‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ takes a gamble that pays off (review)

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If you’re anything like me, you enjoy the original 6 “Star Wars” movies, and at some point in time Han Solo was your favorite character. You’ve had late night debates and philosophical conversations regarding the extended metaphors behind the lore of “Star Wars,” pretended to use a lightsaber, and have said “May the Force be with you,” more times than you can count. Also, if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably questioned recent entries into the series with “The Force Awakens” as well as “The Last Jedi.” You also may be skeptical about all of the spin-off titles like “Rogue One,” and especially so with “Solo.” I don’t blame you. While “Rogue One” made quite a great entry into the “Star Wars” franchise, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” gambles big before the movie even starts.

Let’s be 100% honest. I can’t see anyone else playing the role of Han Solo besides Harrison Ford. He IS Han Solo, after all.  And for those of us who are old enough to have seen the original version of “A New Hope,” we know that not only did Han shoot first, but Han was the only one who fired a shot in the Mos Eisley cantina. Harrison Ford naturally delivered an iconic performance playing one of the most beloved characters in the “Star Wars” universe. So of course, the bar has been set remarkably high for Alden Ehrenreich. The real question is… is “Solo: A Star Wars Story” worthy of being – a Star Wars story ?
To say that I went into the theatre with low expectations would be an overstatement. I had heard from early reviews that Donald Glover did a remarkable job of portraying Lando Calrissian and figured even if “Solo” turned out to be a bad movie, that at least seeing a younger version of Lando Calrissian would be cool. And those early reviews were right on the money. Donald Glover plays a young Lando Calrissian so well that I had a hard time believing that he’s not a clone of Billy Dee Williams. Score one for “Solo.”

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with “Solo,” as Han’s backstory always had an air of mystery to it. All we know about the smuggler when he first appears in “A New Hope” is that he owed Jabba the Hutt a ton of money somehow. I for one, had never given much thought to where Han Solo came from, or who he was before “Episode IV.” “Solo” actually did a great job of filling the void of my imagination and providing some background to one my favorite “Star Wars” characters.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. “Solo” does a great job of filling the void of the imagination regarding what life was like for Han Solo before meeting Luke Skywalker. This film offers a look at a much younger and inexperienced Han Solo than “A New Hope,” and what Han was like before the only person he trusted in the galaxy was a Wookie. Now, I wouldn’t call Han naïve in this movie, but I will say that he has yet to learn valuable lessons about who to trust. Yet from beginning to end, you can actually see Han grow as a character. As I left the theatre I found myself saying to my fellow movie-goers “I can see how Han Solo ended up sitting across the table from Greedo in Mos Eisley with a bounty on his head,” to which they nodded in agreement. To my surprise and to my delight, Alden Ehrenreich made me actually believe that his version of Han would grow to become Harrison Ford’s Han Solo.

The rest of the cast does an amazing job as well, delivering performances that transport us viewers a long, long, time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Woody Harrelson absolutely nails his portrayal of the seasoned smuggler Tobias Beckett, and Paul Bettany (who also played Silas in “The Da Vinci Code”) captures the essences of a crime lord with his performance of Dryden Vos. And still this movie would not be anywhere close to complete without Emilia Clarke playing the role of Han’s love interest Qi’ra or Joonas Suotamo taking up the mantle of our favorite Wookie to explore the galaxy.

As my dad said to me as we left the theatre, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” made for “a good Friday night movie.” For me, I found there was nothing in the movie that I could actually complain about. The movie flowed extremely smoothly – as expected when Ron Howard is directing. Nothing felt rushed, forced or out of place, and towards the end of the film, I ironically found myself feeling “a new hope” about the future of “Star Wars” films. On an added note, I would love to see Ron Howard direct more “Star Wars” films in the future. That being said, “Star Wars” as a whole is a special story and it is undoubtedly one of the greatest series of films in the history of cinematography, where even (according to some) the prequel trilogy doesn’t live up to the original trilogy. So exactly how does “Solo: A Star Wars Story” fit in to the mix? Surprisingly well. While “Solo” is not as good as my personal favorite “Return of the Jedi,” it’s far from being as disappointing as “The Last Jedi” was for me. With 9 movies under its belt, “Solo” earns its place among the stars as the 10th movie in the “Star Wars” catalog. Don’t just take my word for it, go see “Solo” yourself and enjoy the ride.