Solo: A Star Wars Story - movie review
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Plot: During an adventure into a dark criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future copilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion.
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke
Director: Ron Howard
Certificate: 12A (moderate violence)
Runtime: 2hrs 15 mins
Release Date: Thursday 24th May 2018
In 1977, the world was introduced to a galaxy far, far away and at the same time, the raucous, smuggling nerfherder; Han Solo. Played by the 'irreplaceable' Harrison Ford, Han became one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe and has continued to be beloved and adored by all. However, when Disney and Lucasfilm announced that, following Rogue One, their next spin-off story would focus on the adventures of a younger Han Solo detailing how Han became the nefarious rapscallion we met in A New Hope, I wasn't that thrilled because I didn't think it was necessary. I felt like it would end up shrinking the universe by focusing on characters and events we already know about. This series of films should prioritise expanding the universe reaching the far corners that movies, books and TV shows have not yet explored. Everything we needed to know about Han was given to us in A New Hope and tidbits of information was sprinkled throughout the other films. The mystery behind his character was part of the entertainment. We were told what we needed to know and the rest was for us to put together. By giving him an origin story, you immediately negate any sense of interpretations or wild theories as his life is spelled out to you piece by piece. My main hope from leaving Solo was for it to feel warranted and that it added something to the universe. Whilst it's entertaining to watch, Solo comes across as a fairly empty and mediocre entry into a universe that I expect more from.
 |
| This Is America - Star Wars edition |
Being the hardcore Star Wars fan that I am, I never want to walk out of a brand new Star Wars film saying "It was fine" or "It's ok". I want to be jumping up and down, buzzing with excitement and yelling at everybody in the foyer to book their tickets immediately. This review will work normally for the most part but I'm gonna to have a small section in which I give my general thoughts about the current state of Star Wars as we look into the future films aimed for release and why their current path is not the correct one. But before we get onto that, how is the movie itself? Like I said, it's fine. If you're entering Solo looking for a fairly innocuous summer blockbuster full of visual effects, spaces chases and blaster fights, then you probably won't be disappointed. For me, I just felt a lack of belonging. About halfway through, I came to the realisation that instead of a feature film, this story would have been far more worthwhile if it was told in the form of a novel. The story of Solo is a fairly basic tale but because Star Wars lives and breathes secrecy, I'll keep plot details to a minimum. Solo: A Star Wars Story follows a younger Han Solo on an adventure to escape the clutches of the Empire as he encounters such allies as Beckett (Woody Harrelson), Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), Qi'Ra (Emilia Clarke) and Han's trusty co-pilot and loyal friend, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). Centered around a series of heists, Solo is a what if? take on an intergalactic interpretation of Oceans Eleven except the swag and style is missing. With a two and a quarter hour running time, it drags considerably when it's too focused on plot and not focused enough on embellishing the new characters and the already established ones.
 |
| Han Solo doing his best Fast & Furious impression. |
I was a little hesitant about the casting of Alden Ehrenreich due to the fact that his past roles hadn't been that impressive and he didn't really look the part. Plus, the trailers hadn't won me over as it seemed they were hiding Ehrenreich's performance. Thankfully, Ehrenreich shines in the lead role and does a terrific job at taking over the mantle of Han Solo from Harrison Ford. Ehrenreich has the wit, charm and likability and after the opening few minutes where you adjust yourself to realise that he's playing Solo now, eases into the role with little to no problems at all. The film's biggest strength by far, is witnessing the bond form between Han and Chewie. Their introduction to each other was comical and contained that Star Wars whimsy we all know and love not to mention that the banter continued throughout. When it was just the two of them onscreen, Solo flourished but when other characters started to get involved, circumstances began to take a steep decline. Woody Harrelson, despite giving it boundless enthusiasm, can't quite make his character all that memorable. He's a fellow smuggler who entices Han into this world and teaches him various tricks of the trade but Beckett is a very surface level character who's entire arc can be accurately predicted in his initial opening scenes. Solo also marks the Star Wars debut for the Queen of Dragons, Emilia Clarke. Playing a close childhood friend of Han's, Qi'Ra could have been an integral character that ranks among the top characters in the Star Wars universe. Sadly, Qi'Ra is a very generically written character with thin motivations and an uninteresting story. Clarke does what she can in the role and strikes up a reasonably affectionate relationship with Ehrenreich but the lack of development of her character ceased any interest I had with her. Aside from Han and Chewie, the superstar of Solo and the individual that will be the talking point is Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. For starters, Donald Glover is THE most talented man working today. If you aren't already aware, Glover is also known as Childish Gambino, a rap artist known for his artistic songs and videos. Casting him as Lando was an inspired choice and within seconds, I immediately settled in to watch Glover own the role. It's clear that he's studied Billy Dee Williams very closely as he perfects all of Lando's mannerisms and vocal inflections. Lando doesn't get the most screen time in Solo but anytime he does feature, it's an absolute joy. And of course, it wouldn't be a Star Wars film without a droid in tow and taking the motion-capture reins this time round, is Phoebe Waller-Bridge who stars as L3. Whilst she isn't as endearing as K2-SO from Rogue One, L3 has a unique edge to her as she fights for droid rights and equality. It gets a little heavy handed with the social context at times but its heart's in the right place.
 |
| Never piss off a Wookie. |
FACT: Joonas Suotamo wrote a heartfelt letter to Peter Mayhew saying that he was doing his role not just for Star Wars fans, but for Mayhew himself.
