Solo: A Star Wars Story Film Review

Changing Of The Guard

Upon reflection, when Disney acquired Lucasfilms and the Star Wars franchise along with it in 2012 for an overwhelming sum of over $4 billion, no fan of the popular sci-fi film series or cinephile can deny their initial excitement for the saga's return to the silver-screen. Indeed, when murmurs and hushed whispers were spiralling around that a new trilogy of Star Wars films were set to become a reality, a new three-part arc that would expand on the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and base its premise around new characters, it's hard to imagine not seeing a fan of the franchise not be galvanised by the saga's return and J.J.Abrams' Force Awakens metaphorically demonstrated this adherent affection at the time of its release. Of course, the aforesaid franchise has gone-on to evolve from its own norm by introducing features that are prequels/spin-offs to main plot-line, as seen with Gareth Edwards' Rogue One. Yet, for all this renewal of an acclaimed franchise and how it's changed, it's arguable to fathom that the behind-the-scenes discord that lies underneath the films is more intriguing than the events that are depicted on-screen and has lead the franchise into a little bit of uncertainty. From word of Harrison Ford breaking his leg on the set of Force Awakens to the abrupt departure of both Josh Trank and Colin Trevorrow who were in line to make Rogue One before Gareth Edwards stepped-in, there's evidence to suggest that the production of these films warrant more attraction than the stories themselves and has, in turn, lead this franchise into a bit of dissary. This is also best exemplified with the latest cinematic-outing of Solo: A Star Wars Story, a western space-opera depicted the galaxy's best-known pilot, smuggler and all-round rogue, which had its own controversies with studio-movie staple Ron Howard taking the filming reigns from directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie) who were dismissed half-way through production due to creative differences. Yet, as damaging as they may seem for such a pristine franchise, does Ron Howard's creative attempts with Solo make it a worthwhile experience to perceive?...

Residing on his home planet of Correllia, where he's scraping by as a thief in the planet's grimy, sewer-esque underbelly, young Han Solo (Alden Ehenreich) has his eyes set in the stars; dreaming of making a tonne of money, buying a fancy space-ship and whisking his love, Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), off around the galaxy. Fatefully, Solo soon finds adventure when he joins a gang of galactic smugglers where he meets the likes of Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and a 196 year-old Wookie named Chewbacca. Indebted by the demanding Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), this rag-tag crew devise a plan to travel to the mining planet of Kessel to steal a batch of valuable coaxium. In need of a ship to do the job, Solo meets Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), a suave gambler who happens to have the perfect vessel for the means - The Millennium Falcon...

Considering the turmoil behind the scenes that the majority of audiences will know of going into Ron Howard's feature, what's clearly evident from the opening moments of Solo is how it briskly it upholds a simple three-act structure that projects a sense of fun one might expect to see in a Star Wars feature. Given the tempo of how scenes are connected with one another and how the plethora of action sequences take-up the majority of the two hour plus running-time, Solo exhibits itself as a fun romp that will enthuse die-hard fans and excite the younger demographic.Yet, for all its pleasure in depicted a young Han Solo meeting other recognisable characters from past Star Wars entries and making wise-cracks and stunts that many audience members will adhere to, there's a contextual strain to be had here that limits Solo from being up-there with the other great Star Wars films. To put it simply, one of the reasons why Howard's film feels lacklustre in comparison to many of preceding feature of the franchise is due to it's 'corporate-esque' premise and the expectation that a lot of viewing members have. While we learn the little details of background information of Han Solo, such as his golden dice (as glimpsed in A New Hope and in The Last Jedi), the first time he meets his Wookie co-pilot in Chewbacca and how exactly he won the Millennium Falcon from the ever smooth-talking Lando Calrissian, there's never any great emphasis demonstrated on the aforesaid hero of the story, which is disappointing. There's even an attempt for depth when the film proposes a romantic perspective between Han and Emilia Clarke's character, Qi'ra. However, this particular story-arc never gets established as it displays to suggest, and what becomes of this romantic story-line is a one-dimensional account that is predictable in terms of how its going to conclude. This in turn, links to the films inherent problem in being foreseeable; knowingly expecting events to occur as though we already knew they were coming, whether we've seen it been talked about in other feature or read-in related novels. It's severely hampered by not only its simple and rather boring story-telling methodology which see's character traverse quickly to one place and then another, but also obstructed by our preordained awareness of Han Solo as a character and what has already been appealingly done by a certain Harrison Ford. When you visually perceive the events that unfold and take into consideration the motivations of the characters, and how these motives clash with one another in the third and final-act, the story is certainly stretching itself thin considering it's total running-time. There's never any balance in the context where we're presented with meaningful scenes that wholeheartedly delve into Solo's character whilst managing action sequences that are genuinely fine and produced rather well, but cover the contextual landscape of Howard's efforts. Although many didn't favour Rian Johnson's film, considering the events that took place in said directors feature and key information was disregarded, one aspect that is admirable to take notice of within The Last Jedi was its manner in providing a context that took risks and left things upto interpretation. Granted, Solo is rightly a prequel. But, despite this, maybe Howard's film could have benefited more if it introduced a premise that was effervescent like its central character and not stick to a linear path that doesn't ultimately challenge a likeable character.

