So-so 'Solo' prequel not equal to classic 'Star Wars' adventures
#8220;Solo: A Star Wars Story#8221; looks like a #8220;Star Wars#8221; movie.
But it doesn't feel like one. Not in the same way that Rian Johnson's triumphant #8220;The Last Jedi#8221; or Gareth Edwards' #8220;Rogue One#8221; fit seamlessly in with George Lucas' original and prequel trilogies.
Part of this stems from Alden Ehrenreich's serviceable, yet uninspired interpretation of Harrison Ford's much younger Han Solo. Ehrenreich's chatty Han manifests the prerequisite contempt for authority and impulsive recklessness of Ford's incarnation, but makes little effort to suggest the actor's trademark smirks and distinct physicality, such as his stiff-legged gait.
Obviously, Ehrenreich didn't want to create a Ford caricature, but our expectations for prequel characterizations have risen exponentially since the superb cast of the rebooted #8220;Star Trek#8221; franchise so effortlessly conveyed the mannerisms and attitudes of the original actors playing Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and others.
Then we have the screenplay for #8220;Solo,#8221; another serviceable yet uninspired component from the son/father team of Jonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan (who penned the greatest movie in the galaxy far, far away, #8220;The Empire Strikes Back#8221; with the late Leigh Brackett).
Not as strong with the force, this one is.
#8220;Solo#8221; whisks us through young Han's past as a troubled, rebellious smuggler on the planet Corellia where his beloved girlfriend and cohort in crime Qi'ra (#8220;Game of Thrones#8221; queen Emilia Clarke) gives him the motivation to escape and start anew.
But authorities capture Qi'ra. Han escapes and winds up on a mud planet called Mimban where he falls in with a gang of intergalactic mercenaries, boss Beckett (Woody Harrelson), his four-armed Ardennian pilot Rio Durant (voiced by actor/director Jon Favreau) and tough gal Val (Thandie Newton).
#8220;Solo#8221; faithfully executes its responsibility to connect the expected narrative dots in this #8220;Star Wars#8221; prequel, one that could almost be broken down into chapter headings #8220;When Han Met Chewie#8221; (played by the lanky Joonas Suotamo), #8220;When Han Met Lando#8221; (Donald Glover, channeling most of Billy Dee Williams' charm and chill), and #8220;When Han Met the Millennium Falcon#8221; (which thankfully skips the worshipful intro of the USS Enterprise in #8220;Star Trek: The Motion Picture#8221;).
Wait! What happened to poor Qi'ra?
This is where the Kasdans choose predictability over surprise, familiarity over innovation, with plot mechanizations that most savvy filmgoers will spot lightyears before the end.
Long after their separation, Han and Qi'ra bump into each other at a social gathering. She looks magnificent. But why does she greet Han as if he's an old, long-lost business associate? We discover very little about her, except that she works with Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), a mobster-like character oozing villainy.
#8220;Solo#8221; cements director Ron Howard's reputation for reliable craftsmanship. Five months into production, Howard replaced fired directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who reportedly shot 30 or more takes but didn't have a clear vision for the project.
Howard's late arrival undoubtedly prevented him from making key improvements, such as bumping up a hilarious subplot involving a droid named L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) convinced that she and Lando Calrissian have a thing going on.
Now that would be a real #8220;Star Wars Story.#8221;
#8226; #8226; #8226;
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Donald Glover, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Ron Howard
Other: A Walt Disney Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for violence. 135 minutes