‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Movie Review: The Kindhearted Scoundrel

Solo: A Star Wars Story takes place in a galaxy far, far away. The Empire has established its rule in the galaxy and it continues to expand, invading other worlds. On the planet Corellia, Han (Alden Ehrenreich) and Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) try to escape the grasp of Lady Proxima (Linda Hunt) and her henchmen, desperate to make a life of their own. Their attempt leads to separation but that is where the story begins.

Han Solo

Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

A pilot, a friend, and a hopeless romantic. Han Solo was born on the planet Corellia and has been stuck there for most of his life. After an escape plan that does not go as planned, he finds himself working for the Empire for survival. In one of his missions, he is acquainted with the people who would lead to his first big break. However, this does not come easy. A new friend would come from the least expected places. Along with their new allies, Han Solo and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) face an entire galaxy full of danger and opportunities; everything he had hoped for. In the end, Han would face a dilemma, but he does what he knows best: being the good guy.

Ron Howard’s take on the character is significantly different. Here, Alden Ehrenreich was tasked to portray Han as a hopeful, innocent, and optimistic. His performance was commendable since he was able to show this role very well. However, this unique take on the Han solo character has me reminding myself that it is Han Solo that I am watching, not any other character. He is completely different from the scruffy looking nerf-herder we met during the Original Trilogy.

Chewbacca

Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

Enslaved by the Empire, the Kashyyyk native Wookie finds himself kept in a cage on the planet Mimban. Rescue arrives in the form of a tiny Corellian male, a man he never leaves since his salvation. Their expeditions lead him to find some of his people as well as the chance to liberate them. People come and go, but one person remains. No matter what happened throughout their journey, Chewie would fight alongside Han regardless of the odds.

Joonas Suotamo was the perfect choice to play Chewbacca. Throughout the movie, he was able to accurately represent Chewbacca from his mannerisms to the simplest of his gestures. While he has considerably little screen time than I had expected, this did not prevent him from leaving the impression Chewie usually makes in every other Star Wars film, show, or novel.

Qi’ra

Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

Qi’ra is a human female from Corellia. She grew up alongside Han and they would then become lovers until this ended when their attempt to escape meant their separation. Their paths would then converge sometime in the future, but under certain circumstances that prevent them from having a complete reunion. Their adventure was fun and it showed them how much the both of them changed. However, all this had to end since Qi’ra may have escaped Corellia, but she was not totally free.

Emilia Clarke’s performance as Qi’ra was spectacular. Her physical attributes helped make her character appear as compassionate and loving without having her look fragile. Her character was realistic, a portrayal of what it means to do anything for your survival. It was not hard to remove the “Mother of Dragons” image from my head because of her brilliant acting as well as the character’s personality. Qi’ra would have made a terrific partner to the Original Trilogy Han Solo, an interesting rival to Princess Leia.

Tobias Beckett

Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

Tobias Beckket was a laidback, determined man who wanted nothing but to gain profit for himself even at the end of the movie. His determination was best seen during their encounters with the Marauders as well as managing to convince Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) to give him a chance to deliver what he had promised. Beckket was a friendly mentor figure to Han despite his convictions. Unfortunately, it is what he had taught Han that would become the death of him.

Woody Harrelson’s performance as Tobias Beckett was a great addition to the Solo cast. His character was completely different from the rest of the characters, who perhaps bears the closest resemblance to the Original Trilogy Han Solo’s attitude. He was a good choice in casting as he was able to give life to the character without having to seem a mediocre secondary character.

Lando Calrissian

Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

Lando Calrissian was a famous smuggler and gambler who was famous for constantly winning at Sabacc. He had his own ways of avoiding humiliation in front of anyone, and he is a crowd favorite. Clever and slick in his own way, Lando enjoys what the galaxy has to offer, that is until he met Han Solo. At the end of his journey with him, Lando suffers considerable losses. he is forced to retreat, only to be found by Han once again for a final showdown.

Donald Glover was the ultimate choice in playing a young Lando Calrissian. He nailed it, of course. Glover’s performance was excellent. His role may have been minimal, but his charisma was what made the movie interesting for all audiences. Glover was able to bring justice to the character. He was able to show Lando’s overconfident attitude proficiently, almost as if he did not have to try.

The Good

The movie had its fair share of action. Numerous twists entangle the entire plot as well. There was nothing that sounded off with regards to the character’s scripts. A line of new characters and locations were introduced to the audiences gracefully. We even get a least expected character to make an appearance in the end.

The Bad

Han’s last name, as well as the start of his friendship with Chewbacca, was presented very poorly; perhaps even disrespectfully. It was as if these details were of little significance. While the movie was able to introduce new characters, they killed them off very quickly. Also, the movie had an abundance of references to the previous movie, making it seem like it was trying too hard to get noticed.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Final Verdict

Solo: A Star Wars Story was a good movie that depicted Han Solo’s life right after he takes his first steps into the galaxy. It could have been better, but it could also have been worse. With its balanced way of blending action, humor, and a bit of romance, Solo: A Star Wars Story would be fun to watch as a family or as a group of friends, regardless of how much you know about Star Wars.