Solo: The Other Guy’s Review

Something occurred to me during the time of the Prequel Trilogy. Star Wars is a Sci-fi/Fantasy universe. On which side of that slash you fall greatly impacts what you appreciate about these films. It may be telling that it wasn't until I was in my twenties that the fantasy aspect of Star Wars even dawned on me. The idea that the OT was about a farm boy, a princess, and a crazy wizard and could have been set in Arthurian times never resonated with me. For me it was a futuristic tale with robots, strange aliens, spaceships and impossibly scaled weapons of war. There was too much Jedi (and romance and politics) and not enough about the titular "Wars" of the PT for me. This needs to preface what follows which includes spoilers.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

If you haven't seen the movie, stop here. Otherwise keep scrolling past the image.


In addition to the above disclaimer, I'm tempted to recuse myself from a review of Solo. One of my dogs is named Chewie. I am a massive Darth Maul fanboy. I saw The Phantom Menace ten times in the theater largely because of the best lightsaber combatant to ever grace the big screen. I went so far as to buy the Applause Darth Maul cookie jar. I also love droids. The one visual dictionary I own is for droids. To wit: I have an unhealthy obsession with EV-9D9. Additionally, I've been pining for a gritty Star Wars movie that just takes place in this universe outside of the big light side/dark side drama. Solo delivers that exact film with combined Wookiee and droid insurrections, and a surprise Darth Maul cameo. I'm rendered jelly.

The first act serves to set up Han's motivation for the rest of the movie. It's a necessary introduction, but doesn't get bogged down in tedium. This is something that weighs down Rogue One on repeated viewings. Solo stays action packed, so you're easily distracted from whatever warts there are. (Lady Proxima speaking cartoonish basic might be my biggest issue.) It serves to establish, and then sever, the deep connection between Qi'ra and Han. It works, and I lay that entirely at the feet of Emilia Clarke. She is one of the most expressive and convincing actresses of this generation.

This sets Han upon a singular obsession for the rest of the film: to get back to Qi'ra and escape with her. Martin Sheen from Catch Me If You Can would say to him:

You're a romantic. Men like us are nothing without the women we love.

It's a theme I can really connect with. This is how romance should be done in the Star Wars universe. Not with endless expositon, but with action. Talk is cheap. Han will stop at nothing to get back to Qi'ra.
Along the way Han picks up his familiar sidekick. I've repeatedly said that we, the audience, never need to see that act that enservices Chewie to Han for life. My argument is that whatever act we would imaginge would be so much more powerful. I was right and wong. The act was seemingly small and self-serving, but something amazing comes out of this simplicity. Chewies doesn't "owe" Han. That's not why he is by his side for the remainder of his life. He loves Han. I intially groused at Han having any reason to speak Shyriiwook, but I had to think metaphorically. Chewbacca is based on George Lucas' dog, Indiana. Speaking a little Shyriiwook is the Star Wars equivalent of being dog savvy. That does keep with Han's intuitive nature to me. This justification also allows me to reconcile Rey's similar ability in TFA.

The Kessel heist turns me into putty. We have L3 freeing the droids from servitude and Chewbacca freeing the Wookiees from bondage. An unfamiliar salty discharge may have streaked down my cheek. I won't admit to that later though. I'M TOUGH DAMNIT! But I wasn't even done being rendered a pathetic mess, and it wasn't L3's death. It was her resurrection of sorts as the Millennium Falcon. After having her core loaded into the Falcon's computer, she becomes the Falcon. Hasbro's unbelievable omission of L3 from the 3.75" lineup to this point is somewhat mitigated by the fact that I can look at my BMF and know it's her.

If you've seen the film, you know I'm glossing over a major event which is the introduction of Lando. While Glover's performance was uncanny at first, I can't help but feel the character was underutilized. I also never felt that the "friendship" was developed between Han and Lando. I later realized this had to be. In The Empire Strikes Back, Han is unsure of Lando's motivations. If Solo showed them becoming bosom buddies, this would have been a disconnect.

The third act also contains another disappointment for me. A big theme of mine is that nothing is earned in Disney Star Wars. It's merely granted via the writer's omniscient pen. I don't think Han's benevolent turn to give the Coaxium to Enfys Nest and her band of rebels was earned. Han was singularly motivated in escaping the hardscrabble streets of Corellia with Qi'ra. Here he was, sitting with a winning Power Ball ticket and capable of living whatever life he so chose, but he all too easily hands it over to Enfys for the greater good. I don't believe that is in keeping with the character that was developed throughout most of the movie. If Qi'ra had more forcefully coerced this act, it would have been more believable.

I like The Last Jedi. If my wife were more amenable, I would watch it more often. But at the same time, I feel like it puts a point on things. I really don't care what happens next in that timeline. I can tell you this, I am chomping at the bit to find out what happens with Maul and Qi'ra. Like Lando, I felt the Mother of Dragons was somewhat wasted in this movie (until the climax of the film that is). Now it is the thing that has me most excited about the future of Star Wars.

Solo isn't perfect. Aside from perhaps Episodes IV and V, nothing in Star Wars is, but it's the perfect movie for OT fans to reengage with Star Wars.

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