Solo: A Star Wars Story Review

Solo stumbles into cinema with a whole lot of prejudice riding its flamboyant Lando Calrissian coattails. Directors being booted out (a recurrent symptom of the new Star Wars regime), extensive reshoots, the hyperbolic backlash against The Last Jedi (seriously, calm your farm about how much you "hate" the film - if that is the worst film you've ever seen then you've lived a sheltered life), a competitive blockbuster market to fight against (Infinity War and Deadpool 2) and a relatively unknown actor stepping into the space cowboy boots of an iconic character. I almost wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't have a bad feeling about this before going to see it. But I'd say you are wrong, for save from a few clunky nudge wink moments this is an exciting, propulsive, heist movie, set in the less explored corners of the Star Wars universe.

Central to the success has to be the casting of Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo. Ehrenreich doesn't do an impersonation of Harrison Ford, rather he captures the spirit and mannerisms, carrying the film with an easy charisma and swagger. Whilst Han doesn't have a particularly profound character arc in the film (he's just about fully formed when we meet him at the start), there is a slight naivety present at the beginning which is gradually eroded through his involvement in a double, triple crossing heist movie.

I think a lot of the prejudicial backlash against the film, and in particular the whole idea of touching the sacred space cow of Han Solo is looking at the character through nostalgic rose tinted space googles. Yes, the Han in the original trilogy is cool (he shoots first), suave ("I know...), and cuts a mean silhouette in his iconic space cowboy pose but when I think back on what he actually does in those films, it isn't a whole lot. Now, maybe that is the point - the story is really Luke focused, and Han is just a bit player in the saga (until his expanded role in The Force Awakens). As such, I think the Solo film is a legitimate cinematic venture. Again, you don't get deep into his psyche, but the cipher of Han Solo, the archetypal space rogue is an appropriate vehicle to venture into the gangster and noirish underbelly of Star Wars that we don't normally see.

Obviously with in a Han Solo film you can't really go too far without his pal Chewie (the backstory behind his name and another character's is one of the few clanger on the nose moments of the film), and their introduction is a highlight of the film. For the first time in the Star Wars films you really get a sense of what a powerhouse Chewie is, looming over other characters and going berserker on them when the time calls for it. The film shows the bond grow between the two characters, which has its few rough patches but by the end you can absolutely see why the pair get along so well.

Surrounding this central relationship are a cast of archetypal gangsters, from the gruff mentor (Woody Harrelson) to femme fatale/love interest (a slightly miscast Amelia Clarke, lacking the edge to really have her sell her character's journey, and the relationship between her and Solo is left floundering due to a few key questions you wish one character would yell at the other at times), to the sinister mob leader (a wonderfully off-kilter Paul Bettany, doing a great deal with only a few scenes). None of these characters steal the show from Han but they help propel the plot forward, and whilst you may think you've guessed certain motivations of characters early on, the film playfully subverts and reverts on these tropes in a refreshingly relatively low-key final act. Having said that, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and his rebellious droid (who would resent the fact that I'm referring to her as "his") L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) do come close, intentionally so, to rivalling the camaraderie of Han and Chewie.

Whilst there is a great deal of rumblings regarding Solo being a supposed flop, monetarily speaking, and not worthy of a sequel, there are definitely seeds planted at the end of this film for a sequel or spin-off, with one character reveal being a bit too on the nose fan-service wise, but nevertheless leaving the film in an interesting jumping off place for a direct sequel for for other Star Wars characters to get involved (perhaps James Mangold of Logan fame's Boba Fett film?).

Hopefully this review has helped blast away some of the preemptive negativity, the "shooting first" of some fans you could say. Solo is a well constructed, charming, space heist movie that doesn't do anything new cinematically speaking but takes us to the murkier corners of the Star Wars galaxy with a star making turn from Alden Ehrenreich.