'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story chronicles the early escapades of a young Han Solo as he winds up deep in the dark, dangerous criminal underworld and joins a crew of smugglers looking to pull off a huge heist for a notorious crime lord.

Now it's no secret that Solo: A Star Wars went through some significant behind-the-scenes drama, as reports of the director shake-up and extensive reshoots were highly publicized and it was all slung around by the press as though this film might be Lucasfilm's first flop. For those curious what I'm referring to, directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller were taken off the project mid-way through production last summer due to creative differences only to be replaced by the Academy Award winning director Ron Howard. We recently saw something similar happen to Justice League, so I'm sure many have feared the worst since the news broke, but I've gotta say that the change-up is not noticeable in the slightest within the context of the film itself. You can tell this is a film guided by a singular vision at the helm of it all. It's not a hodgepodge of conflicting voices strung together by a committee purely to sell more merchandise.  

Howard's actually got something else in store for Star Wars fans. Solo is an origin story for Han in the vein of a western/gun-slinger with a youthful exuberance and the added benefit of a heavy criminal element. While Howard certainly deserves credit for the execution of it all (especially considering the amount of time he had), I've gotta hand it to Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan for writing a tight script. Larry Kasdan is quite familiar with Han Solo because he's been writing the character since The Empire Strikes Back, and it really shows in the dialogue and story-framework. The scope of the story is small, but the stakes felt intimate as a result, which is precisely how it should be. It's actually quite refreshing to see a blockbuster with such an adventurous spirit that ironically brought Indiana Jones to mind. 

Howard and the Kasdans also found a nice balance between treating fans to fun nuggets of Han's origin and revealing an excessive, unnecessary amount of Han's backstory. For those angered that the Expanded Universe lore was stricken from canon when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised to see quite a bit of Han's Expanded Universe history reintroduced in Solo. Of course, there are many easter eggs to be found as well, but I was really relieved to see none of them take precedence over the story at hand as a cheap wink to the fans. While there are certainly moments of fan-service, none of it felt egregious or unnecessary. Although, there's one surprise cameo that will likely confuse casual fans of the franchise. All I have to say to that is you'll understand it if you go watch the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series (it's on Netflix). Before I move away from the fan discussion, I should also probably mention that Solo bucks many longtime Star Wars traditions so just be prepared for that. 

Technically, Solo is as proficient as any of the Disney era Star Wars films. There's nothing particularly game-changing for the medium of film or the franchise in general, but the costumes, production design, editing, visual effects, sound editing and sound mix are all very well-polished examples of exemplary work from the crew. It's also worth noting that John Powell composed an accomplished score which occasionally incorporated an appropriate use of familiar John Williams musical motifs while the action sequences on display were quite exhilarating. In particular, I most enjoyed the Conveyex train heist sequence in addition to finally watching the infamous Kessel Run unfold. 

If I were to rattle off some nitpicks, I'd have to start by saying I found it difficult to see everything that was going on in certain scenes due to dim lighting. I largely just found this disappointing because Bradford Young was the director of photography on Solo and I loved his work in Arrival. This perhaps could be chocked down to a poor projector in the auditorium I watched the film in (I'll know for sure after a second viewing), but everything just looked very dark and dingy at times. Part of me thinks the projector was operating perfectly fine and the color palette was just grittier to match the backdrop of the criminal underworld as a stylistic choice, but one can never be too certain. 

One of my favorite things about Star Wars is the world-building that accompanies fleshing out a galaxy far, far away. So, naturally, I'm a sucker for introducing new locales and abstract aliens. However, I found myself a little let down by that component of Solo. The production team did very little to differentiate the "new" planets (some are pre-existing in the canon) from anything seen previously. Normally, I find myself so enraptured by the scenery that I unrealistically wish I could venture there. With Solo, that simply wasn't the case despite top-notch production quality... The settings in Star Wars are almost a character of their own, but they just felt like set dressing in this instance.

