Woody Special. Harrelson is great in the role of Beckett, a criminal who takes Han under his wing. Of course he is, Woody has mastered this role for years.

Thandie Newton’s Val is so exciting to watch, she needs her own film, Val: A Star Wars Story. She’s fierce, engaging and wonderful to behold on the big screen. Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra was a very attractive space lady who fights and stuff with an English accent. It takes far too long to give the very capable Clarke a narrative worth her chewing. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s L3-37, though wonderfully acted and a source of many much-needed laughs, just felt weird. I am perfectly fine with throwing a SJW character into the Star Wars universe, but does it have to be a mouthy android consumed with machine equality? It’s almost too much.

I could go into the production, but whats the point? This is the one thing that the Star Wars Universe always gets right, and this movie is no exception. Solo feels like it is part of the universe we know and have loved on the screen for eons, while expanding the scope and history of it all a bit more.

If you had your ear to the ground for the last year, you might have heard story-upon-story of how Solo: A Star Wars Story was going to be as bad of a train wreck as the spectacular one showcased within the film. (Oh my god! It just hit me that they essentially pulled the Firefly train job!!) Well, it is not. The story is a bit clunky, feels long in parts, and has an ending reminiscent of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, yet somehow hits most of the requisite beats. The acting is solid (though occasionally it feels as though some actors would prefer to be on stage doing an impressionists routine), and EVERYTHING is visually stunning. Overall the movie is time well spent, even if there is that pesky phantom menace to contend with.