Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo is the first Star Wars movie where I just don’t
care.
This isn’t because of franchise fatigue or because it
irreparably damages the franchise in any way or because it is a lesser
achievement in filmmaking than the other entries in the series: Solo
cannot stake any claim of coming close to these faults.
No, my apathy towards this film is due to how much it bores
me. There is nothing of consequence – either good or bad – to the Star Wars
franchise, and there is nothing stunningly good or atrociously bad regarding
the filmmaking. Solo takes not one risk in its 135-minute runtime, and
it feels just as bland as that statement makes it out to be.
The largest contributor to this is the film’s character development.
Instead of being an origin story of how Han came to be the scruffy-looking nerf
herder to who we are introduced in A New Hope, he shows up already being
that character in the first five minutes, taking away any tension or
anticipation for the character’s arc almost immediately. The same can be said
for Donald Glover’s Lando: he is practically identical to Empire’s
version of the character (a pro for Glover but a con for the film’s sense of
intrigue). This lack of characterization is a result of the problem with
prequels – the result of this movie is already known because we have seen A
New Hope – combined with a desire to not mar a beloved franchise in any way
which has seemingly made the writers skittish to do anything at all with the
characters lest this be pinned as the new Phantom Menace. Therefore, Solo
does not justify its own existence because it does not have a single piece of
compelling backstory or added depth to any of the characters that we know and
love.
In general Ron Howard’s visual style is consistent and feels
very tangible and in-camera, marking a halfway point of sorts between the
post-apocalyptic wasteland of Mad Max and the typical Star Wars universe. His
direction feels his own, which considering all the production issues is quite a
feat; there was a single tone that was desired and executed in a good, though
not great way. The cinematography, however, is a very mixed bag. The angles and
composition add to the rough-around-the-edges feel of the film as a whole in a
Western sort of way, oftentimes pitting adversaries in stare downs against each
other. Unfortunately, the lighting and final color adjustments in
post-production make this film feel grey and muddy; there is almost no
definition to the shadows, with some indoor scenes becoming almost impossible
to comprehend, especially in one scene during a party where I could barely tell
who was in the shot. It puzzles me to no end how someone thought this looked
good enough to be in a major blockbuster film.
I realize that this review might make me seem negative on Solo,
but I do not think it is that bad. I found myself enjoying enough bits
and pieces to find it overall entertaining, especially in the film’s final
moments, and for the veteran Star Wars fan it will prove worthwhile. Here’s my
biggest issue: I did not see the point in making a Han Solo origin story film
in the first place, and this film did nothing to change my mind on that matter.
It left me wanting another prequel so I could see a more interesting story of
the boy Han growing up in the slums and learning how to be the thieving scoundrel
he is in this film; that I still do not know how Han became that half-witted,
stuck-up, scruffy-looking nerf herder that I love is the ultimate failure of Solo.
My recommendation: I mean, it’s not that bad, but you won’t miss much if you skip it.
My grade: 52/100
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