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Solo: A Star Wars Story
(Lucasfilm Ltd.)
By Lucas Allen
From his Cantina introduction in “A New Hope” to his fatal confrontation with Kylo-Ren in “The Force Awakens,” Han Solo as played by Harrison Ford was the Star Wars saga’s most beloved scoundrel. Little is known throughout the movies about his backstory until now.
In the careful hands of director Ron Howard from a script by “Empire Strikes Back” scribe Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jonathan, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” attempts to shed some light on the character’s origin from smuggler to pilot. Don’t let its infamous production history underwhelm you, because this is still as good as any Star Wars movie can be.
Young Han (Alden Ehrenreich) and his girlfriend Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) grew up in the oppressed planet Corellia, surviving by smuggling for extra cash. When they try getting out together, they get separated before Han ends up in the Empire’s army. Three years later, he tries to get out, but ends up arrested when he has a chance meeting with the wookie Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). Upon escaping, they hitched a ride with a group of thieves led by the cocky Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) who works for the evil gangster Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany).
Their mission is to steal 12 cases of coaxium, which is worth more money than anything else. Soon enough, Qi’ra returns to Han’s life, revealing she’s now Dryden’s top lieutenant. Once she joins the group, the group has to get a ship fast enough to get to the mining planet of Kessel where the coaxium is mined. This leads Han to a card game with Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), who pilots the Millennium Falcon.
In spite of its well-known woes during production, the movie still manages to act and feel like a classic Star Wars film. Howard makes sure that every key scene is crucial to match the adventurous and fantastical tone of the original trilogy. There’s also some darker moments of grim reflected in the film’s cinematography and post-apocalyptic style set design. It helps give the film the kind of kid-friendly and adult appeal that made this series as phenomenal as four decades ago.
While the story isn’t as lean and tight as the other movies, there are enough humorous, dramatic, and action-packed moments to entertain fans and non-fans alike. The script is good at capturing important beats that work with both the story and overall parts of the universe. It’s all put together with some smooth editing and exciting visual effects that is the series’ standards. Howard deserves appreciation for saving the movie by learning from the best in George Lucas.
At first, Ehrenreich comes across as an actor who lacked Ford’s gruff exterior to play a memorable character. But as the film goes on, you’ll warm up to his performance as he demonstrates some of the mannerisms that made the character very beloved. He’s backed up by a good supporting cast including Glover doing a very convincing job playing young Lando. Both Harrelson and Bettany add some great charisma to their performances, while Clarke brought emotional heart and soul for the film.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” continues to expand on the Star Wars universe in a big way and the result is surely an entertaining delight. It may not make anybody’s list of best movies in the series, but it will likely appeal to those looking to start watching them. As of this writing, there are more stories to be told about other characters, so be sure to keep your lightsaber handy at all times.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi action/violence)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
