Official Synopsis: During an adventure into the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future copilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion.
Official Review: Solo: A Star Wars Film is the latest in the Star Wars franchise and the second non episode feature to hit the big screen. The film follows beloved and iconic Han Solo and his faithful partner Chewbacca as they team up for the first time with a group of smugglers to steal the precious fuel source coaxium. I am a fan of the Star Wars franchise but I wouldn't consider myself to be a die hard fan. So when I heard the well known character was getting his own spin-off prequel I was mildly interested in this film until they hired Ron Howard to direct and then I was on board. I have always been a fan of Howard's work especially in titles like Cinderella Man and Apollo 13. So to see Ron Howard given the creative freedom over a Star Wars film was an interesting and exciting thing for me. Having seen Solo and taking some time to really examine what I watched, I've come to the conclusion that Solo: A Star Wars Story was aggressively mediocre. This film opened up to an extremely slow start that failed to capture my attention and crawled it's way through the entirety of the first act. It wasn't until the second act that I began to sit up in my seat as I was intrigued in fun Han Solo like action, with stunning and beautiful visual effects. Sadly, this was blown through at a break neck pace that came to a screeching halt as the movie was concluding and crawled it's way to the end credits.
It was pretty clear that this movie suffered a great deal from underdeveloped ideas and a greedy studio that chose to milk a fun character from the 70's and 80s to a gain a profit. Throughout the run time of this film I couldn't help but notice that this movie felt like the actors were just imitating the actors that originally brought these characters to life instead of working hard to make these characters their own. Because of this Solo suffered greatly and felt extremely flat without any life or sense of excitement throughout a large portion of the film. I was disappointed in the writing of this film as well. There were several times that the writers attempted to answer questions that were never asked by the viewing audience which made the film seem like it was trying to spoon feed exposition. Sometimes it's best to leave questions unasked and unanswered and to trust the audience to put together that Chewie is short for Chewbacca and there doesn't have to be a conversation between Han and Chewbacca on how long his name is. It all felt lazy to me and could've been avoided entirely. Solo also chose to expand on the Star Wars universe by reintroducing an old character that should've never come back furthering the correct assumption that Disney plans to wring this universe dry for financial gain.
I was very impressed by the score of John Powell. I believe he did an amazing job at composing a score that allowed this film to feel like it belonged in the Star Wars Universe. Powell's score of this film was subtle and beneficial to the run time of this movie and helped to further some of the better scenes in the films. I will definitely listen to this score again. I was also very impressed by the cinematography work of Bradford Young who proved himself a strong and exciting cinematographer who worked extremely well with Ron Howard to deliver a more unique and interesting style and tone to this film.
Overall, I did have fun with this movie from time to time. I thought Ron Howard proved he was capable of directing a big action blockbuster but failed to have the support of a solid script or clear direction of vision within the studio. There were several sequences that had me laughing and enjoying the action and adventures of Han Solo. Sadly, these moments were so quick and fleeting only to be bogged down by unneeded exposition and unnecessary fan service. I do recommend going to see Solo: A Star Wars Story in theaters if you are a fan of the Star Wars franchise and are a fan of big fun action set pieces. I believe this is a movie that should be seen on the big screen for the direction and effects alone.
Grade: C-
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Jonathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emelia Clarke, Donald Glover, Joonas Suotamo
Composer: John Powell
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Run Time: 2h 15min
Distributor: Walt Disney
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout.
Post Credit Scenes: None
Content Guide:
Language: Minor uses of words like S*** and D*** as well as several uses of the word Hell.
Sex/Nudity: None.
Alcohol/Drug Use: Some mild drinking. Characters attend party where alcohol is present.
Violence/Disturbing Imagery: Sequences of violence and action. No blood shown.
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