Moviepass review--Solo--A Saturday Matinee flick

A new Star Wars movie is here.  

It used to be a new Star Wars movie came out every three years.  They were major events.  Once every three years a new freakin’ Star Wars movie.

But those days are gone.  Star Wars makes way too much money to let it go away.  I am 45.  People my age grew up thinking Return of the Jedi was going to be the last film.  It took 16 years to get another film, then we got two more three years after that.  Then it took another ten years to get The Force Awakens.  

Now this weekend we Solo.  It is the second Star Wars movie in six months.  I never thought I would ever see that.  

I mention this because Star Wars becoming a commodity takes away some of the excitement that we use to have in going to that galaxy far far away.

But after saying that, I need to say this.

I still want Star Wars.

It is still fun.

And Solo is fun.

It isn’t a perfect movie.  It’s not the best Star Wars film.  It doesn’t break new ground.  But so what?  

It is a Star Wars movie.

Solo is played by Alden Ehenriech, Ki’ra is played by Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones Fame.  Lando Calrissian is played to perfection by Donald Glover, who sounds exactly like Billy Dee Williams who played Lando in the original trilogy.  

Chewbacca is played by Joonas Suomato.  And Woody Harrleson plays Tobias Beckett a criminal who is the head of his own crew.  Thadie Newton plays his wife Val Beckett, and Jon Favereu voices Rio Durant, a new type of alien in the Star Wars universe and a member of Beckett’s crew.

The movie begins with Han as a young man on his home world of Corellia, which is ruled by gangsters.  

I liked this part.  It is always cool to see new parts of the Star Wars universe.  He and his girlfriend Ki’ra are desperate to escape.  Han manages to steal some hyperfuel during a deal gone wrong, and it’s their hope to sell the fuel on the blackmarket for enough money to own their own ship and get away.  But in order to get off of the planet they must go through an Imperial check-point where they are discovered with the fuel.  Ki’ra is captured by the Empire.  In hopes of making it back to Corelia to find Ki’ra Han enlists in the Empire, in hopes of being a pilot.  As with most plans, he doesn’t become a pilot, but an infantryman.  Flash forward three years and Han is still not a pilot and is stuck as a “mudhead” and in the middle of a battle he meets Beckett.  

The movie moves through it’s checklist of who he needs to meet.

When Solo meets Chewie, for my money this is one of the best scenes in the entire Star Wars series.  It is fun and a blast.  I wasn’t sure how he would meet Han, but the scene works very well.

We move through a cool train robbery with Solo and Beckett’s crew.  

And then onto meeting Crime Lord Dryden Vos, played by Paul Bethany.  After owing Vos more money, Beckett, Han, Chewie, and Ki’ra head to meet Lando because he has a fast ship.

And from here the movie really takes off.  

I am not going to spoil anymore of the movie.  There isn’t a lot to spoil, but there is some.

The second half of the movie really takes off.  There is a surprise character at the end that connects the movie with the television shows.  There is a nod to the idea that Han does shoot first.  And we see Han prepare to go meet Jabba.  

Final Thoughts

The movie doesn’t break new ground like The Last Jedi, but it is fun.  If you enjoyed the original Star Wars trilogy I recommend seeing this in the theater as Star Wars movies are meant to be seen.  It is a fun Saturday matinee flick as the original Star Wars movies were meant to be.