I went into the new Star Wars prequel Solo
with no preconceived ideas. I am not a fanatic and I was fine with a
backstory for Han Solo. No - Alden Ehrenreich does not look like Harrison
Ford. He’s his own person and frankly imbues the young Han Solo with the right
amount of arrogance and bravado. Director Ron Howard pulls out a decent
ride in the Millennium Falcon (now we know how it became Han’s ship). Solo
is a fun entertaining two hours or so with plenty of air battles, bad guys,
good guys, and Han as our intergalactic rogue hero.
Here’s a scrappy young man just trying to live, trying to
break free from life on his crappy planet. We find out how he does escape, but
what happens to Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) his love? Han hooks up with a band of
mercenaries (Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton) to pull off a heist. Well – drat
they collide with Crimson Dawn and that’s not good. Is he reunited with
Qi’ra and under what circumstances? Will she kill him? We learn how he meets
Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and begins a lifelong friendship. Who is Lando (a
charming Donald Glover)? How did Han get the Millennium Falcon from him?
There’s a lot of double crosses going on, air battles, air
pirates, crazy creatures, and of course evil abounds. Through it all,
Ehrenreich is earnest and endearing. Oh he’s slick and has his street smarts.
He’s a fantastic pilot with mad skills. He’s still a bit trusting, but is
learning. He leans toward being a loner….and yet he’s loyal to Chewbacca. And
then there’s Qi’ra – good/evil comes in small packages. With her large eyes and
soft accent, Emilia Clarke, pulls off her part with panache. She’s a survivor,
that’s for sure.
I came out of Solo thoroughly entertained.
Frankly it was better than I expected. Thumbs up for my five dollar investment
on a summer Saturday morning. Soar with the Falcon!
