Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Solo follows Han Solo, who, after escaping Corellia, joins forces with Chewbacca and a gang of smugglers indebted to crime boss Dryden Vos, forcing them to pull an impossible job on Kessel to steal a batch of unstable coaxium. 

I, like most of the movie going public, am not overly fond of Hollywood’s incessant need for unnecessary prequels/sequels because more often than not, they are just that—unnecessary. Solo is every bit an unnecessary prequel, though I’ll admit, a fun one. Besides his constant need to remind everyone that he is going to be the best pilot in the galaxy, this jump back in time quite enjoyably fills in the blanks for who would become the best smuggler around, sending him on his first steps to such a title and introducing us to some of his key figures along the way. Now, while some of it is a little on the nose, like Han getting his famous blaster, it’s still a ton of fun as we get to see him meet Chewie and Lando, “win” the Millennium Falcon, and do the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. 

Ron Howard (who has now come full circle since American Graffiti, directed by George Lucas), brings an unmistakable style to Solo that is humorous, dangerous, and very grand in nature, even laying some groundwork for Han’s eventual role in the rebellion with his third act double-cross of Beckett and Vos, making this inherently feel like a Han Solo film (which is no easy task without Ford). I’d have to say my only real qualm would be L3 and her mission toward droid liberation. Just an annoying subplot that could’ve been cut to keep things tighter and more focused on the story. 

We get a fair cast, starring Erin Kellyman, Thandiwe Newton, Jon Favreau, Paul Bettany, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, and Alden Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich had a pretty tough task in being Han, and though he doesn’t do a full one-to-one of Ford, he’s charismatic and exciting enough to do well with this role, especially alongside the likes of Glover and Harrelson, who more than hold their own. 

Solo, directed by Ron Howard, certainly wasn’t a necessary movie, but for a Star Wars fan, it’s nonetheless an exciting little romp that puts to actions what many of us have only heard in passing, making all of Han’s subtle nods to the Kessel Run pretty impressive in retrospect. 

7.7/10