Solo: A Star Wars Story

I HAD A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS

Right, the movie that nobody wanted. I don't believe that I'm alone in thinking that this is Disney milking every little cent out of the Star Wars franchise.

With Rogue One (2016), I honestly thought it wasn't a very good movie that got so hyped up thanks to its epic finale which sets up Episode IV so perfectly. That was the first instalment of the Star Wars anthology series and I wasn't keen on what was to come with this new series of prequel movies.

With Alden Ehrenreich's casting as the iconic character immortalised in the minds of everyone thanks to Harrison Ford's portrayal, I was pretty sure that this movie was a train wreck waiting to happen.

And in many ways, it was.

The one unavoidable thing about these prequels is that you already know what the stakes are and what is ultimately about to happen to certain characters and the things that happen to these characters. As much as they try to bump up the ante, there will never be the same level of suspense that you'd easily get from a movie which isn't trying to set up movies or stories that have already happened.

This movie suffered from that lack of suspense or high stakes even more so than that of Rogue One, a movie that very smartly addressed the fan theory regarding why the Empire would have a very exposed reactor placed on the Death Star which, if shot at with some luck with use of the Force, could destroy the entire space station.

At least by rewriting Star Wars lore by adding depth to it rather than changing stories gave fans something they could appreciate and enjoy. None of that was present in Solo, and even the one thing I was looking forward to seeing (regarding the Millennium Falcon and a certain speed record it holds) was such an underwhelming experience.

In terms of the story, as mentioned above, the stakes didn't feel high enough to warrant any sense of dread in audiences. With all the flair and effects trimmed away, it's a pretty basic heist plot with a Star Wars badge pasted on it.

If this is what passes for introducing this franchise to a new generation of fans, I'm sorry but I honestly think these younger fans deserve better.

The pacing is also an absolute mess.

The movie starts off in a pretty high-octane manner only for the middle of the movie to be extremely slow-paced and downright boring to a pretty underwhelming climax. It's ending was also so messy in how it felt as though it was two separate versions of the ending stuck together with roll-on glue.

Some of the cuts also felt extremely choppy, as if a certain scene was meant to play out more rather than cut to something else so abruptly. It's the shots like these that make you suspect whether those were the ones that were reshot.

It's no secret that this movie, like Rogue One as well, was plagued with production troubles. Original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were reportedly fired due to creative differences despite them pretty much wrapping filming on their version of the movie.

In stepped Ron Howard whom, I have to say did a pretty decent job with the scraps. Unless, however, this was Lucasfilm's version that they wanted and Ron  Howard was just there to exact their will, in which case I wouldn't be very happy with.

Speaking of Ron Howard, one criticism I have with regards to his direction is an apparent lack of any style. It feels thoroughly generic and pretty much a homage movie to past Star Wars films and any typical Western.

It's such a norm these days for big studios to interfere and demand extensive reshoots. I absolutely hate this 'trend' as I sympathise with these filmmakers who just want their vision to be realised and appreciated.

On to the cast, and let's start off with who else but Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo.

I wasn't sold when he was cast in the role. After watching, I still wasn't entirely sold. Having said that, he does put in a good effort and does a decent job with the part.

He does grow on you as the movie progresses but as someone else rather than a plausible young Han Solo. Still, take nothing away from Ehrenreich's acting chops. Check out his performance in Hail, Caesar! (2016) to have a taste of his talents.

Onto my favourite character in this movie and it's none other than Donald Glover's outstanding portrayal of Lando Calrissian, originally played with such style by Billy Dee Williams.

What I liked about his portrayal is the fact that he doesn't really imitate the original portrayal. If he was actually doing an imitation then it just came off so naturally in his performance which was so incredibly classy. Would've been awesome if we got more of him in the movie.

A case of absolutely perfect casting, like Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool.

Along with Lando, the rest of the supporting cast were good, with Emilia Clarke standing out as a new character in Qi'ra, a love interest for young Han in the movie.

I was, however, questioning the purpose of some side characters and their inclusion in the film. Like, were they really necessary?

One thing this movie is built on is a large catalogue of easter eggs and references. Sure, some are an absolute delight but others felt extremely forced and unnatural in how they are mentioned.

As such, it forces those characters to go extremely out-of-character to say those lines just for a cheap nod, which I felt is really quite pathetic and lazy.

My last issue is with regards to Han's origin story, where I really wanted to see a young Han learn to be a pilot rather than fight with the Imperial forces in ground battles.

It's a golden opportunity squandered in a movie that really couldn't afford to mess up anything.

On a more positive note, the visual effects were top-notch as you'd expect from a Star Wars movie, and the music by John Powell was really good, with some lovely cues from past adventures sprinkled here and there for a nice fanboy moment.

And that's it really.

All in all, Solo: A Star Wars Story ultimately was the unnecessary movie people thought it would be before it even got made.

There are some moments which save it, such as whenever Lando's on screen or when the easter eggs actually work. The action sequences are also pretty decent.

And there is much to loathe too but I'd still watch this over Episode I and II any day.

Hence, it's not TERRIBLE. Though I would definitely recommend watching Deadpool 2 instead.

5.5/10.