Solo: A Star Wars Story

By Jonelle

I was worried. I heard the rumors. I watched the YouTube videos. Solo isn’t supposed to be a good movie. After watching this film, I learned that I shouldn’t listen to rumors. This movie is an all-out space western, starring an adorable cowboy, with a whole lot of heart.

I thought it was going to be difficult watching another actor fill Harrison Ford’s shoes. Let’s face facts, for a Star Wars geek like me, Han and Chewie are much beloved characters who we feel must be protected. Han Solo isn’t much older than this when we meet him in A New Hope. This story takes places roughly ten years before that film. Surprisingly, Alden Ehrenreich fills these massive shoes with ease. He’s the scoundrel we’ve all grown to love. In the end, he does the right thing, because he truly is one of the good guys. However, there may be many bumps along the way.

The saga begins with Solo and his love Qi’ra, played by Emilia Clark, trying to escape their home planet Corellia. Don’t get me wrong, it’s strange to see Han Solo with anyone other than Princess Leia, but the chemistry between Ehrenreich and Clark is pretty amazing. Qi’ra is shrouded in mystery. Han escapes Corellian, but Qi’ra gets captured and sold to the dangerous and oh so creepy gangster, Dryden Voss. She, Qi’ra, and Han have been separated for years. We do not know what happened to Qi’ra all those years away from Han, but it must have been bad, she’s been branded.

They work with a smuggler named Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) to steal some pricey fuel for Voss. If not, it’s off with their heads, so-to-speak, but pretty literally. Who do you trust? Beckett wisely tells Han, “Assume everyone will betray you, and you’ll never be disappointed.” Woody Harrelson is a cowboy on and off screen. Can he be trusted?

What fans will love about this film, that was missing in The Last Jedi, is the nostalgia. We learn about some of the events mentioned in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I didn’t know that Han Solo was a pilot for the Empire. Of course, he doesn’t follow rules and gets thrown out.

Being introduced to a young Lando is a lot of fun. Billy Dee Williams played him with such charisma in the originals, Donald Glover does the same here. He’s sneaky and feisty. You can’t truly trust him. Let’s face facts, the real star of the movie the Millennium Falcon. The first time it was on screen, the audience cheered. You get to see more of the Millennium Falcon this time around. You finally get to see living quarters. I never realized just how livable the Millennium Falcon can be. I’d like a Millennium Falcon of my own please.

Every Star Wars film has to have a droid to love and, in this case, we have “L7-37”, Lando’s co-pilot and navigation. Seriously, some of her one-liners were pretty amazing. She is ‘self-made’ droid. By self-made, I mean she made herself from scraps of other droids.

Coming off of Avengers: Infinity War, Paul Bettany does an amazing and creepy job as the villain crime lord Dryden Voss. He’s the leader of Crimson Dawn and Qi’ra’s boss. I want to know what he’s done to her. Why does she work for him? What type of alien humanoid is he? These are all questions I want another movie to answer. As Vision in the Avengers, Bettany is innately good. In Star Wars, Bettany gets to be truly evil.

To be honest, the only part a little off for me was the reunion between Qi’ra and Han, I felt that there wasn’t much to it. They coincidently meet at a party and she’s like, ‘here I am after all these years.’

I love the relationship between Chewie and Han. When they first board the Millennium Falcon, you know it belongs to them and no one else. Seeing the inception of this everlasting friendship is fun, especially for those of us who grew up with the films. I love Chewie!

I hope that there are more films in the Solo story. There is so much more that I want to know, especially about Qi’ra. This could open the door to an entire new series, especially after the scene at the end of the film that absolutely blew my mind! That scene is worth the entire movie. I’m planning on seeing it again opening weekend. No spoilers, you’ll understand when you see what I’m talking about! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Overall, I loved this film. It was a lot of fun. Harrison Ford has given his blessing to Ehrenreich, and as much as my blessing doesn’t matter, I give it too. This movie opened the door to so much more. This film has sparked a new interest, for me, in the Star Wars series. There may not have been any light saber battles, but Solo: A Star Wars Story was definitely an action-packed adventure.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is directed by Ron Howard, written by Jonathan Kasden and Lawrence Kasden, and stars; Alden Ehrenreich (“Han Solo”) Woody Harrelson (“Tobias Becket”), Emilia Clarke (“Qi’ra”), Donald Glover (“Lando Calrissian”), Thandie Newton (“Val”), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“L7-37”) and Paul Bettany (“Dryden Voss”) Joonas Suotamo (“Chewbacca”).

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