The scrappy Star Wars Droid L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Image via Lucasfilm
By
André Joseph
Published 43 minutes ago
André Joseph is a movie features writer at Collider. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor's Degree in Film. He freelances as an independent filmmaker, teacher, and blogger of all things pop culture. His interests include Marvel, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Robocop, wrestling, and many other movies and TV shows.
His accomplishments as a filmmaker include directing the indie movie Vendetta Games now playing on Tubi, the G.I. Joe fan film "The Rise of Cobra" on YouTube, and receiving numerous accolades for his dramatic short film Dismissal Time. More information can be found about André on his official website.
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When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, the possibilities of expanding the Star Wars universe were endless. Fans could finally get their wishes fulfilled with a new trilogy as well as the further exploration of legacy characters that were only touched upon in books and video games. While the idea of deep diving into Harrison Ford’s iconic smuggler in Solo: A Star Wars Story sounded great on paper, the execution was middling at best.
Upon release in May 2018, Solo fell victim to the polarized reaction to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which had hit cinemas six months prior. The Alden Ehrenreich-led prequel, which followed Han Solo’s early days meeting Chewbacca and a young Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), had a troubled production when original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller exited the project over “creative differences”. The final cut of Solo, directed by Ron Howard, earned a fresh 69% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics such as Leonard Maltin praising Ehrenreich’s casting while acknowledging the bloated special effects and runtime. Holding a score that is not exactly rotten nor certified fresh, however, Solo’s 69% score is not merited because it lacks dramatic substance underneath its polished execution.
'Solo' Answers More Trivial Questions Than Exploring the Character
Set in the timeframe between Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Solo follows runaway orphan Han (Ehrenreich) from the planet Corellia when he’s separated from childhood friend Oi’ra (Emilia Clarke) as they attempt to evade a gang. Adopting the Solo name upon enlisting with the Imperial Navy, Han doesn’t mesh well with the Imperial troops and gets imprisoned with his new ally, Chewbacca. Upon Han and Chewie’s escape from captivity, they join forces with professional thief Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), who ultimately becomes Han’s mentor.
Under orders from Crimson Dawn boss Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), Han, Chewie, and Beckett work alongside Oi’ra, now a lieutenant with the organization, to steal coaxium in the mining colony of Kessel. In need of a ship, Oi’ra introduces the smugglers to Lando (Glover) with the intention of borrowing the Millennium Falcon for the Kessel Run. The ultimate heist that follows will become pivotal to the charming scoundrel’s future.
Part of the appeal in making anthology tales for Star Wars on the big screen is making the films stand apart from the Skywalker Saga. Rogue One bridged the gap between the prequels and the original trilogy by spotlighting a short period in the saga where unsung heroes operating in the shadows brought hope to dark times. Similarly, The Mandalorian on Disney+ shifted perspective to a single adventure quest of a bounty hunter while exploring the various side characters and undiscovered planets in the universe. Solo was lacking anything truly mythic in Han's history before his fateful meeting with Luke Skywalker in the Mos Eisley Cantina to be a compelling enough narrative. Much like 2009’s Terminator Salvation, Solo just answers basic trivia questions about how Han and Chewie met, the first appearance of the Falcon, and depicts every backstory told in exposition in the original trilogy.
The Lackluster Story of ‘Solo’ Reinforces Harrison Ford’s Criticism of Han Solo
The lackluster depiction of Han in Solo gets reinforced by Ford’s comments to ABC in 2010 about his disinterest in space rogue’s one-dimensional characterization. In the original trilogy, Han worked at two speeds: an opportunist seeking fortune at any cost and an upstanding friend who will put his neck on the line for others. Ehrenreich may have been portraying Han before his confident cynicism was fully defined. But the screenplay by Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan presents Han as an all-around good guy with a heart long before he grew a conscience in A New Hope. Right from the moment he witnesses the way his fellow Imperial soldiers attack the rebel fighters on Mimban recklessly, the audience is already being told that Han has righteous principles in his DNA. The transformation into a selfish smuggler, however, never makes it to the screen.
Aside from Han’s story not being translated to a worthy narrative in the Star Wars franchise, Solo suffers the most from the director change. Lord and Miller’s background in comedy with the 21 Jump Street film installments made them an unlikely choice to helm a Star Wars project. Yet, the duo has talent to bring light, fun, and humor to what was intended to be the franchise’s answer to slick heist movies with colorful personalities such as Ocean’s Eleven, The Hot Rock, and The Sting. Those fun traits were emblematic of the fun buddy dynamic between Han and Chewie throughout the original trilogy, which Solo tries to recapture. But once Howard took over the directing reins, there was a clear tonal shift to more of the action-driven spectacle that his mentor George Lucas was known for. As Howard reportedly reshot 70% of the film, the result of Solo is an awkward mix of hollow dramatic stakes, clumsy comedic moments, and unnecessary setups for future Star Wars projects that would never see the light of day.
Solo only passes the bar of being an average summer blockbuster thanks to the performances of Ehrenreich, Glover, and Harrelson, as well as the visually stunning Kessel Run sequence. However, the overall depiction of Han’s backstory never seems to fit seamlessly into the saga the way Rogue One did, nor did it add anything truly fresh to the franchise like The Mandalorian. It simply exists for no other reason than to sell more toys.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is now streaming on Disney+.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Like Follow Followed pg-13 Sci-Fi Adventure Action Release Date May 25, 2018 Runtime 135 Minutes Director Ron Howard Writers Jonathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas Prequel(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi Sequel(s) Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Franchise(s) Star WarsCast
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Alden Ehrenreich
Han Solo
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Joonas Suotamo
Chewbacca
In Solo: A Star Wars Story, young Han Solo embarks on a series of daring adventures within a perilous criminal underworld. He forges significant alliances, including with his future copilot Chewbacca and the enigmatic gambler Lando Calrissian, while navigating a landscape fraught with danger and betrayal.
Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action Powered by
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Alden Ehrenreich
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Ron Howard
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