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Update: May 24, 2018
Dragonlord’s Review of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (No Spoilers)
Bottom Line: A pleasant and watchable origin story but not really a must-see.
Production on Solo: A Star Wars Story has been plagued by controversies with original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller fired due to creative differences despite having shot almost the entire movie already. Veteran director Ron Howard was then brought in and reshot 70% of the movie. There were also reports that an acting coach was brought in for lead star Alden Ehrenreich.
So what’s the verdict? Solo is a serviceable, fast-paced origin story for one of the most beloved and iconic character in movie history. The film narrates how Han Solo became an infamous smuggler, how he and Chewbacca met, how he got the Millennium Falcon and how he accomplished the legendary Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
Unless you have an incredible story to tell, Solo is also an unnecessary spinoff movie as it is better to leave some of his past accomplishments to the imaginations of the fans. I don’t know if it’s Star Wars fatigue or The Last Jedi leaving a bad taste in my mouth but Solo didn’t really engage me for the most part. The movie just goes through the motions in a predictable way and there are retreads from past Star Wars movies as well as other sci-fi shows.
On the casting side, it’s all aces. Ehrenreich is terrific as Han Solo. His performance has a dash of Harrison Ford while simultaneously giving his own spin on the character. I initially thought he was wrong for the part after the casting announcement but Donald Glover as Lando Carlissian was amazing as Lando Calrissian. He was smooth, charming, funny and his sabaac game with Han was one of the best parts of the film.
Acting as Long John Silver to Han’s Jim Hawkins, Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) was a fun character. Beckett’s other crew members Val (Thandie Newton) and Rio Durant (voiced by Jon Favreau) were also endearing and memorable. Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) is a lovely character that you can’t help be enamored due to her beauty, intelligence and loyalty. L3-37 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is a mixed bag. On one hand her sass and acerbic personality are humorous but then they introduce a new element that could create a major impact (or plot hole) in the Star Wars lore.
The good news is that Solo: A Star Wars Story is better and less offensive than The Last Jedi. There are a few visually great moments in here like the topsy-turvy train heist and the Kessel Run. The appearance of a surprise character at the end felt tacked on and forced, like trying to tie something unrelated to a bigger universe. Your enjoyment of Solo will vary depending on how big of a fan you are of Star Wars.
Recasting a young Han Solo and Lando Calrissian is a step in the right direction for Lucasfilm. One of my major complaint about Lucasfilm’s direction for the Star Wars universe after Disney bought them is that instead of recasting the iconic characters like Luke, Han and Leia with new actors and continuing the story a few years after Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm screwed up royally by being shortsighted and casting the aged actors for a cheap pop and revolving the new sequel trilogy around them and then tossing them aside like garbage. Imagine if Marvel Studios stopped making movies today. 30 years later, Marvel Studios makes a new batch of movies. You don’t cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth to reprise their roles and aged the characters just to fit the actors’ age. You cast new actors to play Iron Man, Captain America and Thor.
Preliminary Rating: 6.5/10 or 7/10
Dragonlord’s Review of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (No Spoilers)
Bottom Line: A pleasant and watchable origin story but not really a must-see.
Production on Solo: A Star Wars Story has been plagued by controversies with original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller fired due to creative differences despite having shot almost the entire movie already. Veteran director Ron Howard was then brought in and reshot 70% of the movie. There were also reports that an acting coach was brought in for lead star Alden Ehrenreich.
So what’s the verdict? Solo is a serviceable, fast-paced origin story for one of the most beloved and iconic character in movie history. The film narrates how Han Solo became an infamous smuggler, how he and Chewbacca met, how he got the Millennium Falcon and how he accomplished the legendary Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
Unless you have an incredible story to tell, Solo is also an unnecessary spinoff movie as it is better to leave some of his past accomplishments to the imaginations of the fans. I don’t know if it’s Star Wars fatigue or The Last Jedi leaving a bad taste in my mouth but Solo didn’t really engage me for the most part. The movie just goes through the motions in a predictable way and there are retreads from past Star Wars movies as well as other sci-fi shows.
On the casting side, it’s all aces. Ehrenreich is terrific as Han Solo. His performance has a dash of Harrison Ford while simultaneously giving his own spin on the character. I initially thought he was wrong for the part after the casting announcement but Donald Glover as Lando Carlissian was amazing as Lando Calrissian. He was smooth, charming, funny and his sabaac game with Han was one of the best parts of the film.
Acting as Long John Silver to Han’s Jim Hawkins, Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) was a fun character. Beckett’s other crew members Val (Thandie Newton) and Rio Durant (voiced by Jon Favreau) were also endearing and memorable. Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) is a lovely character that you can’t help be enamored due to her beauty, intelligence and loyalty. L3-37 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is a mixed bag. On one hand her sass and acerbic personality are humorous but then they introduce a new element that could create a major impact (or plot hole) in the Star Wars lore.
The good news is that Solo: A Star Wars Story is better and less offensive than The Last Jedi. There are a few visually great moments in here like the topsy-turvy train heist and the Kessel Run. The appearance of a surprise character at the end felt tacked on and forced, like trying to tie something unrelated to a bigger universe. Your enjoyment of Solo will vary depending on how big of a fan you are of Star Wars.
Recasting a young Han Solo and Lando Calrissian is a step in the right direction for Lucasfilm. One of my major complaint about Lucasfilm’s direction for the Star Wars universe after Disney bought them is that instead of recasting the iconic characters like Luke, Han and Leia with new actors and continuing the story a few years after Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm screwed up royally by being shortsighted and casting the aged actors for a cheap pop and revolving the new sequel trilogy around them and then tossing them aside like garbage. Imagine if Marvel Studios stopped making movies today. 30 years later, Marvel Studios makes a new batch of movies. You don’t cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth to reprise their roles and aged the characters just to fit the actors’ age. You cast new actors to play Iron Man, Captain America and Thor.
Preliminary Rating: 6.5/10 or 7/10
