Of all the main characters in the Star Wars universe, Han Solo is probably one of the few characters who’s history has never been explored in great detail. His early life and how he became the smuggler we all know and love is revealed in the new movie, Solo – A Star Wars Story.
There are a few plot twists to the movie’s storyline that I will try not to mention, so no spoilers here. There will be a few things that have already been talked about in interviews or previous films that I will mention though.
In Solo – A Star Wars Story, we are introduced to young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) before and at the beginning of his early life as a smuggler, gambler and suave pilot of the Millennium Falcon. Plus, where would Han Solo be if he did not have his trusty co-pilot and sidekick, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), and this movie explores their relationship and how they first met. We were introduced to Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) in Empire Strikes Back, even though his past history with Han was only mentioned, in this movie we get their first meeting, some back story and a lot of capes.
Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) is a bit of a mystery and has a previous relationship with Han, but also has a dark and secret past that seems to have a connection to Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany). One of my favorite characters is the new droid, L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). She is nothing like any of the other droids that have been in any other Star Wars films. The last two characters that make up the team of smugglers is Tobias Becket (Woody Harrelson) and Val (Thandie Newton). Tobias is almost like a mentor, as Han is just starting out learning to become a smuggler.
Without giving too much away, the movie does answer some questions about Han’s past. Such as the significance of the dice hanging in the Millennium Falcon, the Kessel Run, how Lando lost the Millennium Falcon, and how he got his name and signature blaster.
Something I never really thought about until now, is that Han can speak Wookie. He always spoke to Chewie in English in all the other movies, so I never thought he could speak the language. To play the part of Chewbacca, Joonas had to attend Chewie Boot Camp, which I never knew was a real thing, to learn the language. I wonder if Alden had to attend as well?
Every Star Wars movie seems to have a unique droid and L3 has got to be the most unique of all the droids in the Star Wars universe. L3 started off as an astromech droid and built herself from other droid parts. She is independent, revolutionary and out spoken for the rights of droids. A trait that can be relatable to current news headlines. She has got to be my favorite character from this movie.
Alden and Donald have the most difficult of roles to fill in this movie, since they are taking on the legendary roles of Han and Lando, originally played by Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams. Although there is some familiarity to the characters they are portraying, they also make them their own.
The film’s story, look and feel is a little different from the previous Star Wars movies. It introduces us to more worlds within the Star Wars universe, such as Corelli, Kessel, Mimban and Vandor. It also has a bit of a western vibe, with a bit of heist and crime. Much like all the other Star Wars films, there is a lot of action but there is more fun and humor. It almost reminds me of how Star Wars – A New Hope was like, which is what I enjoyed about Solo.
Solo – A Star Wars Story stars Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany. Rated PG-13 and opens Friday, May 24th.
