Han Solo is my one of my favourite characters in the Star Wars universe. I mean, he is a charismatic space cowboy with balls, how can you not love him? Even Leia eventually falls for him. And yet I decided to pass Solo: A Star Wars Story. I just didn't have a very good feeling about it, and, eventually, reviews proved me right. Now that it's on DVD, I decided to give it a chance.
The film opens with Han (Alden Ehrenreich) as he escapes the planet of Corellia but vows to return for Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), the woman he loved and was forced to leave behind. After that, Han meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), encounters Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), wins the Millenium Falcon and gets involved in a series of dangerous adventures.
In terms of plot, Solo: A Star Wars Story is absolutely terrible, lazy at its best. Basically, all the writers did was to take some of the elements of Solo's past, like how he met Chewbacca, how he won the Falcon, how he got his name --by the way, the scene where we learn about Solo's last name is almost identical to the one in The Godfather: Part II when Robert De Niro's Vito arrives in America-- and what happened with the Kessel run, and called it a day. Actually, they also added a heist plot that has so many twists and turns and double-crosses, you lose any interest in guessing who's gonna betray who next. It's not a big deal though as at that point you already have probably lost any interest in the story.
The characters also are the result of lazy writing. They are pretty shallow, the development is almost non-existent. The good guys, it's really hard if not impossible to care about any of them --I felt sorry for Han, Chewbacca and Lando, those from the original trilogy though as they ended up in this mess of a film. As for the villains, Dryden Vos feels utterly pointless, Enfys Nest is barely in the film, and Darth Maul, why on earth did the filmmakers feel like he needed to be in this? Also, the whole film is about smuggling and yet there is no mention of Boba Fett or Jabba the Hut. What the hell, people?!
A combination of bad writing, bad direction and bad casting, the performances too are a disappointment. Alden Ehrenreich is no Harrison Ford. He lacks charisma and as a result, the character is annoying and quite unlikeable. Solo is arrogant and cocky, after all, and if you don't have charisma, the character could only work as someone we are supposed to despise. Donald Glover does a fine impression of Lando but he looks so bored throughout the film. Emilia Clarke is nothing short of terrible. Paul Bettany and Woody Harrelson, well, Ron Howard was able to make them look like amateurs.
Solo: A Star Wars Story also fails at being funny. Most of the comedy feels forced or inappropriate, and the jokes and puns are cheap and fall flat most of the time.
Yes, it does have some positive aspects too. The special effects aren't bad and the action sequences are pretty good --some are bland and repetitive though. But let's be honest, these few qualities alone aren't enough to make a great Star Wars movie.
In terms of plot, Solo: A Star Wars Story is absolutely terrible, lazy at its best. Basically, all the writers did was to take some of the elements of Solo's past, like how he met Chewbacca, how he won the Falcon, how he got his name --by the way, the scene where we learn about Solo's last name is almost identical to the one in The Godfather: Part II when Robert De Niro's Vito arrives in America-- and what happened with the Kessel run, and called it a day. Actually, they also added a heist plot that has so many twists and turns and double-crosses, you lose any interest in guessing who's gonna betray who next. It's not a big deal though as at that point you already have probably lost any interest in the story.
The characters also are the result of lazy writing. They are pretty shallow, the development is almost non-existent. The good guys, it's really hard if not impossible to care about any of them --I felt sorry for Han, Chewbacca and Lando, those from the original trilogy though as they ended up in this mess of a film. As for the villains, Dryden Vos feels utterly pointless, Enfys Nest is barely in the film, and Darth Maul, why on earth did the filmmakers feel like he needed to be in this? Also, the whole film is about smuggling and yet there is no mention of Boba Fett or Jabba the Hut. What the hell, people?!
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Solo: A Star Wars Story also fails at being funny. Most of the comedy feels forced or inappropriate, and the jokes and puns are cheap and fall flat most of the time.
Yes, it does have some positive aspects too. The special effects aren't bad and the action sequences are pretty good --some are bland and repetitive though. But let's be honest, these few qualities alone aren't enough to make a great Star Wars movie.
I thought it was an alright film though I always wondered what it would've been like under the direction of Lord/Miller instead of Ron Howard.
ReplyDeleteProbably a better movie.
DeleteInteresting review! Solo seems to be one of the most mixed reviewed movies of the year. I've heard a lot of good and bad things about it, but still haven't made the jump to see it yet. It just seems 'meh' to me. Shame it wasn't a good movie for you as a Solo fan!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was so disappointed.
DeleteI liked this one quite a bit better. It's definitely lower tier Star Wars, but I had fun with it.
ReplyDeleteIt was just plain boring for me.
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