Solo: A Star Wars Story

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SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Alden Ehrenreich makes his big-screen debut as Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Solo—the second in the Star Wars Anthology series—tells the story of a much younger Han Solo, before he meets the likes of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia and becomes a hero of the Rebellion. As a fledgling scoundrel, Solo makes his way from the grimy streets of Corellia to the big leagues of galactic gangster syndicates—a world that’s far more ruthless than he’s prepared for.

     Solo features some fan-favorite characters like Han Solo, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), but it also introduces a new gang of friendly criminals. There’s Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), the leader of the crew, his wife Val (Thandie Newton), a droid named L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), and an alien named Rio (Jon Favreau). Paul Bettany plays the merciless gangster Dryden Vos, and Emilia Clarke plays Qi’ra, a friend who grew up alongside Han on Corellia. Also joining the action is a mysterious space pirate called Enfys Nest.

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     Fan expectations play a role in any new Star Wars release, so it’s probably for the best if we establish something right off the bat: Solo is its own thing. Sure, it’s set within the Star Wars universe, but as an Anthology film, it has some license to explore new themes, new tones, new worlds. Solo is a bit lighter on its feet than, say, the recent episodic installments, much closer to a “space western” or a “space heist flick” than a space opera. Taken on its own terms, then—and with measured expectations—Solo is a competent, serviceable, and occasionally adventuresome little romp.

     The trouble is that the movie just doesn’t have many new ideas. From a story standpoint, there’s not much about Solo that’s original; most of the plot beats, character moments, and chase scenes are recycled from other sources. To compensate, the movie doubles down on fan service. There’s nothing overtly wrong with fan service, of course, but it quickly becomes apparent that the filmmakers are far more comfortable referencing the memorable moments we already know than creating some of their own. It’s a fairly typical prequel problem to try to answer, explain, or otherwise embellish every open subject that the original movie left ambiguous (Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones? But of course!), but doing so rarely makes either the prequel or the original more interesting.

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     And while Solo is certainly a different animal than the episodic installments, it doesn’t seem to be entirely sure what it is. There are occasionally hints of a brand of comedy very different from what we typically see in Star Wars (likely the influence of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the original directors who were replaced with Ron Howard halfway through production), but Solo doesn’t commit to them. Instead, it’s tonally (and also somewhat thematically) confused, without a unifying creative voice or vision… which is a shame, especially since Lord and Miller’s unique style might just have been the missing ingredient needed to really set Solo apart.

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     It’s undeniable, however, that many of the things onscreen are a delight to behold. Thus far, Disney’s Star Wars films have all featured incredible visual imagery, and Solo is no different, with a distinct color palette and impressive, detailed production design. The casting, too, works wonders, even for characters who only get a few scenes. Donald Glover’s Lando is a standout, and fans of Chewy will be excited to know that this is perhaps his biggest role in Star Wars film. If there’s a weak spot in the core cast, it’s Ehrenreich, who has some subtle charm but doesn’t quite seem confident enough in the role. It would be unfair—and also unwise—to demand a Harrison Ford impersonation from him, but you still get the feeling he might be more engaging when the inevitable sequel rolls around in a few years.

     FINAL VERDICT: One of Lucasfilm’s weaker entries into the canon, Solo: A Star Wars Story still makes for an agreeable and mildly entertaining galactic adventure.

TRAILER

Watch the trailer here.

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