So, is this what it feels like to watch a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie not knowing about the previous movies but still wanting to watch the new one? I have never been a fanboy of Star Wars, but I have watched all of them since the prequels (NO I HAVE NOT SEEN THE ORIGINALS, SHUSH YOUR MOUTH). So, for Solo: A Star Wars Story I got to watch it without the Star Wars stan lens that made the response to The Last Jedi so divisive. Here is the regular Joe Schmoe review to Solo.
Solo follows the origins of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he cons, scams, drives, flies, and deals his way to trying to become the best pilot in the galaxy. From trying to escape the crime underworld with his young love Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) to first meeting Chewie (Joonas Suotamo) and Lando (Donald Glover), we follow the genesis of the future rebellion pilot who knows you love him.
All in all, this movie is a really good time. It might be one of the most entertaining pure adventure flicks I have seen in awhile The gun fights and action set pieces are thrilling. They throw in some cool, unexpected fight choreography, and the flight and driving scenes are pretty mesmerizing. Unfortunately, there are some cookie-cutter combat sets and even more formulaic plot points we have seen before. The love story, the “twists” and betrayals, the naïve “hero” in the big new world. It has been done before, and specifically done before in other Star Wars films. On top of knowing what happens to the majority of the characters (since this is a prequel), we can see the future plot points from more than 12 parsecs away. What does make these standards better than your average fare is that Star Wars tends to pull the trigger on creating stakes. Some of those deathly stakes seem to not matter as much as others, but they are still there. This and the great characters (I seem to get to the “great character” point in almost everyone review, lol) are what carry this film through to the end.
As Han, Alden Ehrenreich holds his own against the shadow of Harrison Ford as well as face-to-face to some acting juggernauts. He creates his own version of Han that has the charisma, magnetism, and personality we love, but also adds a wide-eyed optimism that creates a new layer to the character. It makes you take him as his own version and could (emphasis on COULD) allow you separate Han from Harrison. Around him, Thandie Newton as Val, Jon Favreau as Rio, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3 make memorable side characters you want more from (though L3 is arguable depending on who you talk to – I, personally, don’t think she is the new Jar-Jar, but hey…). Vision, Khaleesi, and Woody Harrelson do what they always do so they amazingly elevate the character relationships. And as expected, it is Childish and Chewie who you can’t keep your eyes off. Chewbacca gets to show off both his full viciousness and benevolence in this movie, and it is glorious in all the not-knowing-what-the-hell-he-is-saying-ness. Then there’s Donald. Donald was made to be a young Billy Dee. He embodies the swagger, the con-artist, the cockiness, the intelligent "live to fight another day" mentality, and the deep pansexual looks into your soul.
Lando movie now please.
I can’t tell if Star Wars fans will feel satisfied with this movie, but regular “civis” like us will get a kick out of it. I was worried during the first 5 minutes or so, but as it got into its groove and you meet every new interesting character the movie turns into a ride you enjoy experiencing. I give Solo: A Star Wars Story 7/10 Clint Howard cameos in his brother’s films.