Solo: A Star Wars Story

Despite the behind-the-scenes problems and extensive reshoots, the second standalone Star Wars anthology is a surprising amount of fun.  Focusing on the criminal underworld of the Star Wars universe rather than galaxy-changing events, this heist adventure has something for Star Wars fans of all ages.

Premise:  Growing up on the streets of Corellia, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) dream of escaping the local criminal gangs that they’re forced to work for.  But Han’s quest for one big score that pays enough to buy their freedom sets him on a course through the galaxy’s underworld that even he couldn’t have predicted.

Review:

It’s probably fair to say that choosing to do “young Han Solo” film was a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, Han Solo is one of the most popular and iconic Star Wars characters, so he seems like an obvious choice for a standalone movie.  But on the other hand, Han Solo is Harrison Ford, and so much of Solo’s character came from Ford’s natural charisma, with the character arriving fully formed on screen in the Mos Eisley cantina in Episode IV: A New Hope.  My biggest fear when they announced Solo: A Star Wars Story was that it would undermine the portrayal of Han Solo by Harrison Ford, much in the same way that some felt the portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy undermined the character established in the original trilogy.

In this respect, I’m happy to report that Solo is a great success, as Alden Ehrenreich’s performance finds new notes to play, but it’s still undeniably Han Solo’s song.  This film plots the character’s journey from an inexperienced boy who just about survives on nothing but his wits and his cocky arrogance, to the smuggler-cum-hustler that we first see on Tatooine.  The revelations about his history and backstory in Solo don’t so much undermine the character seen in A New Hope, as they do explain the jaded and cynical front he puts up for Luke, Leia and Obi-Wan in Episode IV.

“…Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the best thing in every scene she’s in…”

Alden Ehrenreich is surrounded by a fantastic supporting cast, who each bring something interesting to the table.  In terms of other returning characters, Joonas Suotamo returns as Chewbacca (having taken over the role from Peter Mayhew in The Force Awakens) and Donald Glover comes very close to stealing the film as Lando Calrissian.  The relationship between Han and Lando is an interesting one, given that even in The Empire Strikes Back, Han isn’t entirely sure he’ll receive a warm welcome from his “old friend”…

The new characters are led by Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra, Han’s only connection to his old life on Corellia, and Woody Harrelson as Tobias Beckett, a veteran scoundrel who shows Han the ropes.  At times it feels like Woody Harrelson is playing yet another version of his “grumpy mentor” role from The Hunger Games, but in truth, he finds new ways to play the archetype, and he’s so damn good at it you don’t really mind.  Thandie Newton and Paul Bettany appear as other underworld characters, but my favourite new character by far was L3-37, Lando’s droid played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who’s the best thing in every scene she’s in.

“…explores a corner of the Star Wars universe that’s rarely seen on screen…”

When all is said and done, given the behind-the-scenes problems with this film, it’s a miracle it turned out as well as it has done.  After the film’s original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were fired about three-quarters way through filming, Ron Howard came on board as the new director and allegedly had to reshoot as much as 70% of the film.  In those circumstances, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the end product would be a mismatched patchwork of new and old material – but surprisingly, the film holds together really well, and maintains a constant tone all the way through in terms of its balance of humour, adventure and drama.

“…a fun adventure film, full of thrills and spills and a gleeful sense of humour…”

In terms of the plot, this film explores a corner of the Star Wars universe that’s often been talked about, but rarely seen on screen – the underworld of competing criminal syndicates, amoral bounty hunters and charming smugglers.  The Empire is still a presence, but only in the background as obstacles to be avoided or bureaucrats to be bribed, because the real threats are rival criminals, thieving marauders and ruthless crime bosses.  If Lucasfilm wants to make standalone Star Wars films, it makes sense to use them as an opportunity to tell stories that wouldn’t be seen in a main “Episode” film.

Ultimately, because it doesn’t deal with galaxy changing events, this film does feel more slight than the other Star Wars film.  But that is clearly intentional, and taken for what it is, Solo is a fun adventure film, full of thrills and spills and a gleeful sense of humour.