ReelBob: ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ ★★½
By Bob Bloom
In “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” we learn how a young Han Solo was given his name, became an outlaw, met Chewbacca, made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs and won the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian.
Thus, “Solo” isn’t so much a movie as an elongated episode of “This Is Your Life” for “Star Wars” geeks.
“Solo” is fun and entertaining, and Alden Ehrenreich (“Hail, Caesar!”) as young Han spouts familiar lines said by Harrison Ford as the older Han in the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
Ehrenreich, with a twinkle in his eye and a crinkle in his smile, has the cocky and arrogant attitude that endeared Han Solo to fans.
Watching Ehrenreich is one of the film’s greatest pleasures. His performance balances the weaknesses in a script filled with starts and stops and a movie whose pace stutters rather than flows.
“Solo” introduces us to a young Han in circumstances that make the movie seem like a galactic “Oliver Twist.”
His dream is to be the best pilot in the galaxy, and he will do anything to achieve that goal.
He soon falls in with a band of thieves, led by Woody Harrelson, and has a variety of short adventures — most of which touch on episodes in Han’s young life before he became a hero in “Star Wars.”
A plotline centering on his romance with childhood sweetheart Qi’ra (“Game of Thrones” Emilia Clarke) is tepid. The pair lack chemistry.
Donald Glover brings a refreshing swagger to young and dandyish Lando that elevates the film when he is on screen.
A subplot about Lando’s droid companion fighting for equal rights for droids is a total misfire and simply wastes some of the 135-minute running time.
Most of the movie was ill lit, with the foreground being rather dark, but I am not sure if that was from the film itself or the theater’s projection system. (We have had problems at this theater before with darkened screens.)
The studio’s changing of directors from Phil Lord and Chris Miller to Ron Howard more than halfway through the production did not benefit the production. Lord and Miller wanted a tongue-in-cheek attitude, while the LucasFilm executives desired something else.
The conflict shows on screen, as a balance is lacking between sequences that are impish and those that are serious.
The young cast, though, keeps the movie flying. Many “Star Wars” fans will really get into the film because of their fervor for Han Solo.
Others may find the movie weak and meandering and not up to the heightened standards expected from the storied franchise.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” may disappoint some people, but it definitely will not bore them.
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
2½ stars out of 4
(PG-13), science fiction violence and action