[yasr_overall_rating]
During an adventure into the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future copilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion.
Han Solo is definitely a character to be reckoned with. Alden Ehrenreich who plays Han in the title role definitely gives it justice, and the notion that there could be a segue lead by his spontaneous ruthlessness was a smart move on behalf of Lucasfilm, the writers, and director Ron Howard. While there was major flack over creative control, it appears that enough good decisions were made to salvage the conglomerate of Star Wars fans, and there was also room left to entice newcomers who wouldn’t feel lost between new episodes and A-list actors/writers who are no longer starring in their famed roles.
While Han leads the way in screen time, I would be remiss not to discuss the onscreen presence of Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). The safari-based, wild west and sci-fi-elemented film takes bits and pieces of relativity to the past and resurrects the promise of longevity that has been years in the making. While Han has become the character you hate to love and love to hate, Chewbacca has come full circle from being a seemingly-bullied sidekick to becoming a co-pilot. While Donald Glover is no Billy Dee Williams, he brings Lando to life with his own sexy, charismatic and understated leadership type of way. He is confident without being overbearing and his ability to bring calm in the midst of chaos is successfully problematic. Woody Harrelson, who I can never seem to take seriously, appears to be growing gracefully in his selection and development of roles that complement his diversity and range in acting. As Tobias Beckett, the Smuggler and lifelong criminal, he goes full throttle in his relationship with Han. While he tries to teach Han the basics, their relationship becomes more complex as they get in each other’s way of staying true to themselves and indeed, it becomes hilarious. Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra is all of us. She is young, smart, sophisticated and determined to be a winner in spite of her losses. Her mysterious aura sets the pace for the men in her life who are on opposite sides of the spectrum in how they deal with a woman who can be so transparent, yet emotionally convicted.
The irony of this entire film is that gangsters, who are used to malcontent and dismal surroundings, seem to be chameleon-like in adjusting their thuggish traits according to what they need and who they can obtain it from. Han’s dream of becoming a pilot has been backed by a creative team who has reappropriated the Millennium Falcon set and used the backdrop of Fuerteventura, the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands to bring Han’s struggle to life. While fans are being made comfortable with all the makings of a “Star Wars movie,” they are also being prepped for a future of divergent paths that have strong possibilities, newer characters, twisted plots and kinder and gentler, Jekyll and Hyde-type heroes. As the Rebellion continues to diversify, the Force continues to inspire us…
Now playing in theaters
