Dr. K's Waiting Room

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While May 4^th is Star Wars Day, many also celebrate the “Evil Star Wars Day” of May 6^th (as in “Sith”) to extend Star Wars Day into three day celebration.

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Quick Facts:
After buying the franchise from George Lucas, Disney set out to expand upon the Star Wars saga with a new trilogy, spin-offs, and other media. A Han Solo origin was one of the first ideas suggested, with Alden Ehrenreich taking the lead (to much unwarranted criticism), and ran into trouble early on when directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were removed from the film. Ron Howard took over, recasting Michael K. Williams with Paul Bettany and reshooting 70% of the film, which was met with mixed reviews.

The Review:
I think it’s only fair to start by saying I didn’t care much for Disney’s “Sequel Trilogy”, mainly because I didn’t like some of the narrative choices (like rehashing the Original Trilogy at the expense of a unique and logical continuation). I much preferred Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Edwards, 2016), which perfectly cashed in on nostalgia, though I’m still not convinced that Han Solo really needed his own spin-off/origin story, especially one that omits his most notorious rival: Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch/Temuera Morrison). Set ten years before Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (Lucas, 1977), Solo sees young, wannabe pilot Han (Alden Ehrenreich) and his girlfriend Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) struggling to survive on the spaceship-building world of Corellia. Eager to escape the thumb of Lady Proxima (Linda Hunt), who’s essentially an insectoid Fagin, and fly off to the stars, they some “coaxium” hyperfuel to bribe their way off the planet. Thanks to Han taking Lady Proxima by surprise and making a hasty retreat through the crowded streets, the two reach the dock and successfully bribe their way through, only for Qi’ra to be apprehended at the last minute. Distraught and directionless, with Lady Proxima’s goons on one side and abusive Imperial Stormtroopers on the other, Han makes a desperate gamble and enlists in the Imperial Navy, hoping to become a pilot and return to Corellia and rescue his lady love. Unfortunately, Han (dubbed Han “Solo” since he’s “all alone”) has a bit of an attitude problem, one not conducive with the Galactic Empire’s desire for obedient cannon fodder, and is kicked out of flight school for insubordination. Drafted into the infantry, Han is left in the thick of an all-out warzone on Mimban, which is where he first catches sight of slick gunfighter Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson).

Drawn to Beckett’s fast trigger finger, Han quickly deduces that Beckett and his cohorts – devoted if distrustful wife Val Beckett (Thandiwe Newton) and four-armed Ardennian pilot Rio Durant (Jon Favreau) – are posing as Imperial officers looking to steal an armoured transport hauler. Disenchanted with the Empire and desperate to get back to Qi’ra, Han lobbies to join Beckett’s crew, citing his own skills as a pilot. When this fails, Han attempts to blackmail Beckett, who responds by reporting him as a deserter, resulting in Han being thrown to the Empire’s “beast”. Luckily for Han, the beast turns out to be Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), an enslaved Wookie the Imperials jovially watch consume their victims. Thanks to Han’s rudimentary knowledge of Shyriiwook, he and Chewie concoct a ruse to escape and frantically flag Beckett down. Impressed by Han’s determination and initiative, Beckett allows him and Chewie to assist in stealing a shipment of coaxium from a high-speed train on the snowy, mountainous world of Vandor, despite Val’s objections. Although Han and Chewie acquit themselves well on the heist and things go smoothly, with the smugglers successfully separating the train and ready to secure the payload, a mercenary group led by the infamous Enfys Nest (Erin Kellyman) interferes, despite Beckett guaranteeing that Enfys Nest wouldn’t be a problem. Rio is mortally wounded when Enfys Nest’s cohorts board the transport, Val’s forced to sacrifice herself to secure the coaxium, and Han is forced to ditch the payload to avoid meeting the same fate. Though heartbroken, Beckett’s more concerned with explaining the loss to Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), a loquacious but malevolent crime lord who heads the feared “Crimson Dawn” crime syndicate and who hired Beckett and his crew to steal the hyperfuel. Realising his only choice is to plead for a second chance, Beckett reluctantly allows Han and Chewie to accompany him to Dryden’s elaborate yacht, warning that they’ll be caught up in the smuggler’s life forever once they board the ship.

