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Veteran of the Star Wars: "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018)


It's time to jump into the cockpit of our Corellian freighter, and do the run to a galaxy far far away in under 12 parsecs...

Han is a young man trying to find a way to escape a life of crime on a corrupt planet.  After a job gone wrong, the woman he loves is captured, and he's forced to join the Imperial Forces to escape.

 Soon, however, young Han Solo begins a journey to become the one thing he never wanted to be... the good guy...

The story is actually quite good.  I loved that- as fitting the character, they went with a Western sort of tone.  The plot progressed smoothly, and fairly quickly.  I found there was a wonderful balance of humour, action, and drama that didn't feel forced, and felt very much in keeping with the general personalities of the characters involved.  While the movie started out slowly, it picked up speed, and I found myself fully engaged, and enjoying myself.

"Solo: A Star Wars Story" did a great job of capturing the spirit of the characters- with the focus being on Han (it's HIS movie after all).  Lando received some "movie love" as well, and fleshed him out quite nicely in my opinion.  Tobias was great as well- fully realized, and well crafted as a mentor type character.  After the opening acting, I was worried that the character of Qi'ra would be essentially just a McGuffin and love interest for Han.  Seeing her as a layered, complex, and engaging character in her own right- and a substantial agent of the story's progress was quite satisfying.

One of the biggest concerns expressed by fans before this movie came out was the casting/acting.  People were afraid that Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover wouldn't be able to invoke the spirit and fun of their respective characters Han and Lando.  While it certainly WAS a little odd seeing a new person in the role of Han, I quickly got over it, and enjoyed Ehrenreich's turn as the rogue with a heart of gold.  He managed to nail the tone of voice, inflections, and mannerisms that we've come to know and love, while making the character fresh and engaging.  Ditto for Glover as Lando.  He brought so much flair, style, and theatricality to Lando.  It was a joy to see.

And we can't forget Woody Harrelson as Tobias, and Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra.  Both were fantastic in their roles.  They both brought life, and energy to their roles.  You came to like, care, and feel for them as the movie progressed.  Their involvement in the movie helped to make it a pleasant experience.

It's unfortunate that "Solo: A Star Wars Story" didn't do better in the theatres, because this was a very enjoyable ride.  I'm happy to give it a "Good".
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