Some films just seem destined for the scrap heap, on some wasteland of a planet, in a distant corner of the galaxy. Switching directors four and a half months into the shoot because of “creative differences” is almost always a sure sign that the project is heading down the proverbial trash chute, to be crushed by fans and critics alike. I don’t recall much in the way of heavy demand for a Han Solo origin story, which only added pressure on the studio and the filmmakers, but it seemed like a logical entry for the franchise at some point. While timing and circumstance may have been less than ideal, Solo: A Star Wars Story exceeded my expectations of quality and made for a worthy addition to the larger Star Wars universe.
A large part of the reason for the apprehension surrounding the film in the first place was the hiring of Christopher Miller and Phil Lord to helm it. While they aren’t bad filmmakers in their own right (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street), nothing about their style gels with the Han Solo character or the broader world around him. Harrison Ford always showed a wry and witty sense of humor in his portrayal of the character, but it never even approached slapstick territory. The directing duo could very well make a good Star Wars movie at some point, but probably not one so closely tied to the original trilogy. Why Kathleen Kennedy, president of LucasFilm, brought them on to direct in the first place is beyond me but at least she had the humility and conviction to correct that mistake. Miller and Lord didn’t leave empty handed, picking up executive producer credits for their work.
Bringing on Ron Howard to take over the project wasn’t exactly a no brainer either. Sure, the Oscar winning director is a big name and has industry clout, but he hasn’t exactly been making hits lately. It’s been 10-years since Frost Nixon was nominated for five Academy Awards and the one good film he did make (Rush) in between adaptations of Dan Brown novels is mostly unknown. Fortunately, Howard is a highly skilled filmmaker with plenty of experience to fall back on. While it may be tough to determine who did what, it’s estimated he had to reshoot about 70-percent of the film and that’s no minor facelift. It’s major reconstruction, but it worked. In taking the reigns, Howard was able to course correct and avert what the studio felt was almost certain disaster. However, the controversy didn’t help to peak interest and left more questions to be answered.
If it weren’t for the debacle surrounding the director’s chair, the biggest question mark surrounding the film would have been the casting of Alden Ehrenreich as young Han Solo. A relative unknown, there just wasn’t much to go on to get people excited. He looks nothing like Ford and is four inches shorter, so he doesn’t stack up on paper. However, based on the merit of his performance, Ehrenreich was a good Han Solo. While he doesn’t have the same swagger and bravado as the iteration of the character we are accustomed to, stepping into those iconic shoes was going to be a tall order for whichever actor eventually got the part. So, judging him comparatively isn’t fair even if it’s easy.
Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan wrote some good characters with an interesting stories here and the script does a great job of taking us back and connecting the dots on those moments of Solo lore we’ve heard about and expect to see from his early life…like meeting Chewbacca. Unfortunately, while the screenplay is mostly pretty strong, there are more than a few weak moments of dialogue. There are just some things that a good script can’t fix and one of those is chemistry problems between the actors.
The problem is Emilia Clarke has no chemistry with Ehrenreich…like…zero. The dialogue between the two didn’t help. It never landed and set their whole relationship off on the wrong foot. It may have been slightly better than it was with Jai Courtney in Terminator: Genisys, but it’s clear her heart is reserved for Jon Snow. This is the second film franchise she’s been thrust into thanks to her popularity from Game of Thrones and I don’t begrudge her taking good money and opportunity but, in the case of Genisys, her performance was one of the big problems that sank the movie. Fortunately, Qi’ra is a interesting character beyond her relationship with Han so it doesn’t torpedo the whole plot, but their romance isn’t believable for a second. I like Khaleesi and I want to believe there is more there from Clarke but, as of right now, I haven’t seen it yet.
To make matters worse, there are other pairs in the film that managed to cultivate palpable chemistry with significantly less time invested. Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson, playing Val and Beckett respectively, click right away, a testament to their skill and experience. Even Lando and his co-pilot droid L3-37 have notably better chemistry than Clarke and Ehrenreich. Those bonds make it easy to cheer for the people you care about and feel for them when it counts. Speaking of Lando, Donald Glover was excellent…by far the the most pitch perfect character fit. He embodied all the attitude and charisma of Billy Dee Williams while expanding the character and making it his own. For all the characters who deserve stand alone movies in the new expanded universe, Lando’s would be one I’d gladly watch. Add that to the Vader and Boba Fett wishlist.
Another character whose story is worth a second look is Dryden Vos. A charming but ruthless businessman played by Paul Bettany. After being tragically underutilized during his time as Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was good to see Bettany in a prominent role again…especially after what Thanos did to him. Vos benefits from the best character design in the film and much of the best dialogue while the film benefits from having Bettany in that role. His red, cracked skin is certainly reflective of his role as the main villain while his style and demeanor make him one of the most fun to watch on screen.
The production design from the top down was exactly what you’d expect to see. Gritty, urban and worn. Neil Lamont served as Production Designer for Rogue One as well and brought a much needed sense of tangible realism to the pre-trilogy films. Director of Cinematography, Bradford Young (Arrival), capitalized on the set pieces and location, heavily featuring scene lighting. The best production design money can buy won’t matter much if the audience doesn’t see it, but making it the focal point is boreline pandering. Much of what made the film feel authentic was Young’s shot framing…highlighting enough of what we needed to see without cramming it down our throats.
There is some truth to “too much of a good thing” idiom. Despite winning the Memorial Day box office battle (easily), the release of Solo broke the unofficial Christmas release rule and entered the summer fray with Avengers and Deadpool 2 still on the market and Incredibles 2 on the way shortly. The May 25th release left only a week or two on either end without a major blockbuster going directly head-to-head. As a result, the projected box office is way off, both domestically and abroad. The three-day, $83-million domestic estimates are nothing to scoff at and still put it on pace to break $100-million over the holiday weekend, but significantly shy of the $140-million-ish mark the studio was expecting. There’s just too much competition at the box office this weekend for this movie to command dollars. However, over the next two weeks, word of mouth will do the film a favor and translate into ticket sales but it’s looking as though it will be the lowest grossing of the new Star Wars.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a film handicapped by something of an identity crisis. The story necessitates a grittier approach, but the urge to make it more broadly palatable pulls it in the other direction. It’s a more adult oriented story where the “Force” doesn’t play into it and we’re left with more human stories to be told in the shadow of the empire. For my money, it was better than The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi but not quite Rogue One. To each their own.
Recommendation: If you’re a Star Wars fan, there’s no reason you wouldn’t see this movie. If you’re a frequent movie goer who’s exhausted your other options, check it out. This is a good family film without gratuitous sex or violence and a surprising amount of heart.