Jamie East at the movies
Solo: A Star Wars Story is rough around the edges but one hell of a trip
Like the Falcon itself, this heist film is not perfect but has enough of the old-school magic to satisfy the die-hard fans
First up - this is an extremely different Star Wars film - but also a bloody good one.
If you’re expecting another familiar, easy land-grab from Lucasfilm - you’re in for a hell of a surprise.
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A lot of people had a bad feeling about this film, including company boss Kathleen Kennedy - famously sacking original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller in favour of safe pair of hands Ron Howard then allegedly insisting the star take some last minute Harrison Ford lessons.
If this shows anything, it’s that sometimes meddling from the powers that be is a necessary and welcome part of the puzzle.
This is an origin story of how a young man becomes the most debonair smuggler in the galaxy.
We meet Han (Aiden Ehrenreich) on the planet Corellia as a young tearaway, desperate to escape oppression with his sweetheart Kira (Emilia Clarke).
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Naturally it all goes awry and the two are set on different paths - but not for long.
Solo is a relatively traditional heist movie. It has some glorious set pieces - incredible fight scenes and some great double-crossing cowboy standoffs.
The cast are predominantly very good - Aiden Ehrenreich is, to much relief, a worthy precursor to Ford's classic wisely routine.
Offering enough of the Solo we know to make us root for him. Woody Harrelson as Han’s mentor Beckett and Paul Bettany as the evil Draydon Voss are worthy of a nod - but the best characters are by far Lando and Chewbacca.
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Donald Glover was born for this role and carries it off with all the style and swagger you’d except - but Joonas Suotamo as Chewie is utterly fantastic. Emotive and full of heart.
There are links to the overall saga (we see the infamous card game and there is mention of Jabba the Hutt) with one huge revelation at the end which will have fans punching the air in sheer delight, but I must admit it felt odd without The Force or Vader.
That’s my issue though - because as a standalone movie this is a hell of a lot of fun, with just enough of the old-school Star Wars magic to satisfy the die hards.
Much like the Falcon itself, Solo is not perfect, it’s rough around the edges but it’s one hell of a trip.
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Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Aiden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke
12A
Rating: ★★★★☆
Release Date: 24/05/2018
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