What movie did YOU just FINISH watching?

Since the casting of a young Han Solo was first announced, I wondered why they went with Alden Ehrenreich, as I'd thought Anthony Ingruber (who I first saw in the movie The Age of Adaline) was like a perfectly de-aged Harrison Ford and seemed tailor-made for the role. However, I reserved passing judgement on the guy playing young Han until I at least saw a decent amount of footage with him. After having watched the trailers, I was still unsure. After seeing the movie? My verdict is...he's adequate, but I'll always wonder what this movie could've been with Ingruber in the role instead.

After the familiar 'A long time ago', we're treated to a bit more text setting up where this story begins (though evidently not enough to warrant an 'opening crawl'). When we meet Han, he's stealing a speeder, accompanied by Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), who he grew up with on the mean streets of Corellia. I enjoyed the look of this chase scene, the setting and the 'feel' of it, like a good old-fashioned car chase. We get a sense of the history between their characters just in time for them to get separated, which leads to Han enlists in the Imperial Army to elude his pursuers (which is where he acquires the last name Solo).




We eventually get to the first meeting between Han and Chewbacca, which doesn't go down quite the way you'd expect. Building the relationship between Han and Chewie was always going to be one of the most important parts of the film, and both actors portray their growing friendship well. We also see more sides to Chewie, as he's eager to help out fellow Wookiees. Just as Han first stepping onto and piloting the Millennium Falcon are pivotal moments, so too is Chewie proving himself the excellent co-pilot (that we already know he is) to Han, and even Qi'ra acknowledges it's him who belongs in the co-pilot chair. On top of seeing his developing friendship/partnership with Chewie, we also get to see Han acquiring his blaster, learning why it's smart to shoot first and being optimistic with "I've got a really good feeling about this.", which will inevitably turn into his classic and much more pessimistic line. We're also treated to some subtitles when Han communicates with Chewie in his Wookiee language.



It's not long before they've gained each other's trust and helping each other out. The pair then fall in with a crew of thieves made of Woody Harrelson's Tobias Beckett (who Han learns much from, both good and bad), the seemingly perpetually moody Val (Thandie Newton), and the multi-armed Jon Favreau-voiced alien Rio. Pulling a job with them seems like the best course of action to further Han's goal of getting back to Qi'ra. Unfortunately, she's now under the thumb of Paul Bettany's villainous Dryden Vos. While the crew who Han falls in with are played well enough by the actors, it never feels like we really get to 'know' them or form an attachment to them. I thought the sequence on the train was very well done, though.

 


Things kick into gear when Han is first reunited with Qi'ra and she takes him to meet Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).

 
 

Both actors do a good job of quickly establishing that relationship between their characters we're so familiar with. It quickly becomes clear why they're so mistrusting of each other when we see them reunite in Episode V. Glover is much more successful in playing a believable young version of Billy Dee Williams' Lando than Ehrenreich is at playing a young version of Harrison Ford's Han. At times Glover even *sounds* like older Lando (and we finally discover why Lando always pronounces 'Han' differently to everyone else). He certainly earns that 'you old smoothie' comment from Han in Episode V, but he's also a cheat. His relationship with the droid L3-37 shows that he *is* capable of caring (though he also loves his collection of capes). Things are set up nicely by the end of the film for when Han and Lando will next meet.

 


The relationship between Han and Qi'ra also proves quite the complicated one, as you're never quite sure of which side she's on (though she does get some awesome moments, especially towards the end, with Emilia getting to swing a sword more than she ever has in Game of Thrones). I thought she was an interesting character, and Emilia gave a very nice performance (plus, she certainly had the 'classic' look working for her, with all those fine costumes she wore/hairstyles she sported).






Another thing I liked about the film is that it has a sort of Rogue One look/'vibe' to it (which I don't think is a bad thing, since I quite enjoyed that movie). Giving the standalone films a different 'feel' to them (which sets them apart from the main trilogies) is a good thing, I think. While the movie does have nods to what's yet to come (those are some well-traveled gold dice Han carries, and you'll see why he brags about the 'Kessel Run' in an excellent sequence that will have you sympathizing with the Millennium Falcon by the end), they thankfully avoid going overboard with them (and one particular cameo is sure to make fans of the prequel trilogy lose their minds...assuming they haven't already). And if you've ever wanted to see why it's not wise to upset a Wookiee...then you're in luck.

While I do think some alterations could've been made (not just Ehrenreich's casting) to improve the film, I don't think it's anywhere near as 'terrible' as some have made out. It might be a film that seemingly 'nobody asked for', but it's still not Episodes I & II levels of 'bad'. It does feel like there's set-up for possible sequels to come, but I'm not sure how likely it is that they'll ever happen. If they don't then I don't mind this being a 'solo' film.