Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, Joonas Suotamo
Plot: The origin story of Han Solo, the handsome scoundrel in Star Wars, who began as a thief for an underworld boss before becoming a pilot and marauder for a gangster.
Review: The question on everyone's minds before Solo was released was: is this film necessary? Most would say no, since the great Han Solo got a good introduction in A New Hope, and his past isn't really an interesting story that needs its own movie. And yet, here it is.
Truth is, Solo isn't a bad movie at all. In fact, it's quite fun actually. Director Ron Howard, taking over from the fired Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who get credits for executive producers), keeps the film moving at a steady pace and sets up a handful of cool action sequences, the best being the train hijack in the first half. The script and dialogue is also mostly fun, save for a few exchanges involving Qi'ra and Dryden Voss that sound either too dull or serious.
In this story, Han Solo is portrayed as an idealistic kid who simply wants to survive and return home to his girl, only it isn't so simple when he discovers where she's been when he was away. Alden Ehrenreich makes Solo a likable hero much like Harrison Ford was back in the day, though he tries not to imitate him a bit too obviously. You won't see Ford's mannerisms in him, until maybe the final scene. Donald Glover fares slightly better as Lando Calrissian, putting his own take on the man and inserting Billy Dee Williams' performance into it as well. Woody Harrelson is also solid as Tobias Beckett, the man Solo hooks up with for a job. Emilia Clarke is alright as Qi'ra, but doesn't quite have chemistry with Ehrenreich as a love interest. Paul Bettany is rather weak as main villain Dryden Voss, being much too polite and not intimidating.
My favorite thing about Solo would have to be Chewbacca, played by Joonas Suotamo, as he hasn't changed at all in any Star Wars movie, save for who plays him here of course. Here's where we discover how he and Han first meet, and it's quite hilarious. Chewbacca is always fun to watch, and he never disappoints.
The film could use better lighting though, as many of the action sequences take place in darkness or dim lighting. And despite the fact that it's fun, Solo really adds little to the Star Wars universe. Despite Howard's best efforts, it won't be as memorable as the other films that have come before it.
All in all, Solo is a fun popcorn film, and not much more than that. (7/10)
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