Review of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) by Joseph B — 02 Jun 2018

Solo is a very mediocre movie. While Alden Ehrenreich seems a likeable enough fellow, he doesn't really have the presence to capture the essence of the character, he gets the humor down, but little else. This is a very nonthreatening Han Solo. Emilia Clarke, while easy on the eyes and does a great job on HBOs GoT, brings little as Han's love interest, in either intensity or chemistry. Donald Glover does about as best as anyone could do playing a young Lando, so kudos to him. Chewy, well he's about what we would expect. Woody Harrelson's Beckett comes across as the most interesting character, primarily because Harrelson is a seasoned professional and it shows when he appears with the other younger actors on the screen.

The movie presents the back-story of Han Solo and shows many of the events referred to in the earlier Star Wars films, but none of these story are all that compelling. Everything is played pretty safe and seemed to be nothing more than following the form of so many other action/adventure sci-fi movies. Don't wait for anything grand or special, it's not coming. Solo brings nothing new to the franchise or genre. Indeed, it seems more a genre film than a Star Wars movie.

Production values are good, CGI effects are fine and the direction is very professional. But the problems remain the same as the other Star Wars movies created by Disney studio, the stories go from dreadful to ho-hum. Solo is in the ho-hum category. The SJW taint of the Disney era exists here, but not as cloyingly excessive as is in the other Star Wars films from Disney Studios.

With Solo, Disney once again shows that it doesn't know what it bought when it obtained the franchise from Lucas. Still, I expect them to try to milk it for all they can to the very end where it will eventually lay in ruins. The upside is that Lucas' reputation will regain some of its lost glimmer by the time we get to "crash & burn" which won't be much longer, at this rate.

This film gives no compelling reason to see it in a movie theater. Wait for streaming or cable and save yourself both time and money.