In regards to its cast, Solo had some big hurdles to overcome. While he may not have had first shot at portraying the character, Alden Ehrenreich brings new life to Han Solo as a younger, inexperienced version of the beloved scoundrel. Ehrenreich delivers the essence of the character we all know and love while taking ownership of his own version. I'm sure many are skeptical about the idea of anyone else in the role of Han Solo other than Harrison Ford, but I can speak for myself in saying I was assuaged from the get-go. Opposite Ehrenreich is an actor who really doesn't get enough credit... Since The Force Awakens, Joonas Suotamo has put on the big furry suit and chortled onscreen as the big fuzzball we affectionally refer to as Chewie. However, this time, Suotamo gets to shine in ways the previous films simply didn't allow time for since the burgeoning bromance between Han and Chewbacca is a focal part of the film. The chemistry between Ehrenreich and Suotamo makes the companionship between these classic characters completely convincing and it's quite amusing to see their friendship flourish over the course of the film. 

The other familiar face to be found in Solo is Lando Calrissian, who's portrayed perfectly by Donald Glover. Like Alden, Glover brings his own spin to the role that's already been previously popularized by another actor. Glover's take feels like it's entirely his own, yet is also remarkably in line with the precedent previously set by Billy Dee Williams. Glover just oozes the eccentric ol' smoothie charisma required for the role and will charm your socks off. Phoebe Waller-Bridge plugs into the affairs as L3-37, Lando's navigator droid who's a vocal droids-rights activist. Waller-Bridge steals many scenes with some well-timed quips and certainly stood out as one of the funnier characters in the crowded cast.

 

Rounding out the cast, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Jon Favreau, and Paul Bettany all do a fine job playing a host of characters with mysterious, ever-changing motivations. These are Qi'ra, Tobias Beckett, Val, Rio Durant, and Dryden Vos respectively, but I'm going to stay out of specifics to avoid spoiling anything. 

Lastly, a reoccurring threat for Solo and his band of smugglers is the marauder and leader of the Cloud-Rider gang, Enfys Nest. I found this character to be very cool along with her devoted group of followers and liked how they played into things, but I'll leave it at that since the character's masked and this is a spoiler-free review.

Really, Solo had everything I could ever want from a standalone Han Solo story. In spite of a troubled production, Solo: A Star Wars Story tells a fun, fairly risk-free adventure that I can't wait to experience again. You better buckle up baby, because Solo: A Star Wars Story is the summer blockbuster you're gonna want to ride over and over at light speed!

Film Assessment: B+

Star Wars Speculation: 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Trailer Talk

Last night a new trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story was released and I immediately debated whether I should bother posting anything about it or not. On one hand, I enjoyed the trailer and I've already made it a habit to discuss new Star Wars content via this Star Wars Speculation series. However, the new footage didn't really "reveal" much in terms of plot worth analyzing so I figured calling this a "Trailer Analysis" would be a little misleading. Ultimately, I've decided to rundown my favorite things from the trailer and add some occasional context to certain scenery.

**Keep in mind that this is all my interpretation of the scenery. I could be way off mark in regards to speculation, but provided I'm correct, potential spoilers lie ahead.**

'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Trailer Talk

My favorite things (No particular order):

1. Star Destroyer under construction- I love this shot for many reasons. One, we've never seen a Star Destroyer under construction before and it looks awesome. Two, I think the positioning of the camera communicates a lot about Solo's setting. Like Rogue One, you get the sense that the Empire is a powerful force that looms over everything. With the camera looking upward from a dingy, urban setting, you also get the sense this story will be told inside the criminal underbelly of the galaxy. Something that's rarely been examined in a Star Wars movie before. On top of all that, I'm guessing this takes place on Corellia because that is Han's homeworld which is known for building Imperial starships.

2. Enfys Nest and the Cloud-Riders- In my post about the first Solo teaser, I touched on these characters still unaware of who/what they were. At the time, I wasn't even able to provide any names or information for them whatsoever. Well, since then, details have surfaced that they're a pirate gang called the Cloud-Riders who are lead by Enfys Nest. While there's still no official word on this, Enfys Nest is said to be female and she and her gang will play an important role in the story as antagonists of sorts. Although, they supposedly aren't the main villains.

