I was really looking forward to SOLO, industry buzz and naysayers be damned, I couldn't wait to have a great time in the Star Wars universe.
What I got was an okay time and an inconsequential film. The first stand alone Star Wars film "Rogue One" was an excellent movie, fleshing out just how the rebellion stole those Death Star plans in an adventure that was more like a superb WW2 thriller than a space opera.
So why does SOLO feel so lifeless?
We meet him as a young thief/street hustler, in love with young Qi'ra, played well by Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones).
Several adventures find them escaping that life but going different ways, as Han joins a daring band of thieves with their eyes on a major transport heist.
It's basically an old fashioned train robbery, transported to a space age monorail train that spins around the track like a thrill ride. Visually its fantastic, but like the rest of the film, it never feels like the outcome is of any real consequence.
Woody Harrelson is subdued as the leader of the band, Beckett. Thandie Newton (HBO's Westworld) fairs much better as Val, Beckett's better half and tougher criminal.
Their path eventually leads to Lando Calrissian, played with real style and presence by Donald Glover (Atlanta, The Martian). I swear he even SOUNDS like Billy Dee Williams when he first pops up on screen. He's cool, he's fun and frankly blows poor Alden Ehrenreich off the screen as Solo.
Alden isn't bad, he grows on you throughout the movie, but Glover just knocks him completely out of the picture every time they're on screen together.
There's a lot of intrigue, crosses and double crosses as our characters interact with space mob boss Dryden Vos, played by Paul Bettany, who appears to have suffered some bad after effects of that Vision makeup.....
There is of course another funny droid L3-37, who grew old after about five minutes.
It's fun to see Director Ron Howard sneak in a Warwick Davis and a Clint Howard appearance. Chewbacca is fleshed out nicely and there's an appearance by a great Star Wars villain that will surprise you.
But overall, I was a bit bored, never really cared about much of the story line and found the whole thing to be a little....meh.....
Maybe the departure of the original directors and inserting of Howard caused the lack of focus and inconsistent tone that drags the whole thing down.
Did you ever go to see a concert and realize that the artist didn't bring the band, its just them and their guitar alone all night? One solo after another. That's kind of what this outing feels like, slow, okay, but never really what you hoped for when you bought the ticket.
SOLO gets a C.
The titles are kind of cool!.....meh.....
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