SOLO

Film Review by FIORE

The first thing noticeable is the utilization of color.  The city filled with crime and lawlessness is cast in a dingy yellow, reflecting despair.  As Han, our hero heads toward a brighter future, the palette shifts to blue signifying hope.  And so it goes in SOLO, the latest spin-off film from the STAR WARS factory.  The use of color is paramount in conveying director Ron Howard’s aura for the plot’s development.  Yet, it is only one of the subtle technical guiles helping to make SOLO a fun space romp.

Once again, Disney is proving the spin-off films are considerably better than the trilogies in the STAR WARS universe.  Let’s admit, THE FORCE AWAKENS and THE LAST JEDI were so lame, only the extreme fan boys would bother sitting through them again.  SOLO is worth a repeat viewing.  It’s not as strong as ROGUE ONE, but it is a close second.

SOLO begins just as our favorite rogue hero is commencing his life as a smuggler and outlaw.  Han is played by Alden Ehrenreich, who captures the mannerisms and speech patterns of Harrison Ford quite well.  Viewers are treated to how Han met Chewie, how he really won the Millennium Falcon off Lando and how his first unrequited love produced his cynicism.  Donny Glover is Lando, which he plays with aplomb, mimicking Billy Dee Williams, and Woody Harrleson is Beckett, Han’s mentor into the underworld.  The acting in SOLO, bolstered by Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany and Ray Parks, far surpasses the thespian endeavors in the first two episodes of the new trilogy.

By now most know of the production difficulties SOLO experienced.  Original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were half-way through the film when executives from both LucasFilms and Disney eyeballed the dailies and put a screeching halt to production.  Ron Howard was brought in to salvage the film, which included massive reshoots.  Howard’s stock certainly will rise with his endeavors. Howard does have a penchant for slowing his films, and SOLO is no exception.

The film flies along at break-neck speed which culminates in the train robbery sequence.  This is, without question, the best segment of the film.  But, after this sequence, SOLO bogs into a quagmire.  The change in tempo is so dramatic, I found myself nodding into oblivion.  Eventually, the film regains speed, but the connecting segment is brutal.  This is a Howard trait; he normally derails momentum in the second act.

While SOLO is a fun film, it doesn’t feel like a STAR WARS film.  There is a purpose, a general reason d’etre, missing.  What made the original trilogy so powerful was its introduction of The Force.  An all encompassing power, existing in everything and simultaneously connecting everything.  It was a simple form of Zen Buddhism, the kind spouted weekly on the KUNG FU TV series with David Carradine.  That belief, that power is now gone and with it, the heart and soul of STAR WARS.

Of course, this is to be expected.  In the land of the Mouse, you cannot mention any type of religion, or belief in a higher power.  You might offend someone.  The only exception to the rule is Islam.  A strong Islamic theme means the studio is diverse and multicultural.  Otherwise, only Humanism will be tolerated and therein lies the destruction of numerous reboots and remakes.

This makes SOLO a good, space adventure action film.  Definitely worth viewing.  But it doesn’t have the foundation of what made the original trilogy classic.