Other notable faces crop up now and again such as Thandie Newton, Jon Favreau (or rather his voice) and Paul Bettany who is a clear addition of reshoots. On the topic of reshoots, this was on the tip of everyone's tongue as Solo's production history was one of the most tumultuous and controversial in recent memory. For those that aren't already privy to this information, when Solo was originally announced, Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 & 22 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie) were attached to direct. Shooting began and continued for nearly six months until issues started arising on set. Lord and Miller, having a distinct improvisational comedy background, were treating the set like their playground and getting actors to improvise lines detracting greatly from Lawrence Kasdan's script. This caused the movie to fall behind in production, increasing costs and making some actors feel uneasy about how this would all turn out. Kathleen Kennedy, the head of Lucasfilm, had no option but to step in and fired both Lord and Miller leaving Solo without a director with a year until its release. But then in walked Ron Howard who is hired to helm the movie and reportedly, reshot 90% of the film. All signs were pointing towards complete and utter failure so for Howard to save Solo from disaster and still manage to make a coherent movie is a miracle. No matter your opinion of the film, you have to commend Ron Howard on his sheer dedication. That being said, it's clear to me that Lucasfilm, after all the controversy behind the scenes, didn't want to take a risk with Solo and the end result was a safe and basic film with a simple premise and nothing that will reshape the Star Wars universe (unlike The Last Jedi). Putting the production aside, Solo has a lot of technical aspects to praise. Firstly, John Powell's score has the expected Star Wars feel to it with a few little winks and nods to the work of John Williams. The visual effects are also all astounding with a clear highlight being the infamous Kessel Run that is incredible fun to see unfold on the big screen. Unfortunately, and this really pains me to say this, the cinematography is one of the worst I've seen in a major motion picture. Bradford Young, who blew me away with his work on Arrival, is behind the camera and whilst some of the shots are impressive, the use of colour is appalling. Star Wars has always prided itself on bright colours as we soar across the galaxy. For a large proportion of this movie, Solo is swamped with a colour palette of murky greens, dull greys and dark blues that make it almost impossible to decipher the entire picture on screen. It isn't really until Lando shows up that the colour starts to pop.
 |
| I call this move the Flipperrooni 5000. |
That's all I really have to say about Solo but I just want to touch upon the current state of the Star Wars franchise and my worry as to where it's going in the future. There's no denying that The Last Jedi split fans right down the middle. Personally, whilst I don't think it's the greatest Star Wars movie ever made, I do enjoy the eighth instalment tremendously. However, I'm afraid that Kathleen Kennedy isn't the right person to be spearheading the franchise because they seem to be copying the Marvel formula. New movies seemed to be announced every other week (most recently James Mangold was attached to write and direct a standalone Boba Fett movie) without a real sense of where the franchise is going. Marvel's form of storytelling works because it's telling one big story from a variety of perspectives. Star Wars, to me, doesn't need to have a movie made every single year. One of my favourite parts about the release of a Star Wars film is the build up to it. I was shaking with excitement as I went into The Force Awakens but ever since then, there's only been a year gap in between each new entry meaning that my excitement isn't as extreme. For Solo, it's only been six months since the previous release and that excitement as I walked into the cinema and saw the Lucasfilm logo appear was nowhere to be found. I know it's a long shot and I know franchises are only focused on money but I think the best bet for the Star Wars franchise is to take a break after Episode Nine and figure out what they want to do and decide on a goal. If they want to tell a story separate from the episodic saga, tell stories that are worthy and expand the universe. Giving Jabba The Hutt his own movie is not going to win over fans and just feels like a blatant attempt to make a Star Wars movie for the sake of it. I can only hope that Rian Johnson's new original trilogy and another film by the creators of Game Of Thrones can drive this franchise in a fresh and new direction rather than feel the need to play the greatest hits.
 |
| This guy would be a pro at Fortnite. |
Solo: A Star Wars Story is an unnecessary addition to the franchise. It's a story that we didn't really want or need and the film never makes itself feel warranted. The cast do a good job with Ehrenreich and Glover cementing themselves in the Star Wars universe and the friendship between Han and Chewie is the best part of the film. It's mildly entertaining and has a few thrills within but on the whole, I left pretty unsatisfied.
My Verdict: 6/10
If you like what you've seen here don't forget to share this with everyone you know, comment below and check out my other reviews. Thanks for reading!!
Follow the official Luke's Reviews Facebook page: fb.me/LukeStapley26
Follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LukeStapley1
Comments
Post a Comment