Movie: Solo: A Star Wars Story
My Rating: 3 stars
This movie was fun enough. It’s the story of Han Solo’s famous “Kessel run” of Star Wars lore, and a deeper look into his back story. And, it was fun to get more insight into some old, Star Wars canon. We get to see Han meet Chewy and Lando Calrissian. We learn a biut more about his troublesome relationship with women. And, this is where he gets his ship. But, somehow these newer installments feel a bit more like Star Wars drag to me, rather than a natural extension of the franchise. The Disney film studio is definitely getting the aesthetics right. Everything looks great, and very authentic. And, they’re hitting all the right narrative beats. But something seems to be missing, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I know it’s hard to revive much-loved, old film franchises. It’s impossible to please everyone, because people have a lot of emotional investment in the stories and worlds they create. And, emotions are a very tricky thing to satisfy. But, I think some have definitely pulled off the trick successfully. Of course, opinions differ wildly, but I thought the modern continuation of Blade Runner was pretty true to character. Alien 3 wasn’t so bad (although admittedly, all the ones that followed it were pretty disappointing). And, the new Mad Max revival is fantastic. I suspect that many people feel the way I do about this Han Solo movie, because it wasn’t a box office success. But, strangely, I haven’t heard many individual people’s opinions on the film. I don’t know how my Star Wars fan friends felt about this one, and I’m very curious to hear what they have to say. And, I’m willing to listen to arguments.
There’s no reason not to see this movie. It’s a fun adventure story. And, Alden Ehrenreich is actually really good in the lead role. Emilia Clarke is everywhere these days. (Not sure if that’s a good thing or not yet). And of course, Donald Glover is stealing the show as Lando Calrissian. All the lead actors are very charming. And, it’s always a good time dipping one’s toes back in the Star Wars waters. I’m not sure I’m being very fair with my criticisms of this film, and I’d love to hear any counter arguments. Because, I suspect I’m just falling prey to the same emotional response that’s warping my judgement.