'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Review- Solo Lost Money
This movie was released in 2018.
So I finally got around to watching Solo: A Star Wars Story, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, er, I mean Ron Howard. At first, I had no intention of seeing this film after the franchise-killer known as Star Wars The Last Jedi, however, I was encouraged to give it a try and after receiving a coupon for RedBox, I figured, ‘why not?’ Don’t worry, no spoilers.
We learn that Han (Alden Ehrenreich) had no last name, but he was given to him by, wait for it, an Imperial Recruitment Officer who needed to give the young Corellian ruffian a last name. Solo was chosen since he was fleeing the planet by himself, vowing to return to save his girlfriend Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) after he became a pilot.
Deciding to desert from the Imperial Navy, he meets Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) through a bizarre set of circumstances and eventually gets recruited into a band of outlaws led by the pessimistic Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson). The heist goes wrong when a rival gang shows up. They lose the cargo of hyper-drive fuel, resulting in the deaths of two of the crew, forcing them to go to Tobias’ boss, a vicious crime lord named Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany). He allows them a chance to make up for it if they can get more fuel. After recruiting smooth-talking Lando (Donald Glover) for the mission, they head off to make the Kessel Run in the Millennium Falcon.
This film is enjoyable, but not great. In fact, it would have been better if it had not been about Han Solo but instead, just a heist film set in the Star Wars universe. The first twenty minutes are just a build-up to the heist, giving explanations where none are needed, and then the plot picks up once the Kessel Run kicks into gear.
The trouble with this film is it explains everything. I get Solo meeting Chewbacca and even Lando, but seriously, his blaster, his iconic line ‘I know,’ and even those stupid golden dice THAT WERE ONLY BACKGROUND PROPS (until ‘The Last Jedi’) are given some sort of significance that is not needed.
They should have just made it a standalone film with references as opposed to a deep dive into Solo’s past. It’s unnecessary since we already know the man was killed off in the worst possible way in The Force Awakens.
One of my favorite aspects of the film is its mockery of SJW’s special snowflakes. Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the robot L3-37 played a parody of the morons who shout ‘white privilege’ while drinking their Venti Starbucks drinks. It was hilarious.
Bottom line, Solo is a fun thrill ride. Ron Howard does a good job of bringing the mismatched work of three different directors to get a sort of decent plot, but it is a Star Wars movie that probably won’t stand out like the far superior standalone Rogue One. Hopefully, Disney and LucasFilms will learn from their mistakes, fire Kathleen Kennedy, and rebuild the universe.
FAVORITE QUOTE: Just did the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs!
PARENTAL CONCERN: Violence, some language
Check out the trailer below:
What did you think? Let me know in the comments below and tell me if there’s a movie, anime, or novel you’d like me to review.