THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The best thing about Walt Disney owning the rights of Star Wars is that we get to see adventures we never thought we'd see, and Solo felt like a dream come true.
PLOT
The film is a spin-off that takes place before the events of Rogue One and A New Hope, giving us the origin of the iconic character Han Solo. Han attempted to escape the planet Corellia with his girlfriend at the time Qi’ra, but when she gets captured by goons of Lady Proxima (Linda Hunt), he joined the Imperial army and became an infantryman. Three years later, he aligns with Tobias Beckett and his crew to escape and frees the Wookiee Chewbacca. After a heist gone wrong that results in Beckett's crew getting killed, Han reunites with Qi’ra and offer to do another job for her Crimson Dawn leader, Dryden Vos. They align with Lando Calrissian and his co-pilot droid L3-37 to do the Kessel run to steal coaxium for Vos. A Kessel run is a hyperspace route used by smugglers and unscrupulous freighter captains to move spice from the spice mines of the planet Kessel to deliver the ill it substance to their customers. For Han’s case, they use the route for getting coaxium. And a Parsec is a unit of distance used in astronomy equal to about 3.26 light years; One parsec corresponds to the distance at which the mean radius of the earth’s orbit subtends an angle of one second’s arc. Back to the movie: During the heist, Chewie has a reunion with his Wookiee kin, L3-37 is destroyed, and Lando’s ship the Millenium Falcon is damaged. As Enfys Nest, the Cloud Rider who ruined the last heist, follows them to planet Savareen, Calrissian leaves. The group discovers that she is a rebel hoping to use coaxium against the Empire. Han attempts to trick Vos, but Beckett warns him of the double cross. Vos’ guards attempt to kill the Cloud Riders but Enfys successfully defeat them. Beckett takes Chewie hostage with the coaxium, but Qi’ra kills Vos, saving Han. As he rescues his new friend, she leaves after informing Vos’ superior, Maul (Ray Park/Sam Witwer), a lie that Beckett killed Vos. Han & Chewie take some coaxium for themselves in order to get a new ship and when they find Lando, Solo beats him in another card game of ‘sabacc’. Only this time, he wins with Lando’s hidden card and in exchange, he gets the Falcon. The film ends with the new duo heading towards Tattooine, in search of a new job offer that Beckett once mentioned.
THOUGHTS
When seeing this film in theaters back in 2018, it was easily another film I enjoyed because that’s how much I love Star Wars. I honestly thought it was a wise origin story to show and I think in one way, it paid off. My biggest gripe here besides the story flaws is it’s forced connection/continuity to the main franchise. I can give a pass on how Han got the Falcon and explains the Kessel Run. But should I know how he got his last name or encountered rebels? Should I know that Lando intentionally says his name wrong or see his famous costumes he wore in the original trilogy? No, we really didn’t need those scenes. Going into the story, Val (Thandie Newton) was right that it was reckless to bring amateurs like Han and Chewie during their heist. I know that they can be useful, but it clearly didn’t work out during their first heist with Beckett. It gets intense that they put their lives on the line but from the height alone, I know that Chewbacca is pretty heavy. Meaning that Han pulled him up out of momentum, not pure strength. Also, how did Enfys figure out where Han’s group was before tracking them? I know she is smart, but that should be explained too if we’re wasting time mentioning random continuity references. It’s even a god damn miracle that the Falcon stayed intact during the Kessel Run. And why did the people running the mines attempt to shoot at the group who have unstable coaxium? They could’ve died had Han’s group not fled. Lastly, I like that Maul appeared here but you’re forcing viewers to watch Rebels at this point. The worst part is that there is a gap to his leadership here to his abandonment in the show. Meaning that you’re gonna need a movie for Maul incase viewers don’t watch to watch Rebels. If you somehow are able to ignore every flaw I’ve said, than you’ll love it like any other Star Wars movie. Getting back into the goods, it was cool seeing the iconic Millennium Falcon in good shape before seeing it in its known rusty look. Since L3-37 Val and Rio Durant (Jon Favreau) were characters with minimum screen time, it was hard to feel bad for their demise yet we do feel for their allies, Lando and Beckett respectively. Like the sequel trilogy, the younger cast are able to keep things interesting. Donald Glover provides the charm of Lando that the character is known for and sells it every second. He may act more selfish than the others at this point in his life, but you get that even he has to do what he does to survive. When it comes to Alden Ehrenreich, he doesn’t look or sound like Han, but he feels like him and that is what matters in the performance of the titular lead. It is in his perspective where you come to understand that trust comes a long way and you must be careful on who you choose to trust, otherwise you will risk the chance of constant betrayal. Lucky for him, he was wise enough to pick exactly who to trust the most. Although Joonas Suotamo played Chewbacca during Disney’s sequel trilogy of the franchise, he finds a way to shine here the most as the iconic Wookiee, still making him bigger than life as did Peter Mayhew. The reason he and Han connect so well aside from the life debt that’s owed, it is mainly due to how they respect each other’s will to survive. Qi’ra isn’t the best performance of Emilia Clarke, but it is cool seeing her in a different kind of role, the damsel turned survivor. Wherever she was, she never changed her earnest open heart Han loved her for. While it is a relief that she saved Han, it is a shame that it would be the last time they'd see each other. Although Han would find love again with Leia, i believe he'll never forget her. Tobias wasn’t a typical mentor to Han yet he is able to give good advice that he actually listened to, and Woody Harrelson pulls off that aspect of an experienced criminal who knows the risks and would rather avoid others making the mistakes he made before. Han shooting him first is the moment that solidified his decision of the life he chose. Phoebe Waller Bridge is actually pretty funny voicing L3-37. She arguably has the biggest personality compared to other droids we've seen before, as she strongly expresses her feminine side and takes every opportunity expressing civil rights for droids. With the screen time that is given, Paul Bettany is fairly intimidating as Dryden Vos. He's the most pitiless of villains you'll see as he got more and more cruel every time he appeared. When he died, you can argue saying that it was the beginning of the galaxy getting safer. The angle involving Enfys Nest was interesting as she is arguably looked at as one of the first Rebels and it was good knowing she’d use the coaxium for a good cause. I was honestly more surprised of her youth than her gender because in Star Wars, anyone no matter what you like can kick as much ass. Casting Erin Kellyman was a good choice because she brought every bit of selflessness a rebel is all about. Seeing her as a backbone to the rebellion cleverly foreshadows the path Han would make. Overall, Solo is a good spin-off to the franchise, but far from the best. We may have not needed to know this origin but it is a fun movie nonetheless. Despite going through a rough patch behind the scenes, Ron Howard is able to maintain it to be another entertaining entry. And while he made a good movie out of his reshoots, I will always wonder what Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were doing differently. If you enjoy the Star Wars animated series Rebels, check this one out when you can.
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