As per usual, we saw the newest Star Wars movie on opening night. Solo: A Star Wars Story is one of the “off-shoot” movies (like Rogue One), as in it’s not part of the episodic saga like The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. I felt a great deal of conflict about this movie. Han Solo is my favorite Star Wars character and only one actor can play him, the beloved Harrison Ford. Was this movie going to be good? Did it have a chance of me liking it? These were the thoughts leading up to the movie. Hungry and I have the joy of living walking distance to Disney’s El Capitan theater and we try to see new Disney movies there (and that does include Star Wars movies now) because they usually have cool shows or behind-the-scenes stuff. And we did so last night, walking our way over to the theater. It wasn’t as huge and high-energy as the Last Jedi release, but still plenty of Star Wars fans buzzing. There was a fun photo op with Chewbacca and some Stormtroopers and they had props from the movie downstairs. But you’re not here to hear this, you want to hear what I thought of the movie!
Solo is a fun movie. It’s a fun addition to the Star Wars universe. Is it a perfect movie? Of course not! Do you know how much struggle this movie went through? Losing your directors mid-shoot ain’t an easy thing. Still, that being said, they pulled off an entertaining movie. There was good writing, good effects, good acting, and plenty of great humor. The whole movie felt like a Star Wars RPG adventure (yes I’m that nerdy)–where you had to figure it all out by the seat of your pants or die trying. The tempo from the start was fast-paced. We are thrown into a world of chaos and struggle where our heroes must use true grit to get through the day. What’s new about Han flying by the seat of his pants? Pretty much nothing. It’s a fast-paced movie that works hard to try to start the building blocks of why Han Solo became the person we know him as today.
We see plenty of new characters and certainly a few we know. Let me be clear, there was great acting across the board whether they were adapting from an old actor or spinning up a new character. Alden Ehrenreich played Han Solo and this was what I was most anxious about. He didn’t completely win it for me, but he did well enough that by the end of the movie, I was thinking, This could be a version of Han Solo. He studied Harrison Ford hard because he was able to pick up some of his mannerisms and how Han would act. Still, I wouldn’t say it was 100% but on a scale of Love to Hate, I’m a little beyond uneasy with him being Han which is actually not too bad. Donald Glover KILLED IT as Lando Calrissian. I was nervous about that one. It was so fun to watch the beginnings of Lando and Han’s relationship and brought many laughs as well. But really, for me, Chewbacca stole the show! Joonas Suotamo, who has recently taken over the helm of Chewbacca, has spent many many hours training with Peter Mayhew (the one and only original Chewbacca), and it shows. Chewbacca was the most on-point out of all the characters and he looked right. I want to say that he really hasn’t looked properly himself in any of the movies since the original trilogy and Solo got it right! I was so relieved. So yeah, Chewie stole the show.
To be clear, this is NOT what Chewie looked like in the film 😛
The worlds the characters experienced were intricate, fun, and well-detailed. They felt fully-fledged and real. I like these “off-shoot” movies because it’s not all about the drama of the Force and the Skywalkers–we get to see the other parts of the galaxy’s inhabitants. We see street scum, crime syndicates, a less polished side of the Empire, and the beginnings of a Rebellion. It focuses on a gray moral scale where people do dirty jobs to survive. Han Solo has always existed in that category. The effects were great too, for the most part. There was one bit in the beginning where it looked like some of the worst CGI in a Star Wars movie, but it was small and forgettable. You need to remember that about 70% of this movie was re-shot once they hired director Ron Howard. It still amazes me that with that happening the movie was as seamless as it was. It flowed well and there weren’t any recognizable “oh, that must’ve been the other directors” scenes.
The character development was great too. Certain things happen to Han and you can put it together that he acts the way he does today because of that. I think they really tried to build and show how Han becomes Han and they were mostly successful. He didn’t quite have that nonchalant swag about him, but maybe that’s because he simply doesn’t have it yet. Though Han is the star of the show, he wasn’t the only one who got to experience character development. Lando, Chewie, and even some of the new characters we don’t know grow and change in believable and captivating ways. I loved Han and Chewie’s growing relationship, I think they got that spot on. This film was also riddled with Easter Eggs which is very much appreciated by a Star Wars fan! Ron Howard and the Kasdans made sure to drop a lot of references to other characters, planets, plots, and more. Even the music would be reminiscent of certain moments or scenes. It was as if they were like, “Hey, long-time Star Wars fans, I know this movie might be a hard pill to swallow so here are some comfort blankets along the way to keep you happy and smiling.” And there were plenty of smiles and laughs!
Alright, I’ll stop there before I accidentally leak out any spoilers. So what’s the consensus? Fun movie, worth seeing. I’m not sure where it ranks in my list of favorite Star Wars movies, I’ll have to see it again to decide. I don’t think they expected you to see Alden Ehrenreich as Harrison Ford, just a different adaptation. It certainly had plenty of drawbacks, but I think the effort on the writing, directing, character development and acting won out and made it a good film. And like my brother says, any addition to the Star Wars universe is good (as long as the quality is good). Did you see Solo: A Star Wars Story? What did you think? Tell us in the comments below! And as always, stay hungry and fit!
Sounds good to me. AND you said you have to see it again, so….let’s go!