I included them to update my readers with more information and because I think Enfys Nest looks awesome.

I think they may also be trying to retrieve whatever the focal point of Han's heist is as there are numerous speeders in this sequence and I spotted Nest onboard the Conveyex (the train) in the last trailer. 

3. Sabacc- I've already touched on this in a previous post as well, but I believe this will be the game of Sabacc where Han wins the Falcon from Lando. Aside from that, we get another look at the cool crustacean Therm Scissorpunch (who may just have the greatest Star Wars name of all time) and the other aliens who will be present in the scene. I'm spotlighting this because I'm excited to see this sequence play out, I'm excited to hopefully learn the mechanics of Sabacc, and I really like the creature design as they reminds me of all the aliens found in the Mos Eisley cantina. 

4. Chewie's family?- Many have pointed out this shot as possibly introducing Chewbacca's wife Malla and son Lumpy from the Star Wars Holiday Special into canon. However, it's worth mentioning that these characters have already been made canon by the recent Aftermath trilogy of Star Wars novels and this doesn't mean that the Holiday Special itself is canon. Just the existence of the characters. Anyways, this looks like it may be what Chewbacca presumes to be a final farewell as he escapes captivity thanks to Han. I presume he's promising to return one day to free the other Wookies, which we already know happens in the events of Aftermath: Life Debt after Return Of The Jedi.

5. Chewie and Han- Just seeing Han and Chewie together puts a smile on my face, and I'm getting the sense Ron Howard's captured the delightful dynamic between the two based on the banter showcased in the trailer. 

5. "You might want to buckle up, baby."- I love this line because it's classic Lando. I'd say Donald Glover seems to have captured the charming spirit of the ol' smoothie and will be a standout for sure!

6. Chewie slamming someone into the ground- Chewbacca doesn't have on his bandolier here so I presume this will be some sort of slave revolt on the spice mines of Kessel. We'll probably see how Han helps free Chewie before learning the exact circumstances behind Chewbacca's pledged Life Debt to Han. Putting all that aside, seeing Chewbacca running rampant will probably be pretty cool if this shot from the trailer is any indication.

7. Origin of Han's DL-44 blaster- Looks like the film will show us that Han's classic blaster was given to him by Beckett. I'm curious to see if there's any particular reason Han holds the blaster in high esteem. Otherwise, I hope the film doesn't go overboard in explaining the origin of all of Han's things to the point it overtakes the story. 

8. Dryden Vos- Dryden Vos is described in the trailer as big shot gangster who's putting together a crew, so it's only natural that we can assume this crew pertains to the Conveyex heist. What he's after remains to be seen, but it's worth noting that his face is visibly scarred so it may be something that could help heal his face.

This weapon he's wielding is also quite cool and I think it may be a vibroblade of some sort. 

9. Range Troopers- It's always cool to see new Stormtrooper variants introduced in every Star Wars film. I like the look of these range troopers a lot and think it's awesome that they seem to have magnetic boots as they all remained balanced on the moving Conveyex train at various angles.

10. Beckett's advice- I really like what Beckett tells Han when he says "Let me give you some advice: expect that everyone will betray you, and you will never be disappointed." I think it sets up the idea that Han will in-fact be betrayed by someone or multiple people over the course of the film and that will drastically alter his ability to trust others.

General Thoughts: Like Han said in the trailer, I've got a good feeling about this. I'm obviously excited for Solo while others still seem skeptical. I realize the production problems are troubling, but I think Ron Howard seems to have come in and course-corrected things. I'm liking the Western-gunslinger vibe because it suits Han's introduction to a life of smuggling perfectly. I've gotten good impressions from the cast so far and I think the film will be visually impressive regardless of anything else. All I'm hoping for is a fun space adventure and I remain optimistic that Solo will deliver.

-As always, May the Force be with you!

'Hail, Caesar!' Review

Nominated For: Best Production Design.