Ehrenreich makes for a pretty great young Solo, despite his critics. He shares many of Harrison Ford’s mannerisms while still making the role his own and is full of cock-sure optimism, confident that he can either blag, fight, or flee his way out of a situation. Though a little “rough around the edges”, Han is far from the seasoned scoundrel we meet in A New Hope, meaning he’s somewhat naïve and overly trusting, especially of Beckett and Qi’ra, who he’s stunned to find working as Dryden’s right-hand. Han is incredibly resourceful, however, smooth-talking many characters, offering solutions to keep Dryden from killing them (even if it means an insane plan to steal unrefined coaxium from the hostile world Kessel), and adopting various disguises to infiltrate different establishments. Although the story goes into (at times painstaking) detail to show how Han acquired his trademark look, blaster, and starship, and places undue emphasis on his gold dice, Han’s still a charismatic, roguish character you can’t help but root for. Unfortunately, Han’s character arc is largely the same as in A New Hope. Rather than showing Han as a rugged, selfish, free-loading smuggler who’ll backstab anyone for a profit, he’s a bleeding heart and hopeless romantic. He clings to his dream of escaping to the stars with Qi’ra, aids Chewie in freeing his Wookie brethren on Kessel, and sympathises with Enfys Nest’s plight so much that he risks the wrath of the Crimson Dawn. While he refuses to join the fledgling Rebellion and denies being a “good guy”, Qi’ra is right in her assessment of him as Han has a good heart beneath all his bravado and big talk and always tries to do the right thing, putting him somewhat at odds with the more mercenary Beckett, who isn’t above double-crossing his allies if it benefits him.  

Han is joined by some interesting and well-rounded characters. Beckett examples all the negative aspects of the smuggler life that Han eventually struggles to juggle. He’s constantly living with a bounty on his head and in debt, desperate to leave it all behind and return to Glee Anselm with Val but always making new enemies. A seasoned smuggler, Beckett tries to teach Han (and, to a lesser extent, the others) how dangerous the galaxy is, emphasising the importance of having a plan and taking advantage of any opportunity, but is unwilling to stick his neck out for anyone unless it services him. Unfortunately, his crew is largely expendable. Considering how quickly they’re all killed off, I question why they were included as it might’ve saved time to have Qi’ra (on Dryden’s orders), Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), and L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) be Beckett’s crew just to keep the pace up. While I hate to say anything negative about the absolutely gorgeous Emilia Clarke, her arc is pretty predictable, and her physicality and demeanour do not suit the “cold-blooded assassin” vibe. Though she claims to be a master of Teräs Käsi and a highly trained warrior, Qi’ra is more of a subtle manipulator and peacemaker, using her status as Dryden’s lieutenant to get Lando on side when Han’s sabacc skills fail and using subterfuge to infiltrate Kessel. Though clearly torn between her loyalty to Dryden and her love for Han, Qi’ra ultimately sees herself as bound to her fate thanks to years of performing unknown (but allegedly unspeakable) deeds. I found the idea of Han having a true love prior to Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) I bit odd, especially as Han isn’t especially distraught by Qi’ra choosing to lead Crimson Dawn in Dryden’s place, so it’s not like he’s closed his heart off by the end. Indeed, I can’t help but think it might’ve been better to have Qi’ra tragically killed saving Han, thus hardening his heart and explaining why he’s such a scoundrel in A New Hope as Beckett and Qi’ra’s betrayals would’ve taught him harsh lessons about trust.

Although I won’t pretend to have read every Han Solo book, it’s my understanding that Solo takes some inspiration from non-canon and canon texts starring the title character. This means we see him as an Imperial and his first meeting with Chewie, with the two quickly forming a close bond after they help each other escape and save each other’s lives on Vandor. Chewie’s said to be searching for his “tribe or family” but falls in with Han out of gratitude for him rescuing him, even returning to aid Han and escaping Kessel with the others despite reuniting with his Wookie brethren. Solo also depicts Han’s first meeting with charismatic gambler Lando Calrissian, with Donald Glover stealing the show by absolutely nailing Billy Dee Williams’ mannerisms in his portrayal of as the younger but no less charismatic rogue. Smooth talking, arrogant, and slick, Lando cheats at sabacc but is persuaded to lend them the Millennium Falcon in return for 25% 20% of the take. Lando’s joined by L3-37, another in a long line of outspoken and rebellious droids who’s said to have the best navigational system in the galaxy. Obnoxious and with an innate hatred of droid mistreatment, L3-37 showcases a sentence beyond other Star Wars droids by hinting at a sexual relationship between her and Lando and actively encouraging other droids to oppose their humanoid “masters”. L3-37 becomes so enamoured with the rebellion she sparks on Kessel that she’s summarily gunned down and tragically dies in Lando’s arms, only to live against when he and Qi’ra install her into the Millennium Falcon to complete the hazardous “Kessel Run” in less than twenty parsecs, thereby explaining why the ship is so inexplicably fast. Han, naturally, falls in love with the Millennium Falcon and relishes taking the controls and showing off by blindly plunging into the maelstrom surrounding Kessel, using nothing but gut instinct and his bravado to brave the storm and deliver the unstable, unrefined coaxium to Savareen but earning Lando’s ire in the process as he ditches the others after they reach the planet.