"I ran away with my life. I think that means something. That means something to me."

Naturally, while he's not a character that I would subjectively adhere to when watching the original trilogy, it's understandable non-the-less that a lot of fans of Star Wars simply adore Han Solo for his inherently cool persona that contrasts well with the likes Luke, Leia and often with Chewbacca. In an oddly similar vein to how Spike Spiegel traverses through the stars trying to collect bounties in a mellow yet suave manner from Shinchirō Watanabe's anime, Cowboy Bebop, Han Solo essentially projects himself as your 'every-day guy' who was always stuck in these larger-than-life scenarios. Despite his incredible skill as a space-pilot and his fortuitous luck that gets him out of sticky situations, he seemed like you're typical average-joe that many audience members can relate with. Funny, charming and bashful, the character of Han Solo is arguably one of the draws of the Star Wars franchise and much of that is credited by Harrison Ford's efforts in fleshing that character out. It is this very point however, which eclipses some draw-backs in Solo. Instinctively, there's no separating Han Solo from Harrsion Ford which accordingly puts a lot of impetus for Alden Ehenreich to provide an interpretation of a character that's familiar, but also different at the same time. In terms of his performance, Ehenreich simply does a fine job of emulating the quirks of Ford's persona, imitating his rascally smile to the said actor's brusque and smirking delivery, whilst interjecting a distinct charm that is believably buoyant in contrast to his older counterpart. Never once was there a moment I had to wince in disgust of Ehenreich's enactment, despite reports of him supposedly having acting lessons before this very role, and this must be stressed that his performance was acceptable in comparison to other performers. What's made abundantly clear in watching Solo is how contradictory the secondary players are to Ehenreich's attempt charisma. From the likes of Rio, an alien pilot who feels too close to a certain Guardians of the Galaxy character, to L3-37, a droid (voiced and mo-capped by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) to Lando who provides a dry comic-sense, similar to Alan Tudyk's K2-SO in Rogue One, these characters don't convince us enough to warrant seeing them on numerous occasions. Much of the same can be said of Emilia Clarke's contribution as Qi'ra who, although strikes good chemistry with Ehenreich with the minimal time they have together, doesn't do enough on her own due to the one-dimensional limitations of her own character. Even Paul Bettany's contribution as Dryden Vos, the villain of the peace, doesn't convincingly stamp his authority as an antagonist that you'll remember for years to come and begs the question is to why the producers and writers didn't take advantage of using the likes of Bobba Fett or Jabba the Hut? Nevertheless, the obvious bright-spot in terms of the characterisation and the performances is Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian since he not only provides a cunning resemblance to Billy Dee Williams' performance of the same character in Empire Strikes Back, but inevitably steals the screen by injecting a charm that feels natural and not manufactured like some other characters are. 

As exemplary as Howard's Solo whisks us from planet to planet and crisis to crisis with the upmost efficiency, there is little to be desired in relation to the films general formality, especially with its haphazard editing. Being that we're presented with a premise that showcases numerous scenes of various escapes, daring rescues or last-minute strokes of luck, the manner in which sequences are cut against each other can sometimes feel to hasty and unnecessary for a film that should have a more methodical pace in terms of developing the main character, which this film doesn't do. What's more damning  however, is the visual style of Solo which doesn't exploit the expansive and creative world of Star Wars that's been explored in previous films. While it's all fine and dandy to perceive scenes like Han going through the Kessel run, they're nothing in comparison to the Rogue One's well-crafted conclusion; showcasing different perspectives that feel meaningful and important and inevitably leads into the main series of films. Even within the opening moments of the film, there were times when the lighting didn't mesh the angles that the camera was placed and did leave me squinting in quick instances.

One of the reasons why Harrison Ford wanted Han Solo to die in Return of the Jedi originally was because he felt that his character didn't have that much depth behind him and that, by making a sacrifice, it would complete the arc of the charming smuggler. Evidently, George Lucas didn't do that and kept him alive long enough to see him return in J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens where Solo fell to a demise that was dark and impactful at the time; establishing his legacy as a staple Star Wars character. It's this legacy which see's Han Solo return for a film of his own, in the form of Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story. While the name alone sounds appealing to any Star Wars devotee, curiously wondering how the ever-loving Solo partners with Chewbacca and claims the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian, the film in question is not to be desired long after-watching and makes you question the need for this film overall. Indeed, like Han himself and considering the turmoil of this films behind-the-scenes, the production manages to slip through a closing gap with decent acting performances and one-off premise that imbues satisfactory pleasure. What it ultimately boils down to is the films lack-of any critical contextual edge and presents a story that doesn't challenge or develop a character that many fans and general audiences wholeheartedly adore...

On that note, it's time for me to end this week's Film Review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest Film Review in the form of Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story and I hope you've all enjoyed the read! 😉 If anyone has an opinion on either the review or the film itself, you're more than welcome to post your thoughts down below in the comments section. For next week, considering that Brad Bird is returning to Pixar to deliver-us The Incredibles 2 very soon, I think it's the opportune moment to review the initial 2004 animated release and see how well it stacks-up in comparison to other animations of today. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my latest Blog Post and I hope you're all having a nice week! Adieu!! 😎😏🌑🌟👽

★★★ - Alex Rabbitte