Hail, Caesar! follows the daily life of a PR man who must solve many behind the scenes issues with the various talent at Capitol Pictures, a movie studio at the height of it's powers. I've been looking forward to Hail, Caesar! since the first trailer released for the film hoping it would be similar in tone to The Grand Budapest Hotel, even though I was completely aware that different directors were behind both projects. So as may be apparent from the date I'm publishing this review, the combination of school and work as well as releases of films I was anticipating a bit more constantly delayed me from seeing the film. The delay however has allowed me to see the general response to the film, which was unlike any I had ever seen. In this case, I've noticed that critics enjoyed it and audiences hated it, and having seen the film I think I might have discovered why that is. The film boasts a star studded ensemble cast that's filled to the brim with great talent. However, the cast is used sparingly with a few actors relegated to a few scenes sprinkled throughout the film and I think that's one of the issues that audiences have with the film. They saw the name talent that compelled them to see the film and were disappointed by the underuse of some of these actors. I'm going to discuss them in order of actors who were on screen the least to the more important characters. Most notably absent was Jonah Hill, who is relegated to a one scene cameo yet is featured prominently on the poster and quite a bit in the promotional material for the film. However Hill's role does service the narrative in a small capacity and he's great for his minute on screen. Ralph Fiennes plays the snide Hollywood Drama director Laurence Lorenz, which works perfectly juxtaposing with Alden Ehrenreich's western star Hobie Doyle forced into drama as the studio attempts to change his image. This allows for a hilarious scene between the two where Lorenz is trying to get Hobie to correctly say a line, which Hobie is unable to do. This gag runs a bit long but it only gets funnier and funnier. Fiennes is limited to a few scenes but fantastic in the capacity used. Scarlett Johansson gets to take on the role of DeeAnna Moran, an Esther Williams esque actress, enduring some personal problems of her own that the studio wants to sweep under the rug. Johansson is primarily featured in a mermaid synchronized swimming sequence that's just a delight that leads into a particularly funny bit in the film. So she's restricted to about two or three scenes but also great when onscreen. Tilda Swinton gets to play twin rival journalists, Thora and Thessaly Thacke, who are trying their best to get an intriguing scoop about one of the studio's stars and she's the perfect balance of irritating and snoopy for both characters. Swinton is brilliant as usual but utilized conservatively in the film with a few scenes sprinkled around. Channing Tatum plays a Gene Kelly type as Burt with a spectacular tap dance and song number. Tatum continues to impress me again and again, first proving he can be a comedic and action star in the Jump Street movies, and now getting to flex more of his musical talents. I'm aware Tatum's acting career began with dancing in the Step Up films but tap dancing is a whole other animal that requires rhythmic precision. I was amazed at Tatum's abilities on display for the sequence and he also shocked me when I learned he could carry a tune as well. Channing Tatum's character is an interesting case as I can't go into too much detail without spoiling the film but he has one scene that had me laughing hysterically throughout. On the flip side of that, there are the members of the cast that carry the narrative focusing on George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, and Josh Brolin. George Clooney gets to play the dunce movie star, Baird Whitlock, who is kidnapped in the film by a nefarious secret organization, which makes for an intriguing reveal that at times allows for some effective comedy. Alden Ehrenreich, who I mentioned a bit earlier, plays the cowboy western star Hobie Doyle and is surprisingly a standout among the cast with great comedic timing and heart. Josh Brolin is perfect as Capitol Pictures' studio fixer, Eddie Mannix, and really the main character of the film as it follows a day in his hectic life. Speaking of this, the film feels very unfocused which is certainly a problem but after I saw the film I realized that this is to reflect how insane Mannix's life is because of the crazy talent he must deal with on a daily basis. Conclusively, if you are interested in Hail, Caesar! because of the cast, I'd be very wary. The cinematography, score, and direction are all standard and effective but nothing particularly stood out to me. The Coen Brother's do a fine job and achieve what they set out to do with the film as they clearly are fascinated with 1950's Hollywood. Another strange thing was the style of editing that would would randomly jump from one part of the story to another without the proper groundwork and foundation to understand what is going on initially. In summary, the Coen Brothers created a strange love letter to old, classic 1950's Hollywood that I'd recommend for rental or home media purchase as opposed to checking out in theaters. 

Film Assessment: B-