The odds seemed stacked against Solo from the very beginning. When it was first announced, it was labeled 'pointless' by many. Admittedly, even myself. Then there was trouble caused when Phil Lord and Chris Miller left the project due to 'creative differences'. Next, stories emerged from within Disney that they were preparing for Solo to bomb at the box office and even it's creators had no faith in the project. Given all that, it's miraculous that Solo: A Star Wars Story is as good as it is. It's certainly nothing groundbreaking, but it's a perfectly entertaining and fun movie.
Much of the slickness and brevity of this film must be credited to charisma of it's leading man. Alden Ehrenreich faced the near impossible task of taking on a role that Harrison Ford perfected back in the original trilogy, but he breathes new life into the character. He has pluck and charm by the bucket load and it's fascinating to see a more wide-eyed and hopeful Han. Ehrenreich deserves some serious kudos for sticking to his guns and never once falling into the trap of just trying to impersonate Ford, he gives the role his own spin and is extremely successful in doing so. So much so that I'd quite like to see him don the jacket again. Alden's performance is elevated even further by his interactions with his furry friend Chewbacca. Witnessing the humble beginnings of their friendship is one of the most joyous elements of the film and gave me numerous goofy smiles.
This movie jumps around different locations and events a lot, keeping the audience constantly on their toes. As in Rogue One, we get to see the more grim and gritty corners of the Star Wars universe, that the episodic films tend to omit. We get an industrial wasteland on Corellia, a WWI esque war zone and the mountainous snow planet is home to arguably the best set piece in the film - the train heist. The action throughout is well-scaled and given a real sense of purpose and excitement. Disney also deserve some credit for being willing to zoom out and tell a 'fun little one'. Without the presence of a mega-weapon or the fate of the world being at stake, you're able to just kick back and have buckle up for the ride.
However, the constant switching between time and place means that eventually different ideas and plot threads begin to tangle and seem to become stuck by the third act. Along the way, some of the supporting cast get lost amongst the frantic pace of the story. Characters such a Thandie Newton's demolitions expert Val and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's (of Fleabag fame) social justice droid L3-37 dip in and out too quickly to really be enjoyed and the case could even be made that even Lando, who's played superbly by Donald Glover to nobody's surprise, feels just a little under utilised. Yet, on the whole the cast are all solid, with Harrelson and Bettany being the real standouts.
After the controversy of The Last Jedi you can hardly blame Disney for returning to a more formulaic and safe narrative. But despite the familiarity of the story, there is still plenty of fun to be had. This is a brisk and lively adventure, which is propelled by the performance of Ehrenreich at it's core.
3/5 Stars
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