As we end another Memorial Day weekend at the box office, the narrative has been spun to call Solo: A Star Wars Story a disappointment. The film opened well below tracking and since we have been spoiled by larger than life openings when a tentpole release comes in below $100 million, it must be a failure.
Perhaps unfairly, the air of negativity has followed Solo for quite some time. It began when original directors, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller were let go from the project due to the all too common copout “creative differences”. This was of course just code for they weren’t falling into line so they were fired and their replacement would be the safest one possible. Ron Howard, a capable director who has been inconsistent as of late, stepped in to reshoot three-quarters of the film and somehow make moviegoers forget all the behind the scenes problems. After the original directors were “let go”, news from the set leaked to many media outlets and it warned of many problems with the project. The major issue was that star, Alden Ehrenreich, stepping in to play a younger version of a character famously brought to life by Harrison Ford, wasn’t up to par and even needed acting lessons. This was the publicity the Star Wars brand was attracting and for such a well-oiled machine, it seemed like the train was coming off the track.
Despite all the issues and somewhat lukewarm reviews (the film has a borderline acceptable 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes), Solo: A Star Wars Story gets the most important job done for a summer release: It’s highly entertaining. Perhaps a more fun approach was necessary. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, while financially successful, was a polarizing release for Star Wars fans and casual moviegoers. My issue with the film, despite having sporadic moments of greatness, had pacing issues and featured a slew of characters that simply never engaged my interests. In comparison to The Last Jedi, Solo is having much more fun with its narrative, even if there isn’t really a narrative that feels totally necessary. Did we need a Solo spinoff movie? Nope but we also didn’t NEED Rogue One and that film, at least for me, is the best of the new crop of Star Wars movies that began with The Force Awakens. Solo gets the job done and it might be a tad unfair to expect much more from it than that.
The events in the movie, occurring “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”, start roughly a dozen years prior to the beginning of A New Hope. Solo chronicles the development of the universe’s favorite space scoundrel as he evolves from a small-time scammer on a bottom-feeding planet into the “good man” who would eventually help lead the rebels to victory. During the movie, we see him seek a reunion with the love of his youth, Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke); join up with Beckett (Woody Harrelson), his mentor in all things unsavory; meet his best buddy, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo); and make the acquaintance of the suave Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), who unwisely bets the Millennium Falcon in a game of cards. These unlikely comrades are brought together by the common goal of paying off a debt to the malign Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) while attempting to score a big payday.
Prequels are usually at a disadvantage because there is very little room for surprises. We know where Han Solo ultimately ends up so there isn’t much tension for him or any of the characters that we meet again in the installments that are set after this one. Despite succumbing to the lack of surprise, Solo makes seeing Han’s beginnings as a fun ride. If you’re a fan of the franchise, it will be fun to see how Han came in contact with the characters we have grown to love and interesting to see him interact with the characters we are meeting for the first time. In a lot of ways, Solo plays like a visual form of a greatest hits album and who doesn’t like playing back all the classics?
Ron Howards does a serviceable job with the material. He doesn’t really stray from the mold, which is exactly what the studio wanted. The film, like most of the recent Star Wars entries, looks great and is a wonder of special effects. Howard handles the scope of the picture admirably and directs the film with a sense of fun and infectious energy. I’m curious to see where Phil Lord and Christopher Miller would’ve taken it (I heard they leaned in heavy on the comedy) and perhaps their take would’ve been technically fresher, but Howard was hired to maintain the status quo of the brand and he’s capable of hitting all the beats that fans have come to love.
I think it’s about time that we give Alden Ehrenreich a break. Despite tales of acting lessons and the studio feels they made a mistake casting him, he’s more than adequate in the role. He does take a little time to get into his groove but he’s perfectly fine, even if you don’t quite believe he will eventually grow into the Han Solo we meet in A New Hope. He doesn’t fully possess Harrison Ford’s swag but he has shades of it. I hear Ehrenreich signed on for three films and if he’s given the opportunity (the film’s opening weekend puts a lot of that into question), he could fully show the charisma and confidence that Ford essayed in the role.
Fairing even better is Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. He fully exhibits the cockiness and charisma in a spot on portrayal of the character that doesn’t feel like a copy of what Billy Dee Williams did in his two entries. Where you might have some issue seeing Ehrenreich transitioning into Harrison Ford, it’s clear that Glover could perfectly step into the man we meet in The Empire Strikes Back. Of the newcomers, Emilia Clarke adds a much-needed female presence to an otherwise male-dominated film and actually has a solid arc that offers up some surprises. Woody Harrelson, always a welcomed presence is fine in his role while Thandie Newton and Paul Bettany are a bit underused while Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s L3-37 is a fun addition that thankfully isn’t used so much that she becomes annoying. Apparently, some reviews have thrown the Jar Jar Binks comparison her way and that’s an unfair assessment. She’s used just enough and doesn’t grow tiresome.
Although the film is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, there is at least one plot element that will make sense only to those who have watched the animated TV series The Clone Wars. I have to say that I do not watch it but was aware of a few major plot points thanks to friends and because of this, Solo’s one element of surprise ends up being much welcomed. It’s a moment that kind of raises the stakes in a film that doesn’t really have a central threat. Normally I criticize films that meander or lack compelling tension to keep me interested but Solo: A Star Wars Movie is a popcorn film at its heart. A fun little heist-space opera that may not break the mold, but it’s fun and an interesting look at how one of cinema’s most iconic characters came to be.
