Slick as a freight train wrecker, Han Solo ignites his galactic adventure for a fresh "Star Wars" flick. "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is sustained with vein-cuddling action and color-veering visual showcase. Yet it is not enough to suspend disbelief that this movie is where Solo got his initial flight.
The classic opening crawl is blasted out the starry window, and Alden Ehrenreich graces the screen as young Solo. Director Ron Howard hyperspeeds the fan-favorite scoundrel's shenanigans on planet Corellia.
His capers draw him and childhood romancer, Qi'ra - portrayed by an enigmatic Emilia Clarke - apart. Solo drastically decides to join the Imperial Army and eventually meets a gang of marauders led by Woody Harrelson's gritty Tobias Beckett. Again, Solo generates the ire of the Imperial Navy, sending him to the "beast" which turns out to be Chewbacca. They ulteriorly form their own alliance, stunting a heist to obtain coaxium for Crimson Dawn crime boss Dryden Vos (a louring Paul Bettany).
"Solo" is a ransacked comedy; unsurprising since it is produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the same duo who crafted "23 Jumpstreet." Beyond the galaxy of laughs, it does not seem a "Star Wars" film at first. But filmmaker Howard manages to squeeze in a few iconic figures of the much-celebrated space franchise. Storm Troopers appear on command, a blitz of TIE fighters scatter across a menacing nebula, and even a glorified appearance of a lightsaber is afforded a slot on Solo's epic sky ride.
Joyful as it is, "Solo" tries to establish its Star Wars thunder yet plummets, lacking power to propel its originality. Further, it is sprightly creative amidst seeming like a spacecraft on its test flight. The movie's mojo is a flicker of Millennium Falcon glitz, attempting to race among sonnets. It might have been a fresh action-adventure film that synchronously has the "Star Wars" brand on its wings. Still a blast to have got on its rocket, though.
Fret not, Donald Glover flares the universe with his opulent version of young gambler on the rise, Lando Calrissian. He exalts charisma more dangerous than a yuletide blaster. Every scene he shares with Ehrenreich is a galactic milestone.
And the latter is no slouch, too. He pilots his own movie in "Solo," cascading into a fine-tuned junior scoundrel. Ehrenreich is magnetic, enticing taste and gaze so he could pull the viewers nearer toward his ploy. Phoebe Waller-Bridge takes the cake, however, playing the scintillating and restless droid L3-37.
"Solo" is a movie shooting at light speed despite running low on fuel. "Beginner's luck," Solo sneers. The "Star Wars" story is expanding through all cylinders as much as the universe does and knots Qi'ra's mini-storyline as a major player of the saga. It is tantalizing to bypass the compressor and pull into hyperspeed once more to follow Solo and Chewie's quest to the "Star Wars" mainframe - if only to set this emerging series into more canon episodes.
Director: Ron Howard
Trailer © Movie Trailers Source; YouTube.com
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