Solo: A Star Wars Story

It's to call a movie that grossed almost $400 million worldwide a bomb. But after every Star Wars property since Disney daddy took over has grossed over a billion, yeah that's low by series standards. It's not hard to see why. It's disconnected from the series main lore (unlike Rogue One) and Harrison Ford is so connected to Han Solo that anyone attempting to fill a younger version of his shoes is pushing a boulder uphill. But did it deserve the derision?

The movie follows Han from his younger days as an orphan scrapping to escape a harsh life. But years later, after a lackluster military career he joins up with Tobias Beckett to become an outlaw and make new friends along the way.

Solo isn't a terrible movie. The cast is all competent, it's fun to see heists in the Star Wars universe, and Ron Howard is a solid nuts and bolts action director. But it's also pretty boring, and that's a cardinal sin in this cinematic universe.

Here's some big reasons why.

Dark Cinematography

Star Wars is a world full of bright colors. The laser and light sabers all glow neon. We've got giant explosions and tons of multicolored worlds creatures at our disposal. So why does this movie look like it was filmed in a basement?

This is honestly the blandest looking Star Wars movie to date including the costumes, locations, and even scene lighting.

It's hard to tell if this is a stylistic choice, since this is supposed to be the dark and edgy Star Wars movie, or simply Ron Howard's fallback style. Either way, it's a bit dreary for what should visually be a romp.

Narrative Whiplash

What is this movie about?

That's a serious question because I have no idea. There's the bones a good setup in the film with Han's rough upbringing him teaching him to be selfish or only look out for number one (aka the anti-hero we met in Star Wars) who has to learn what his personal line for crime is, who he's loyal to etc. But none of this is developed very well. Han never does something morally reprehensible (in fact the film goes out of its way to make him the good guy always), nor do his experiences seem to shake his cynicism.

Maybe we could've gone into why he's a force atheist in the first film. Or give him an experience that shaped him into who we meet in Star Wars. I feel like we keep showing up halfway through Han's journey. We don't see how he's treated as an orphan or a military pilot. He just tells us it's not for him and moves on. Not every movie has to be about something, but when you set up the movie as an awesome character's backstory we'd like the film to explain stuff about him, not fill out his lore sheet. Speaking of.

The Bad Kind of Fan Service

A lot of prequels think fans want the story behind specific objects or references. For Han Solo that means the kessel run, his dice (which apparently are a thing), how he met Chewie, how met Lando and got the Falcon.

But is that the interesting stuff? I'd be much more interested in seeing Han and Chewie bond (there is some of that), some bonding with Lando to justify their friendship in the future (there's almost none of that) and an inversion.

For instance....it's kinda cool to see Han make the Kessel Run. It's a fun sequence and you can nod and go "oh that's that thing!" But how great would it be...if he failed? Like him talking about the Kessel Run is just a giant con he's been running to get jobs and impress people because who can verify that?

I think this can all be sum.med up with the movie's surprise character cameo that makes absolutely no sense and honestly made me rethink the entire Star Wars timeline for 15 minutes before I concluded it was dumb. It's just there because someone thought it should be there.

Verdict: A So-So Star Wars Entry

Though not the garbage fire it was portrayed to be, Solo lacks the brightness, ingenuity, or twists that make the series fun. 5/10.