Movie Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Han Solo. One of the Galaxy's greatest smugglers, he would eventually become of the Star Wars universe's greatest heroes. But, how did he get his start? How did he become the man we know from the Original Trilogy. Well, Solo: A Star Wars Story promises to explain how this happened. Did it fly high or crash and burn? Let's find out!

Han Solo was a young man from the planet Corellia who dreamed of flying. However, he was trapped in debt to a local crime boss and was determined to escape with the girl he loved. As part of his attempt to flee, he joins the Imperial Military Academy hoping to fly. While there, he joins a crew of thieves and begins his life as a criminal outlaw.

Alden Ehrenreich picks up the iconic blaster of Han Solo. I have to say, he does do an alright job portraying a younger Solo, but I do feel he didn't quite broadcast the cynical nature the character is supposed to pick up at the end of the movie. But he is still fun to watch.

Another strong point of the film is Donald Glover, who is taking up the role of Lando. He is definitely one of the film's strongest points, as his Lando is amusing as anything. I also loved the character L3-37, voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She was a hoot. I also enjoyed seeing Paul Bettany as the villainous crime lord Dryden Vos. His character was the standard "affable villain", but he was just so delightful in the role. Emilia Clarke brings a seductive charm to her role of Qi'ra, Han's thief love interest.

The film does feel a bit uneven in places, but that is mainly due to the behind-the-scenes chaos during the filming (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the original directors of the film, were fired part way due to "creative differences" leading to Ron Howard taking over the directors' chair). There are plenty of twists in the film's story. It does make sense, considering that this film focuses on the Star Wars universe's underworld, where trust is cheap. There was also a character appearing that shocked me. I'm not spoiling it.

So, should you see Solo? Well, I say give it a look. It doesn't add a lot to the overall story of Star Wars, but it does maintain a tradition of the franchise: Giving everything a back story. It's got great action and laugh-out-loud moments, and it's a nice breather from the previous heavier film, The Last Jedi. It's a fun way to kill a couple extra hours.

Heh heh, looks like I did manage to put out one more blog entry before my trip to Las Vegas after all. I hope you all enjoyed it. See you all in about a week!