Solo: A Star Wars Story

[menime123]

This better be good

[Rihab]

gosh how many of these movies have they been putting out lately

Lucasfilm is like the new Marvel

[SummerPeur]

I know! and its great!!! Hoping this is a great story!

[menime123]

Is it me, or is there genuinely no hype for this? It’s released in a few weeks. Possibly too soon after Episode VIII?

[SummerPeur]

^ Very true I feel like there is zero hype atm. Mind you some BIG movies have been released very recently that may of taken some of the flame. But I defs wouldn't underestimate a Star Wars movie.

[NothingFails]

Well, word of mouth isn't good. Plus it doesn't sound promising that they literallyhad to scrap the film and have Ron Howard start over from scratch. Word is that Alden Ehrenrich is not good in the role either and had to have Harrison Ford coach him into how to play Han Solo.

Also, Episode VIII was perhaps even more divisive than the prequels and I think some Star Wars fatigue has set in and people aren't really craving a Han Solo origin story.

[thebigham]

^Yes, Alden Ehrenreich was miscast as Han Solo.

[thebigham]

http://www.awardscircuit.com/2018/05/15/157376/

Film Review: ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Brings the Fun But Forgot the Story
By Clayton Davis - May 15, 201804

The spinoff series of the “Star Wars” saga began with moral and emotionally complex “Rogue One” which brought stakes and sorrow to a beloved franchise. In the newest installment, “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” the film is jam-packed with fun, adventure, and head nods to the most devout fans around the world. While all of that will keep the film well ahead of the frowned upon prequels, there’s a sense of laziness in the film’s story structure that keeps it bogged down like a car trying to get out of a ditch. The wheels are spinning but it’s not going anywhere. While helmed honorably by Alden Ehrenreich, we’re unsure if he took on the true study or research to Han Solo to become the iconic character that was made triumphant by Harrison Ford over 40 years ago.

“Solo: A Star Wars Story,” tells the story of Han Solo, years before joining the Rebellion, as he works through the dark criminal underworld and meets his co-pilot Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). With a plethora of new characters, we see the early roots of the Millennium Falcon Captain and his evolution into the man who would become the counterpart to the Skywalker saga.

Director Ron Howard helms the action sequences with utter precision, creating set pieces that will go down as just as much fun as anything we’ve seen in the Star Wars universe. It should be worth noting that taking duties over from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in mid-production may not have been easy but he stitches everything together in passable fashion. Where hiccups come is in the script by Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan. In what may have been the “ballsiest” move in the “Star Wars” saga, they may have either redacted events from the prequels or tied in plot points from “Star Wars: Rebels,” the animated series on television.

In full disclosure, I’m unaware of the events or characters from the series and had to have it explained to me by Rodrigo Perez, Editor, and Owner of The Playlist. If you have the energy to search for said answers, then you may feel satisfied with the results. In reality, a film shouldn’t have to rely on the design of another show to make its point nor should it be saying something “new” without setting up the property properly.

As a die-hard fan of the series, I’m not someone who needs “questions” answered like:

How did Han meet Chewbacca?
Were Han and Lando ever friends?
How did Han make the Kessel run?
Did the Falcon look better at one point?
How did Han get mixed up with Jabba the Hutt?

The film attempts to do this on multiple occasions but in a lethargic, uneventful manner. At the expense of the saga, the story decides to retcon things we knew and loved about the franchise in favor of “shock value.”

While all these “unfavorables” seem to point at a “negative” review of the film, it’s hard to not enjoy the universe as it stands. While Ehrenreich struggles to embody, the script is the fault of that. Woody Harrelson fits much better into the world than I had expected. Paul Bettany‘s Dryden Vos rides the line of bad-ass villain and ineffective crime lord but it works well. Donald Glover is a natural scene-stealer as you can expect from him nowadays while Emilia Clarke seems to be channeling much more of “Game of Thrones” than she’s probably supposed to. A new fan favorite will likely be L3-37, voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. A droid with an attitude that seems to be Disney’s franchise answer to the #MeToo movement.

In terms of the awards conversation, you can look at the film as a contender in categories like Production Design, Cinematography (impeccably shot by Bradford Young), Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and possibly Visual Effects. As a possible three-movie trilogy in the works for young Han Solo, it’ll be interesting to see the general audience response to the film and this possible new beginning.

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” has the makings of a rewatchable and enjoyable flick for a popcorn night. Unsure if this expands the base or isolates it all together. For what it’s worth, it’s hard to “hate” any of these films, and yes, that includes the prequels.

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and opens in theaters on May 25.

GRADE: (??½) out of Four Stars

[menime123]

Just seen it and I loved it. It’s not the strongest SW movie, but it’s still really enjoyable.

[Erotica]

I hope it's better than Episode 7 and 8?

[menime123]

I hope it's better than Episode 7 and 8?

Well, Episode 7 is my favourite SW film, so no. It’s a very different beast to 8 so that’s only going to come down to personal judgement.

But rumours of it being a total mess of a movie are incredibly unfounded. It has all of the major SW themes - trust, loyalty, morality, family etc - and a decent chunk of comedy. I think it has a lot in common with Rogue One actually, but are - again - very different movies.

Donald Glover is amazing as Lando. But it’s incredilby well cast overall. Including the rug they found for the Wookie.

[Erotica]

Well having something in common with Rogue One sounds good

[NothingFails]

Donald Glover rules but I'm very hesitant about this given the word of mouth as well that Episode 8 was my most hated SW movie thus far, even more than Attack Of The Clones.

Big mistake not to go with Anthony Ingruber who is basically a mirror image of young Harrison Ford and was up for the part.

[SeeForever]

Well I guess it's Star Wars but not as we know it! Overall it's not the best Star Wars film by a long shot but it's very enjoyable and a lot of fun, basically better than I hoped it would be, after the slightly underwhelming The Last Jedi

The early heist was great but the film did drag for a little while after that until we met Lando (Donald Glover was perfectly cast) and his hilarious droid

That cameo was unexpected they deserves more screen time in Star Wars