While "Star Wars" is certainly one of the oldest film franchises there is, it is definitely one of the most prolific. Its forty-one years of existence has changed the way films are made for better or worse, and while the different characters are aplenty, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is surely about the most beloved anti-hero in modern film history.
In a galaxy far, far away, Young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) finds adventure when he joins a gang of galactic smugglers, including Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) and a 196-year-old Wookie named Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). Indebted to the gangster Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), the crew devises a daring plan to travel to the mining planet Kessel to steal a batch of valuable coaxium. In need of a fast ship, Solo meets Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), the suave owner of the perfect vessel for this dangerous mission--the Millennium Force,
Others to round out the cast are Thandie Newton as Val, Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3-37, Jon Favreau as Rio Durant (voice), Linda Hunt as Lady Proxima (voice), Ian Kenny as Rebolt, Erin Kellyman as Enfys Nest and John Tui as Korso.
This was directed by incomparable veteran Ron Howard ("Grand Theft Auto" '77, "Night Shift" '82, "Splash" '84, "Gung Ho" '86, "Parenthood" '89, "Backdraft' '91, "Apollo 13" '95, "A Beautiful Mind" '01, "Cinderella Man" '05, "Frost/Nixon" '08, "Rush" '13, "In the Heart of the Sea" '15, "Inferno" '16) plus others and TV. As with his previous projects, Howard simply has an uncanny ability to extract a certain emotion from his actors so they come across that much more real. He proved this when he directed "A Beautiful Mind", which he won an Academy Award deservedly. He has two more films and a documentary that have been announced which makes him a popular and valuable director. It was effectively written by Jonathan Kasdan ("In the Land of Women" '07, "The First Time" '12) plus TV and Lawrence Kasdan ("Raiders of the Lost Ark" '81, "The Big Chill" '83, "The Bodyguard" '92, "Mumford" '99, "Dreamcatcher" '03, "Darling Companion" '12, "Star Wars" "The Force Awakens" '15) plus others, based on characters created by George Lucas. Alyhough I'm not a huge fan of this franchise, this was surprisingly well thought out. What actually makes this story work is the character of Solo. Harrison ford, who played Solo a bit older gave an amazing portrayal of this good-natured but cocky pilot, however Ehrenreich gave an incredible portrayal in this prequel. There were a couple of very slow places within the script--it could've been about five minutes shorter, it still wasn't enough to impede the enjoyment of this.
This is the quintessential summer flick with amazing visual effects by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and a nifty IMAX format that will keep you on the edge of your seat. But don't worry, I'm sure there will be yet another installation of the franchise come Christmas time as there has been in the past.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 134mins.
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