Released:
2018
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Johnathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan
Actors: Alden
Ehrenreich, Emilia Clark, Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany
I love Ron Howard’s
directing. While featuring the fancy
techno gadgetry which makes this a wonderful CGI movie, he manages to keep the storyline
focused on the characters. He brings us a
movie peopled with characters experiencing romance, betrayed loyalties, and
life-and-death adventures.
Alden
Ehrenreich takes on the challenging task of portraying Harrison Ford’s character
of Han Solo as a young man. Yes, he
conveys the charm, the derring-do courage, and the flamboyant impulses of a
true hero… but, darn it, I miss Ford’s self-mocking bravado which makes him so
likable.
Granted, it’s
not fair to compare the two characterizations, so let’s allow young Ehrenreich
a little leeway. Let’s consider that maybe young Solo hasn’t experienced enough near-death adventures yet to
warrant the self-mockery.
Emilia Clarke is persuasive as a young girl
blindly adoring the young Solo; she is also quite credible as a mature woman
whose personal experiences have taught her the harsh realities of
survival. Woody
Harrelson is snaky and deceitful in this movie, and Paul Bettany makes a
villain we love to hate. I’m so happy
that Joonas Suotamo was given the chance to flesh out his Chewbacca character
in this story. We come to understand his
blind loyalty to Solo, and it makes him more lovable than ever.
The Kasdan writers
have done a great job keeping the storyline simple enough to follow without
losing its Star Wars essence. What a
great idea to create a back story depicting the adventures which shape Han Solo
into a fabulous hero.
This is a
fun movie that will please enthusiasts of all ages.
TAGS: Solo; Woody
Harrelson, Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Joonas Suotamo, Paul Bettany
