5 Reasons To Look Forward to Solo

Five reasons for Star Wars fans to look forward to Solo:





A lot was made out of original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, being "fired" from the production of the Solo film. It seemed like it was the next bit of drama in the continuing saga of Disney-run Star Wars productions, following in the footsteps of the troubled histories of The Force Awakens and Rogue One, and shortly preceding that of the as-yet-untitled Episode IX. Ron Howard was handed the reins towards the end of principal filming, but while the rumors about the problems between Lord/Miller and Disney/Lucasfilm were unsettling for fans, the news of Howard's hiring generally received a positive response. Howard is a Hollywood veteran, who had a role in George Lucas's American Graffiti, and says he's been a huge Star Wars fan since the original's premiere in 1977. Howard tends to steer clear of controversy, does crowd pleasing films, and won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind. He was reportedly approached to direct The Phantom Menace, but turned down the "daunting" task. Now, a wiser and more experienced Howard was ready to not only direct a Star Wars film, but rescue it mid-stream. Solo should be in good hands, and we're likely to get a an old-school Star Wars adventure film.





The Last Jedi introduced something pretty new to the Star Wars universe: bold and unapologetic social and political statements. It seemed to be the main reason that opinionated Star Wars fans strongly lined up on one side or the other of the debate. Unfortunately the strongly opinionated also tend to shout at a volume that is likely inversely proportional to the popularity of their opinion. Meanwhile, the vast majority, who lie somewhere in the middle by thinking the film is neither terrible nor faultless, lose enthusiasm for engagement among the bickering where even moderately benign commentary gets assigned to one of the two inflammatory extremes by the aforementioned strongly opinionated barkers. If you offer valid criticism, you are immediately cast as a "Disney ruined my childhood" whiner. If you say anything praiseworthy, you invite charges of millennial snowflakery. You are likely left feeling like Ray Romano from Funny People confused by a disproportionately harsh rebuke from Eminem and muttering "this is why I don't leave the house." In short, it's not fun for most. It's exhausting. And that is an anathema to what Star Wars should be.

Most fans wish we weren't even having this debate in the first place, and long for the days of debating the merits of practical photography. While the way Rian Johnson chose to handle beloved characters and comfortable storylines was polarizing, the fan divide was further exacerbated (perhaps irreconcilably?) because he introduced current social and political themes which Star Wars normally takes great pains to avoid. Whichever side one might fall on in this debate, it seems many fans grew exhausted rather quickly when the franchise became something other than an opportunity to escape those real world problems. It seemed that instead of obsessing over the loadout variations worn by different First Order troopers, fans were now forced to discuss Star Wars in terms of race, gender, the environment, and socio-economic inequality. Many are turned off by the very mention of the sequel trilogy, lest they get sucked into a discussion they have no desire to have. From what we can tell so far, Solo is going to be a fun, rollicking, adventure/heist movie. It would seem highly unlikely that Ron Howard is going to take any time to infuse his story with the heavy baggage associated with anything approaching the range of topics that were explored by Rian Johnson. We should expect a much more Star Wars-y experience, featuring snappy dialogue, seat-of-your pants escapes, and lots of action. This may turn out to be the first Star Wars film that focuses on the tangential characters that are neither Jedi nor Sith, nor galactic power brokers, nor looking to save the galaxy. We're likely getting the gritty, small-time, Star Wars story that which fans have been asking for years.





Yesterday, Chris warned us to stay away from spoilers. Word on the street is that there are some big things going on that you will want to let surprise you. Without spoilers, we can glean some information via the early reactions from those allowed to see the film at the premiere event last Thursday night in Los Angeles. Hollywood Reporter and Variety have a bunch of non-spoiler Twitter reactions that should give you an idea of the premiere's success. Reactions ranged from warm to white hot. That seemed to be the takeaway from the early reactions to The Last Jedi as well, but I think we should be comfortable that there won't be anywhere near the same type of polarization with Solo. If we're hoping for this movie to be a success, then hearing the vast majority of reactions confirm that the film was a fun crowd pleaser with a lot of laughs and surprises. As of yesterday, the review embargo was lifted by Disney. Rotten Tomatoes currently posts a score of 73% Fresh, with 88 reviews in. The site gives a summary review: "A flawed yet fun and fast-paced space adventure, Solo: A Star Wars Story should satisfy newcomers to the saga as well as longtime fans who check their expectations at the theater door." Isn't that pretty much what we want from a Star Wars film? They're not supposed to be perfect, they're supposed to be fun.





A lot has been said about Alden Ehrenreich as Solo. Rumors abounded about how he struggled with the part, that an acting coach was needed, and that he was going to single-handedly sink the film and ruin our childhoods (again!). Early reactions seem to indicate that he did quite well, and while both the plot and Ehrenreich may take about a half an hour to really find their legs (according to some reviewers), he ends up becoming Han Solo just fine, thank you. He's surrounded by what would seem to be an amazing cast of experienced actors. Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, and Thandie Newton are more than capable of bringing some star power to Star Wars, and would be a draw for any film. Emilia Clarke, everyone's favorite Mother of Dragons is, of course, a major member of the crew. According to some of the early reactions, Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3 might actually outdo Alan Tudyk's K-2SO as everyone's favorite (Disney) Star Wars droid. There are parts for Jon Favreau, Clint Howard, and yes, both Warrick Davis and Anthony Daniels (not confirmed as C-3PO, though!). And all this is before we even mention...





Glover might be one of the hottest figures in Hollywood right now, and his meteoric rise is hitting a fever pitch at the right moment to help carry the film. In September of 2017, Glover won 2 Primetime Emmy awards (out of 4 nominations) for acting and directing his critically acclaimed show Atlanta. A few months later in January 2018, Glover (as Childish Gambino) won a Grammy (out of 5 nominations for 2017, plus 2 more in 2015) for Best Traditional R&B Performance. On May 5th, less than 3 weeks before the wide release of Solo, Glover hosted Saturday Night Live, and performed a new song, "This is America," for which the music video (they still make those?) was simultaneously released to much fanfare and critical praise, and immediately debuted at number 1 on the Hot 100 Billboard chart. Fresh off the heels of being halfway to the rare EGOT, Glover's wide range of talents and personal charisma would seem to lend themselves to more success in the future. He seems to be a natural for a Tony some day, and if he gets the right role, he could have an Oscar opportunity and complete the Grand Slam. Some of the reviews state emphatically that Glover steals the show. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone. A quick check of his credits shows a few parts of interest to Star Wars fans. In 2010 he lent his voice to several characters in one of the Robot Chicken Star Wars parodies, while he also had roles in The Martian and Marvel's Spiderman: Homecoming. For many, Glover will be the highlight of Solo, and that might be saying a lot if everything goes well for the film.


While I rather enjoyed The Last Jedi, it has definitely been unfortunate to see our community devolve into sides in a way that mirrors today's political discourse in America. There seems to be very little middle ground in Star Wars since December, or at least the middle ground is sitting on the sidelines of the flame wars. Such is the nature of the dispassionate voice. If Solo delivers on being a smart, funny, apolitical, action-adventure, it could be just what we need to help heal rift. I'm very much looking forward to Solo. I've got my tickets for 7:00pm on Thursday, May 25th. We should all be rooting for a good show.

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