Solo: A Star Wars Story is finally upon us after a turbulent production period that saw Ron Howard finally take the reigns to bring it across the finish line. I have to admit that I was skeptical about this one. The production troubles coupled with a general lack of excitement about the movie had me waiting more patiently to see it than the previous Star Wars movies. Solo has also opened to underwhelming box office numbers, but don’t let those numbers scare you away because you will be missing out on a solid movie that breathes new life into a beloved character.
I think there are couple of reasons that Solo is not performing as well as the other Star Wars movies. One reason is a release date that coincided with a holiday weekend meant for outdoor activities, and it followed directly after the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2. The other reason is that The Last Jedi left a lot of people feeling unsatisfied, and the direction the Star Wars movies are heading seemed be uncertain. If you were brave enough to give Solo a chance though, you found that this movie is an all-around solid story that is one of the better Star Wars films to date.
Solo feels like the start of what could be a great series of stand-alone Star Wars stories. The early previews didn’t have me convinced, but Alden Ehrenreich brings all the swagger, attitude, and stubbornness that you would expect in a young Han without simply mimicking Harrison Ford. He embodies his own version of Han while staying true to the roots of the character.
The supporting cast compliments Ehrenreich’s Solo by bringing new interesting characters and old favorites. One of my favorite moments of the movie was getting to see Han and Chewie meet for the first time, and learn that Han can actually speak Shyriiwook. They form an immediate bond after narrowly escaping more than one close encounter.
Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Thandie Newton all brought their A-game to this one as well and gave us memorable characters that added real depth to the movie, but let’s talk about Lando. I think Donald Glover was born to play Lando Calrissian. He perfectly embodies the role and could probably support a stand-alone Lando movie that’s every bit as good as this one.
The story is well thought out and executed with care. Young Han escapes his home planet, but must leave his love, Kira, behind. He makes a vow with himself that he will come back for her. If effort to earn money for ship that will let him return to Kira, Han joins up with a group of bandits led by a man named Beckett (Woody Harrelson). The plan, of course, does not work out as he expected and Han must do what he does best… improvise.
I won’t spoil the rest of the movie, but go see Solo in the theater if you can because it is a fun movie that will leave you wanting to see it again soon.
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