Initially planned to be a half-mountain lion, half-human, Dryden Voss makes a nice change of pace from the usual pure evil Imperials, depicted as the cold, calculating, and manipulative arm of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. This allows Solo to depict other antagonistic forces in a galaxy all-too-often dominated by Imperials and nicely sets up future conflicts with the syndicate’s all-too-familiar dark figurehead, revealed to be former Sith, Maul (Ray Park/Sam Witwer). This revelation was confusing to me as someone who hasn’t dabbled much in extended Star Wars media and definitely felt unnecessary as I never imagined Maul as the kind of guy to run a crime syndicate. Dryden, however, was menacing presence who adopted the guise of a welcoming and even amiable figurehead only to showcase a violent temper (as indicated by his glowing eyes and facial markings), sadistic mean streak, and uncompromisingly ruthless nature. I liked how unpredictable he was and how every scene with him had me as on edge as the characters, though I would’ve liked to see Prince Xizor and the Black Sun organisation in his place as another reference to wider Star Wars canon. Initially depicted as a terrorist and a callous mercenary, Enfys Nest is revealed to be a young girl seeking to strike back against the malicious Crimson Dawn and oppose the oppressive Empire, earning Han’s sympathy (though not his allegiance) and showing how dangerous the galaxy is. However, I still would’ve preferred to see Boba Fett in her place, perhaps leading a handful of other bounty hunters as Dryden’s insurance policy, as I don’t think any reference has been made to Enfys Nest since Solo. Indeed, the film ends on a cliff-hanger and there were clearly plans for more stories to be told with the young Han that have apparently been abandoned due to the film’s poor critical and commercial performance. While I doubt the filmmakers expected this, it was still bold of them to include all these loose ends even after all the alterations and behind-the-scenes drama that plagued the film.

Final Thoughts:
I was cautiously optimistic when Solo: A Star Wars Story was first announced, expecting it to be an action-packed, science-fiction heist film much like how Rogue One was more of a war/spy thriller than a galactic epic space opera like the main series films. I remember finding it surprisingly enjoyable, despite some flaws and a few of my personal grievances with the decisions made, and I still stand by that assessment. Honestly, I was really disappointed by the negative reactions to the film, especially those that complained about it being “safe” or a “by-the-numbers science-fiction film” as I don’t see what’s wrong with that. The only issues I had were extremely minor (I could’ve done without the text at the start, for example, it’s very convenient that Qi’ra works for Dryden Voss, and the head of the syndicate probably should have been a familiar, undeveloped antagonist from the Sequel Trilogy) and I found the film to be very exciting, fast-paced (once Han gets off of Corellia). All the performances were really good, as were the set pieces. The train heist was particularly memorable, as was the famous Kessel Run, with its malevolent space storms and Lovecraftian entity, and the film hit just the right level of visual and practical nostalgia for me with its presentation and effects. I do wish this had been a more self-contained story as it seems we’ll never get a resolution to the film’s cliff-hanger ending, however, and I remain disappointed by Disney’s refusal to do anything with this cast and the loose ends left by the film. still, I think Solo remains somewhat under-rated and underappreciated as it’s a very engaging and enjoyable Star Wars romp with some fun action, some tangible chemistry between the leads, and a lot more to offer than many gave it credit for at the time.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Solo: A Star Wars Story? Do you agree that it’s under-rated or do you still think it’s one of the more disappointing Star Wars spin-offs? Were you a fan of Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo and his chemistry with Emilia Clarke? Do you agree that Dryden Voss was a menacing change of pace for a Star Wars villain? Did you think the film went a bit overboard explaining unnecessary stuff about Han? How are you celebrating Star Wars this month? I’d love to see your thoughts on Solo: A Star Wars Story in the comments below so feel free to share your opinions, good or bad, and go donate to my Ko-Fi if you liked this review.