Review: Solo - A Star Wars Story (eighth-pass)

Solo: A Star Wars Story (eighth-pass / 2D / SPOILER-FREE)
Cert: 12A / 135 mins / Dir. Ron Howard / Trailer


Previous reviews: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

What a shoddy Star Wars fan I am. The Solo movie has been in cinemas for five weeks and I've only seen it eight times*¹. There are reasons behind this ranging from manic IRL scheduling through to my own enforced laziness (due in no small part to the manic IRL scheduling). But this weekend appears to hold the final screenings at my local (although Monday's new listings will tell), so barring me perhaps being able to catch the film on an as-yet-unplanned jaunt to the capital, this is probably the end of the line for me and the Corellian captain on the big screen*²…

One last pass to catch the things which make me smile. Like Qi'Ra's warning to Han at the spaceport that they could be "sold to Crimson Dawn or the Hutt cartel", the very same organisations which the pair of them go on to work for anyway.

One last pass to catch the things which make my jaw drop. Like cinematographer Bradford Young's 360° tracking shot of Han's stolen speeder during the Corellia docklands chase. Then later, the similar pan-around of the Millennium Falcon as it skids into a crash-landing on Savareen.

One last pass to catch the things I suddenly notice for the first time. Like what appears to be a droid/vehicle made from an AT-AT's leg/chassis framework, moving in the water on Corellia. And the stripped down landspeeder in the factory alley there. And the guy sitting at the card table in the game at the end, wearing a modified X-Wing pilot's helmet. And the dude standing behind Lando in the same game wearing a breastplate from repurposed Snowtrooper armour.

After careful consideration, I think I love every single frame of this film. No caveats, no exceptions. There are parts I'd like expanded, but that doesn't mean I don't love what's there. Bravo Lucasfilm, bravo.

In fact, I only have one question: where the hell is my Therm Scissorpunch 3¾" action figure, Hasbro..?

The Star Wars's.



Yes.



Yes, all.



For some, quite possibly.



No, but I'll insist that you tell me every single thought of yours about it, then I'll critique those as well.



There isn't.
I don't like it. I don't agree with it.
But I accept it..



Level 0: It is Star Wars.

…but if you wanted to go round the houses with it, Solo features Jon Favreau, who rolled up in Disney's John Carter along with Dominic West, who starred in 2010's Centurion along with Riz Ahmed, a player in Channel 4's zombie-drama Dead Set which also starred Andy Nyman, who was in 2007's Death At A Funeral with Alan Tudyk, who has lent his voice to various episodes of Robot Chicken with Seth Green, who appeared in 1995's Notes From The Underground alongside... Jon Favreau





*¹ Yeah, I know it seems excessive to normal people, but I caught The Force Awakens eleven times in its initial run, Rogue One for nine screenings and The Last Jedi on ten separate occasions. What was notable watching Solo this time is that my screen held 18 viewers as the BBFC card came up. Which is more than attended the 3D midnight screening on day 0, but there you go… ^{[ BACK ]}

*² Although the blu-ray is pre-ordered, obviously. ^{[ BACK ]}


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• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
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