Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) - Review

"Who asked for this movie?" questioned a snarky Star Wars fan. "No one," I replied, "but boy am I glad we got it."

In Solo: A Star Wars Story we meet and follow a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) during major events of his formative years: meeting Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), pulling his first smuggling job with Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) and his teenage sweetheart Q'ira (Emilia Clarke), and falling in love with the fabled Millennium Falcon.

Off the top, this film should be commended for even making its original release date. Through a troubled production that saw a change in directors, Solo manages to bring enough big thrills that please mass audiences, deepen our understanding of key relationships in the Star Wars saga, and pulling deep cuts that will please the hard-core Star Wars fans.

Ehrenreich hits the right note in his portrayal of Solo. Presenting a much younger version of Han, he manages to show both a youthful, exuberant naiveté, while evoking Harrison Ford's harsher character during certain moments. What worked best in Alden's performance was the way he plays off of the rest of the ensemble. Han's relationships are at the forefront of this film, particularly in how those relationships form him into the jaded scoundrel we come to know in the original trilogy.

Q'ira is an elegant and sexy femme fatale, showing what drives Han to be turned off of forming connections with others. Alden and Clarke have tremendous chemistry, lending credibility to their teenage romance. My personal favourite relationship in the film is that of Han and Chewie. It's hard not to smile seeing the characters become fast friends, and while I felt that it was perhaps a little too fast and somewhat unearned, it was still largely pleasing. Finally, Lando is a highlight. Glover looks and sounds just like a young Billy Dee Williams, and I for one would be completely on board to watch the rumoured young Lando film. Much like his original trilogy counterpart, Glover walks the line between likeable showman and unbearable narcissist.

The film is not without its flaws, however. The story is clunky in areas. In particular, Han makes one decision toward the end of the film that seems wholly opposite of the character that has been established in this film. Perhaps most egregious for a hard core fan like myself, the ending (a key piece of lore that has never been seen) feels tacked on. Enjoyable, but not given the time and gravitas it deserved.

Some of the other new characters miss the mark as well. L3-37, the highly touted "first female droid" is useless, contributing to little to the story. Thandie Newton's Val is also largely irrelevant, and a certain big decision her character makes reverberates to the rest of the crew for all of 2 minutes before it is forgotten about and never mentioned again. I can't help but wonder if, given the proper amount of time, director Ron Howard could have massaged these weak points into tighter, more productive areas of the film.

A final note I would like to make about the film is the photography. DOP Bradford Young captures beautiful visuals, from the beachside showdown between Han and the swoop gang led by the mysterious Enfys Nest, to a very striking, very 30's noir type shot of Q'ira seen in the trailers, the cinematography evokes the right emotions for the right scenes. Corellia is dark and dingy, lending to Han's sense of being trapped on the unforgiving planet. When Han is able to get off Corellia and begin his life as a rogue, the scenery suddenly gains immense color. A subtle, yet powerful feature.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is a unique case. A blend of science fiction, western and noir, writers Jon and Lawrence Kasdan give us answers to questions few asked, but they are satisfying nonetheless. While I think the most fervent Star Wars fans would enjoy this at FULL PRICE, I think the perfect price for more casual fans would be a MATINEE.