Solo: A Star Wars Story Delivers the Goods

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Solo was a surprising delight. Many of the reviewers I trust and several of my nerdy friends did not like it, and I had been to0 busy or under the weather to see it. The dread was mounting as more and more negative announcements, like the “underperforming at the box office”, but it was all for naught. I actually really liked Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was much better than Alden Ehrenreich’s previous movies and put Ron Howard back on track after the lackluster Inferno and the seemingly endless and boring In the Heart of the Sea. It didn’t have the amazing cinematography from The Last Jedi with no gorgeous stand out scenes, like the hyperspace moment, but it also didn’t have any unnecessary moments or threads like the Canto Bight scenes. Solo was chock full of fan-service, from cameos of Star Wars legends to references to other movies and even obscure video games. It was mostly unnecessary, but it did a great job of being true to known characters and building relationships and motivations. The secondary characters were certainly shallow, but they had just enough personality to keep the story moving, and it did move. Solo also did a great job of blending practical effects with CGI, which is a welcome change of pace compared to other action movies coming out. It was the opposite of the Hobbit trilogy, which was plodding and overstuffed with mediocre acting and poor visuals. I was hesitant to see it because it was close to two and a half hours, but it was more brisk than any other Ron Howard movie. Solo is how prequels that have no impact should be done. Overall, it was a good time that came out of nowhere. I give Solo: A Star Wars Story 9 out of 12 parsecs to do the Kessel Run.