Solo: (Not) A Star Wars Story
Image: StarWars.com
So, last week I finally got around to seeing Solo: A Star Wars Story in theaters, and I thought I’d give everybody my thoughts. But before I go on, I should mention that I was a little biased against this movie to begin with; I’m inherently suspicious of spinoffs and sequels to movies that I love, and I’m a huge Star Wars fan. Additionally, I thought that Solo would amount to little more than a soulless attempt by Disney to cash in on the cash cow that is Star Wars. Fortunately, those fears were unfounded; Solo makes for a decent film, and there’s not much that’s objectively wrong with it; it’s just not a Star Wars movie.
“Now hold on,” you’re undoubtedly saying, “it has Han Solo, it has stormtroopers, it has ‘Star Wars’ in the title! How is it not a Star Wars film!” Well, simply put, Solo differs from other Star Wars films in every way imaginable; the film’s tone, plot, and character arcs are completely different from every Star Wars film has come before. This is something you’ll notice within the first thirty seconds of the film. There’s no opening crawl, only some brief text that establishes that the film is set on a planet called Corellia, where the planet’s orphans make their way by working for the villainous Lady Proxima. Then, the logo SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY appears above a dark cityscape. All in all, it feels more like something out of Blade Runner than Star Wars.
Additionally, Star Wars has always had a central theme that’s largely missing in Solo. It’s always been Republic vs. Separatists, Jedi vs. Sith, Imperials vs. Rebel Scum, etc. There’s a message of Light vs. Dark that’s been present throughout every Star Wars movie to date that’s simply lacking in Solo.
That’s not to say that Solo is a bad movie; in fact, it’s a rather good one. The film is wonderfully cast (Donald Glover is particularly good as Lando Calrissian), and the special effects are top notch. And if the film doesn’t capture the feeling of Star Wars, it certainly captures the franchise’s aesthetic. The costumes are on point, and it nails the retro-futuristic look that characterizes films like Star Wars and Alien. The film looks like Star Wars, from the Storm Troopers to the spaceships to the aliens.
The stated goal of Solo is to fill in some of the backstory of Star Wars; in particular, how Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) squired the Millennium Falcon and met Chewie (Joonas Suotamo). The film is successful in this regard; we learn of Han’s troubled upbringing on Corellia, and his romance with Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke). We learn about how he fell into the life of a smuggler. We meet his mentor, Beckett (Woody Harrelson), and his crew. Beckett teaches Han about life as a smuggler, as well as lecturing him about the perils of the criminal underworld.
That said, there are some problems with the film. The main problem is that the relationships between the main characters feel more than a little bit forced. The film takes place over the space of a week, which means that the characters don’t always feel as memorable as they should. If we’d been given more time to see Han bond with his fellow criminals (a brief montage of them pulling off heists together would’ve done the trick) then the relationships would feel much more impactful. Sadly, that’s not the case. The exception here is Han’s relationship with Qi’ra, which feels very well thought out. Qi’ra is torn between her loyalty to her boss, Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), her instinct for self-preservation, and her love for Han, while Han makes it his personal mission to win Qi’ra over, refusing to recognize how a life as Dryden’s lieutenant has changed her.
In conclusion, Solo is a memorable film that has some solid character drama, and reveals much of the backstory of the Star Wars universe. I’m somewhat disappointed that Disney has decided to cancel the remaining spinoff films, as they would have answered the questions that arise in Solo’s final act. However, many of the relationships in the film don’t feel like they’re as impactful as they could have been, and it deviates far from the Star Wars formula. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good movie, and I do recommend it; it’s just not a Star Wars movie.
3/5 Stars.