The latest addition to the Star Wars franchise definitely lived up to its hype.
Ron Howard’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” was a satisfying and entertaining watch that offers a number of surprising twists.
Solo’s origin story is replete with action and the occasional banters that sets it apart from the more serious “Rogue One”. And that is something that added to the movie’s appeal.
A character as iconic as Han Solo can pose some problems for its writers because people have certain expectations. Audiences have grown to know and love the adult Solo and the slightest mistake can be seen as blasphemy.
Writers Lawrence and Jon Kasdan did a good job in penning the script. They were able to give us a glimpse of Solo’s origins as a highly ambitious hustler who is relentless to the point of being reckless. His journey from being a scumrat in Corellia to becoming a deserter and eventual thief was covered pretty well.
I just wonder why we didn’t get to see how and why he defected from the military, given that in the past (or future) films, he played a crucial role in the rebellion against the government.
The plot was pretty straightforward. Nothing earth-shattering, except for the occasional gasp-inducing shifts in allegiance and betrayals.
It’s not as intense as the first Star Wars anthology film but it is engaging; it had enough entertainment value to hook you in you won’t realize the 2 hours and 30 minutes are over.
The action scenes could have been more explosive and elaborate but they are saved by the special effects and production design.
As for the actors, young Han (Alden Ehrenreich) had enough appeal to make viewers root for him. His vigor and youthful rebellious streak added a new dimension to the character, without veering away from the true essence of the character.
Problem is Ehrenreich is not consistently appealing to keep the spotlight on his character. Maybe it’s because of the presence of bigger stars like Paul Bettany (Dryden Vos), Emilia Clarke (Qi’ra), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian), and Woody Harrelson (Tobias Beckett).
Regardless, Ehrenreich held his own most of the time. Thankfully, we have Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) who, as a true sidekick, helped remind us that this is a movie about Han.
Most importantly, Solo: A Star Wars Story answered questions that have haunted us for years: how did he get the Millennium Falcon? How did he and Chewbacca meet? Why did he go to Tatooine?
