The recent Star Wars spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story is perhaps best known for having one of the most disastrous production cycles for a blockbuster in recent memory. The former directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, best known for the 21 Jump Street series and The Lego Movie, were replaced by journeyman Ron Howard, 70% of the film was re-shot, resulting in a gargantuan budget, the film’s dull and muted marketing campaign only lasted a total of four months, and it was released six months after the previous Star Wars film The Last Jedi, which was very divisive among fans. And while Lord and Miller’s planned take on the story and characters, offering a comedic bent similar to Guardians of the Galaxy would have likely been as good, if not better, than Howard’s more standard heist-style adventure, Solo still delivers as a highly enjoyable thrill ride, thanks to some fantastic action set pieces, and a colorful cast of characters.
The one thing that really makes the film stand out, in comparison to every other Star Wars film is its simplicity. Instead of spanning across multiple galaxies, it tells a simple heist story, with only a few locations and a handful of characters. One may argue that makes the film weaker, but the benefit Howard now has is being able to expand more upon the characters themselves, an element that was sorely lacking in Lucasfilm’s previous anthology film Rogue One.
Alden Ehrenreich is a worthy replacement as Han Solo to the great Harrison Ford. Ehrenreich obviously can’t match the charm and wit of Ford, so he manages to make the character his own, resulting in a new, yet still likable take on the famous bounty hunter. Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian also does well, but doesn’t quite make the character his own, feeling more like an impersonation of Billy Dee Williams, which is a touch disappointing, especially for one of the most charismatic performers working today. Emilia Clarke as Han’s love interest is Qi’Ra, and Woody Harrelson as Han’s mentor Tobias Beckett also have likable and memorable personalities. Similar to Rouge One, the film’s droid character, L3-37, voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is the highlight of the supporting cast, delivering some fun lines and an enjoyable personality, playing a liberator for droid rights.
The actual plot starts out rather rough, most notably in the first act which adds obnoxious and unfunny winks to the camera in an attempt to deliver some eye-rolling callbacks to the original trilogy. But once the 20-minute mark arrives, the film kicks itself into high gear, with exciting, fast-paced sequences, tense situations, and a high energy that’s almost infectious. Han’s first piloting of the Millennium Falcon being a pure joy ride. Admittedly, Bradford Young’s dim and dark cinematography, while generally well-done and offers a fresh, unique look from the previous Star Wars films, is hard to watch at times, but it could be due to the projection quality in the Regal theater I viewed the film in rather than the actual cinematography itself.
Solo is a very simple film, and one that doesn’t really re-write the book when it comes to Star Wars or blockbusters in general. And this film having a more comedic bent under the men in charge of comedy classics like 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie is still something I would love to see. But as is, what Ron Howard delivers is still a very enjoyable action blockbuster that’s worthy to be within the Star Wars canon.