Thoughts on Solo

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Directed By: Ron Howard (mostly… )

Grade: C+

Well, despite my dislike of The Last Jedi and my deep belief that no one but Harrison Ford could play Han Solo I went and saw Solo and it definitely surprised me. I think the biggest surprise is that after all the talk about the Lawrence Kasdan (and his son Jake’s) script that was my biggest issue with the movie.

Other big surprise?

The acting was fine. I mean it wasn’t anything to write home about but it worked. I actually managed to put Harrison Ford out of my head and just go with it. There were even some moments like when he saw the Falcon go into hyperdrive for the first time where I could believe it was baby Han.

Best parts of the movie and Alden Ehrenreich’s performance was the stuff with Chewie (Joonas Suotamp) and Lando (Donald Glover.)

Actually, I even liked Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke). The chemistry was questionable and I didn’t care for those bloody dice being in there. (Aw, how sweet Luke gave Leia dice that Han and his childhood love used to pass back and forth between each other? Jeez.)

Donald Glover was good as Lando but at the same time I didn’t really like what they did with the character and I really didn’t like anything with the L3 droid. I mean humor is subjective of course but it fell so flat in my whole theater it was almost embarrassing. Again Lando’s best stuff was the back and forth with Han.

I just thought the story was way to basic. A heist movie with ever increasing betrayals and so on and so forth. There were no surprises to be had and there were bits in the script that I thought were too glaringly oh, they want you to gasp. They want you to have a reaction here and… it just wasn’t working.

Didn’t really care about Enfys Nest either. All it really did was make me remember how much they wasted Phasma/Gwendoline Christie both times out.

Despite the fact that we know Han, Chewie and Lando’s getting out of this okay to me these side stories are where you take some chances. Change things up. Not the middle section of a trilogy. For instances there are two characters I would have switched their fates completely.

There’s a tease at the end that I’m actually glad I was spoiled for because if you don’t know the animated series you may be a little confused (I would have been). But even there I had to snicker at how it was presented.

Star Wars is in such a strange place for me right now. I think it will always appeal to nostalgia but (for me) it doesn’t seem to know how to balance that, honor the old characters and move on.

I couldn’t help thinking that Alden Ehrenreich would have been great as one of the children of Han and Leia if they had gone that way. I think the youngest was called Ben and actually does interact with Chewie. Acting wise the film had a ton of potential but they played it way to safe in terms of script.

To be honest if there’s story left to tell with Han Solo- for me it’s what happened between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Why his relationship with his son was so extreme it ended that badly? Why someone who was always a good guy (even when he was trying not to be) was so hated by his kid? Why someone who was always left seemingly did the leaving?

I’m not saying those things don’t happen in real life all the time. They do. But to me that’s where the story is not origin story/heist movie number three billion.

Recommend: Despite everything- yes. It was okay. Wait to view at home though.