'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: Why 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Is Gonna Be Ok

Welcome to my fourth installment of Star Wars Speculation! This installment will straying further away from my last three entries, and diving into the territory of dissecting rumors/reports rather than Star Wars itself. For those wondering, this isn't me assuaging my upmost confidence that there's no possible way Solo: A Star Wars Story could suck. The movie could come out and be terrible, but I don't really see that happening considering the latest news about Solo: A Star Wars Story reshoots that I'll breakdown in a second. The entire reason I'm publishing a post is that I feel there's been a toxic mindset about any reported reshoots these past few years. The panicked hive-mind mentality that a film is in trouble just because there were reshoots is a little absurd if you ask me, and I'll explain just why right now!

Why 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Is Gonna Be Ok

The Scoop

For those who haven't heard, it was recently reported on Star Wars News Net‘s The Resistance Broadcast that Ron Howard (the replacement director for Solo: A Star Wars Story) reshot an estimated 80% or more of the film after taking over this summer and that the reshoots nearly doubled the film's budget. The Resistance Broadcast is a podcast put on by Star Wars fans, but they've had reliable scoops in the past so this news shouldn't be entirely discredited. In fact, it makes a lot of sense given the film just recently wrapped production after about four months of shooting. 

So, what even are reshoots?

I figure not all my readers may be up-to-speed on the process of a film's production, so I'm going to briefly explain the process and the concept of reshoots.

Film Production Process

The film production process can be broken up into about five stages depending on who you ask. The stages are development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution. Development essentially revolves around selecting a story, putting together a story treatment, the early stages of screenwriting, pitching the project, and getting it financed. Next, the pre-production goes into fleshing out the story with storyboards, concept art, etc. and hiring a cast and crew for the project. Then, the actual production is the process of creating props, sets, and shooting the film itself. Then, the post-production process typically involves editing the film, development of sound design/mixing, composition of the film's score, and adding any digital effects. Lastly, the film is distributed to theaters. The amount of time spent in each phase varies from project-to-project based on scale and the people involved.

Reshoots

Reshoots are exactly what the name implies, reshooting a movie. This typically happens during post-production when the director and studio decide that they need to rework part of the film, and so they coordinate reshooting certain scenes. As I said, reshoots normally fall into post-production, but Solo: A Star Wars Story's a very special case... 

Solo: A Star Wars Story Behind-The-Scenes Drama

So what makes Solo: A Star Wars Story so unique? If you didn't already know, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller departed the project on account of creative differences on June 26, 2017. They were supposedly nearly 70% complete with filming before departing. This is where I have to cite rumors and reports as evidence rather than actual concrete facts, so don't rely on the all information I'm about to present as 100% factual. 

What We Do Know

This is the only information that we truly know is as follows:

-Lord & Miller left due to creative differences

-They were quickly replaced by Ron Howard with the announcement filming would resume on July 10th 

-Ron Howard wrapped filming and a title was announced on October 17th. 

The Uncertain Territory or Rumors/Reports 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lord & Miller were operating in a more relaxed manner and encouraged improvisation contrary to the wishes of screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan that they adhere to the script. Essentially, it seems that the filmmaking styles of the various parties were at odds. This report actually seems fairly believable considering Lord & Miller had previously only dealt with smaller-scaled comedy-oriented projects such as 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, and The LEGO Movie. It seems like the problem was that Kennedy didn't properly vet the duo before hiring them on for the project, and even proceeding into production. There was clearly a huge misunderstanding, and I think Lucasfilm has learned their lesson about hiring hot talent after Colin Trevorrow recently left Episode IX. If you'd like to read more information about the report, just click on the "Hollywood Reporter" hyperlink to the article.

The Stigma Around Reshoots

As I attested to earlier, there's been a recent misconception that reshoots are a bad thing. Reports emerge from various sources, and almost every article presents the reshoots as a troublesome thing. Therefore, people read a report that a movie's under-going reshoots and anxiety almost instantly intensifies regarding the film's quality. However, it's worth noting that reshoots are totally normal for big-budget blockbuster movies. What's not normal, but is becoming increasingly more frequent, are extensive reshoots that rework large sections of the film. This isn't always a bad thing though... Just look at World War Z or Rogue One. The third acts of each of these films were apparently almost entirely reworked and I think it's fair to say both the finished project turned out well. It can even be argued that the third act of both films are the best part of each respective movie. In Solo: A Star Wars Story's case, it seems that almost the entire film has been reshot once Howard took over, and contrary to the popular belief, I don't believe this to be a bad thing...

Why These Reshoots Are For The Best

If Lord & Miller's creative process didn't align with Lucasfilm's, wouldn't it stand to reason that Lucasfilm would want something else entirely from someone else? I think Lucasfilm didn't approach this project with the intention of going through all of this, but it happened because they weren't careful when hiring a director for the job. It's certainly possible, and very likely, that some footage shot by Lord & Miller will wind up being part of the finished project because I highly doubt the two were incapable of shooting entirely un-useable footage in their five months working on the project... However, it does make sense that large portions of the film would need to be reshot for numerous reasons. 

During this period, a lot had to be changed on account of scheduling. For example, the removal of Michael K. William's character due to his unavailability. It stands to reason that they would then have to reshoot any scenes his character was involved in because he's no longer part of the story, and they had to rework another character (played by Paul Bettany) in his place to serve a similar story purpose in the grand narrative. Also, it should be remembered that much of the cast involved with Solo: A Star Wars Story are big-name actors. Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, and Thandie Newton are each apart of big television or film franchises, so therefore they probably had a tight schedule and it would have been difficult to bring together all the actors needed for unplanned, extensive reshoots. As for doubling the cost, it makes sense to me that if Howard shot about equally as long as Lord & Miller, then the reshoots would be about equal cost. Therefore, the film's budget probably doubled...

The reason I think this is for the best in the end is that it demonstrates Lucasfilm and Disney genuinely care about getting the best possible film out into the market. They're well-aware Star Wars is a very commercially-viable property, and they don't want to taint their IP with a mediocre movie. The fact they're willing to double the budget of a massive blockbuster shows me that they care about making this movie as great as they possibly can, and correcting any mistakes already made along the way. I suspect the long-standing impact of this debacle will be that Lucasfilm is going to be very cautious from this point on in regards to hiring writers and directors. They won't just hire a seemingly sure-fire director to make a quick buck. I think this is actually the reason that Lucasfilm still hasn't announced any projects beyond Episode IX, because they want to ensure they get the right director for the job.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I'm cautiously optimistic for Solo: A Star Wars Story's release on May 25, 2018. I'm prepared for the possibility that the film is not great, but am still holding out hope it will be! I think a guarded enthusiasm is a good approach for this film, although a great trailer could easily unbalance that mindset!

So that's about all I have to say on the matter. Otherwise, I hope you're enjoying the varied nature of this Star Wars Speculation series. I thank you for reading my thoughts on this topic, and I would love to receive any feedback via comments/messaging on any of my initial social media postings! 

-May the force be with you, always!