Solo: A Star Wars Story is the most recent entry in the Star Wars movie universe. It focuses on the exploits of Han Solo before he met Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. It didn’t do well at the Box Office due to low turnout, but it’s a better movie than it’s given credit for.
Rather than Harrison Ford, it stars Alden Ehrenreich as the smuggler and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. It also features Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Solo: A Star Wars Story had production problems where the original directors, Lord and Miller, were fired and replaced with Ron Howard. While the finished product isn’t as bad as people have tried to make out, it’s interesting to wonder what could have been.
The Good
When he was cast, fans wrote off Alden Ehrenreich yet once the movie came out he proved them wrong. Alden embodies the cockiness to a tee and brings in a performance even Harrison Ford admits “he nailed”. High praise from a man who is hard to please says a lot.
The relationship between Han and Chewbacca is explored more and adds better depth to it. There is an instant connection between the two when they meet in an unfavorable circumstance and their partnership never wains.
The cameo of Darth Maul makes me giddy. As mentioned in a previous page, I love Darth Maul and see him as one of the only good things to come out of the Prequel Trilogy. Seeing him return to live-action after his time in the animated side was amazing. It’s a shame it’s only for a quick cameo but it’s better than nothing.
Lando Calrissian is a tough character for an actor. He’s a suave flirt who knows how to push people’s buttons but does it in a way he gets away with it. The casting of Donald Glover was perfect and it’s sad he’ll probably never get to reprise the role.
Finally seeing the Kessel run is sublime. Its direction is beautiful and makes for a seat-gripping sequence in an already exciting movie.
The Bad
Dryden Vos is an underdeveloped villain that could have been better. This is by no means an attack on Paul Bettany’s acting (who did great with what he had). However, the character was originally a human and animal hybrid played by Michael K. Williams. After Ron Howard was brought in to replace Lord and Miller, Williams dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Why they didn’t continue with Dryden’s original look I don’t know but unfortunately, his writing falls flat.
The first Act is weaker compared to the second and third. They introduce interesting characters, such as Lady Proxima, and quickly get rid of them. The humor, which feels Lord and Miller, battles with the tone Ron Howard wants. However, unlike another movie where another Director came on board, this is the only time Solo feels like another’s movie.
Finding out Han gets his surname from signing-up to Imperial Academy is weird. It’s the mark of a prequel movie to fill in blanks that aren’t needed. Sadly, Solo does this and it adds nothing to the overall story. Having him called Han Solo when the movie starts seems like a better idea.
