HIT OR MISS? | 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'
'Solo: A Star Wars Story' is set during an adventure into the criminal underworld, where Han Solo meets his future copilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion. Considering all the production turmoil, with existing cast expressing their concerns about about the former directors of the project (Christopher Miller and Phil Lord) that caused Ron Howard to fill in their shoes with ease, 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' isn't as bad as many of us expected it to be. Han Solo is a very loved character – one that was first introduced to us by the ever charismatic Harrison Ford in the original 'Star Wars' films.
Alden Ehrenreich, however, lacks the charisma and comedic timing of the long-time Hollywood star, and that’s the big issue. Ehrenreich is imitating another actor's portrayal, with much of the original character stemming from Ford’s natural personality. There was no conceivable indication that Ehrenreich could fill those shoes, even with the help of an acting coach; this is not to say Ehreneich is a bad actor by any means, but he simply lacks the 'magic' of Ford's Han Solo. While it doesn’t stand apart from any of the other films in the franchise, it is definitely more enjoyable than the last few instalments we've seen in cinemas of late. The film is clear and easy to follow, despite it's 'paint-by-numbers' structure.
There’s a severe lack of creativity in this “origin story”, where a character known for breaking all the rules hardly does so as Han Solo finds himself in a feel good movie as opposed to an adventure. Although this instalment is a little more light-hearted than the morally heavy 'The Last Jedi' and 'Rogue One', lifting your spirits a little with some well choreographed and designed action sequences, it is a low stakes blockbuster film that feels a little too safe and predictable. The biggest confusion for cinema-goers, however, was the appearance of Darth Maul. The response swiftly moved from “oh, cool – that’s Darth Maul” to “wait, what? Isn’t he dead?" We're still scratching our heads, wondering where in the timeline this film fits. If it follows 'Revenge of the Sith', why hasn’t Darth Maul appeared in any of the modern sequels? How does he fit into the universe now?
Many questions fans are wanting answers to...
All-in-all, though, the film is mildly entertaining and an easy enough watch... if you don't look too closely into the writing.
