Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Solo: A Star Wars Story © Walt Disney Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Purchase Digital HD

Director:	Ron Howard
Writers:	Lawrence Kasdan, Jon Kasdan
Cast:	Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, Paul Bettany
Released:	Friday, May 25, 2018
Length:	135 minutes
Studio:	Walt Disney Pictures
Genre:	Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating:	Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Synopsis

Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga's most unlikely heroes.

Download Solo: A Star Wars Story in Digital HD from the iTunes store.

Ewan McGregor to Reprise Role of Obi-Wan Kenobi for Disney+  8/16/2019 2:54 PM EDT
It's being reported that Ewan McGregor is currently in talks to join the cast of a yet-untitled TV series for Disney+. He would be reprising his role of Obi-Wan Kenobi.McGregor played Kenobi in The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), playing a young version of the character.Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally played by Alec Guinness 1977's Star Wars: A New ...  More>>

Veteran Star Wars Alum Reunite at Galaxy's Edge Disneyland  5/30/2019 1:20 PM EDT
Galaxy's Edge was launched this week at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA with a full-scale media blitz. In addition to a firework and a light show, some of our favorite Star Wars alum made an appearance. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Billy Dee Williams gathered on stage with George Lucas and Bob Iger.The new "land" is an immersive experience with vehicle replicas including the Millenium Falc...  More>>

Carrie Fisher to Make Appearance in The Rise of Skywalker  5/23/2019 1:38 PM EDT
"Star Wars" fans will be seeing an unexpected character in the next film. J.J. Abrams has revealed that the late Carrie Fisher will be included in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."How can that be? Well, J.J. knew that a digital version of Fisher wouldn't be right but remembered that there was extra footage of Fisher from 2015's "The Force Awakens". He decided to incorporate that into the new fil...  More>>

Game of Thrones' David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to Head Up Next St...  5/14/2019 1:21 PM EDT
It has been confirmed that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will head up the next Star Wars film. Walt Disney Company chairman Bob Iger confirmed the news today at the MoffetNathanson Media & Communications Summit."I haven't seen [Episode] 9 finished yet, but I'm confident based on the pieces that I've seen and the script that I've read that it's going to be extremely popul...  More>>

Walt Disney Studios Releases Film List Through 2027  5/7/2019 4:31 PM EDT
The Walt Disney Studios have released their current film schedule through 2027. The calendar includes some changes that were made including some major additions.This summer alone will see the release of some major films including Disney's Aladdin on May 24, Fox's Dark Phoenix on June 7, Pixar's Toy Story 4 on June 21, Fox's Stuber on July 12, and Disney's The Lion King on July 19. the rest of the...  More>>

Chewbacca Actor Peter Mayhew Dies at 74  5/2/2019 9:40 PM EDT
Peter Mayhew, known to the world as the man behind the character of Star Wars' Chewbacca, has died at 74. The news was announced on his Twitter account today.Mayhew portrayed Chewbacca in Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), Revenge of the Sith (2005) and The Force Awakens (2015). His former Star Wars co-stars took to social media to express their feelings a...  More>>

Disney Announces New Rogue One Series for Disney + Streaming Ser...  11/8/2018 10:37 PM EDT
Disney has finally announced the name of its upcoming streaming service. They will be calling it Disney + and it will launch in late 2019.Disney+ will feature original programming as well as existing Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars properties. After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox is final, the service will also stream programming from National Geographic. The company also announced that o...  More>>

Enter For Your Chance To Win a Digital HD Copy of SOLO: A STAR W...  9/5/2018 3:19 PM EDT
Are you the biggest Star Wars fan alive? Can you recite lines from every film? Do you debate the qualities of Boba Fett or Jar Jar Binks with your friends? Did you love Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? Then we have got the perfect contest for you!FlickDirect, in conjunction with Walt Disney Studios, is excited to offer some lucky winners the opportunity to win a Digital HD copy of SOLO: A STAR WAR...  More>>

The Crown Star Matt Smith Joins Cast of Star Wars: Episode IX  8/28/2018 3:19 PM EDT
Rumor has it that Matt Smith has signed on to join the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX. Smith is best known for his roles in Doctor Who and The Crown where he played Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for the portrayal.Smith joins a cast that includes Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Keri Russe...  More>>

Kelly Marie Tran Writes About Dealing with Online Harassment  8/21/2018 4:30 PM EDT
Kelly Marie Tran, who starred in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" has taken to the New York Times to write an op-ed about her struggle with harassment she's received through social media. She wrote in the piece that it wasn't easy to deal with, and the fact that she deleted her Instagram account in June after racist and misogynistic comments confirms the difficulties."It wasn't their words, it's that I ...  More>>

Star Wars: Episode IX Begins Production Next Week  7/27/2018 4:45 PM EDT
Star Wars: Episode IX will begin filming next week in London's Pinewood Studios. On August 1, J.J. Abrams will be returning to work on the final installment of the saga.Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast of Episode IX are Naomi Ackie and Richard E...  More>>

Keri Russell to Join Star Wars Cast  7/9/2018 2:11 PM EDT
Keri Russell is said to be in talks to star in the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode IX". The film will be written and directed by J.J. Abrams, who worked on "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".Russell and Abrams also worked together for the 2006 film "Mission: Impossible III". Through her work with this "MI" and her FX series, "The Americans", Russell has shown that she's up for more of a hands-on film rol...  More>>

Solo: A Star Wars Story Theatrical Review

The Star Wars Saga was meant to be a series of nine films chronicling the rebel alliance as they try to defeat the Empire. Since 1977, we have been watching as Luke, Leia and Han have been fighting evil and saving the day (or at least trying to). In 2016, we got even more than we expected when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story filled in some the gaps before A New Hope begins. This month, we are once again treated to something special as Solo: A Star Wars Story comes to theaters nationwide. This latest movie introduces us to the backstory of one of our favorite characters - Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich; Beautiful Creatures).

Han is a scavenger who lives in Corellia and works for an overlord who keeps him as a slave. His love is Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke; Game of Thrones) and together they have a plan to escape. Unfortunately, things go south and Han gets out but Qi'ra is captured. Three years later, after Han joins the imperial forces, he hooks up with a gang of thieves in order to try and steal enough to get money to buy a ship and go back to find Qi'ra. However, the plan doesn't work and he finds himself begging for his life from Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany; Avengers: Infinity War).

Suddenly, Han is reunited with Qi'ra (since she now works for Vos) as they, along with Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and their new friend, Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover; Spider-Man: Homecoming) attempt to steal contraband and bring it back to Vos. They also pick up a Wookie along the way and the legendary team of Han and Chewie (Joonas Suotamo; Star Wars: The Last Jedi) is born. Of course, their journey is one of epic proportions with double-crossing, lots of action and a surprise cameo at the end of the film.

I'm not sure if it's Ehrenreich himself or the script that leaves him teetering on the edge of greatness but while he embodies some of Solo, he never quite makes the commitment all the way through. I think if the writers Jonathan (The First Time) and Lawrence Kasdan (Wyatt Earp) and George Lucas (Raiders if the Lost Ark), had taken more risks, the character would be more interesting and resemble Harrison Ford's Han Solo more. The rest of the cast is very strong though. Clarke once again proves why she is such a good character actor and Bettany is deliciously evil. Harrelson does a great job and Glover is a standout amongst a truly talented group.

Of course, the effects are something we have come to expect from the Star Wars saga and Solo has much to offer in that regard. The explosion/implosion of the radioactive contraband is fantastic and really makes an impact. The creatures are intricate and detailed but one would expect no less from this franchise (especially after the CGI gaffs that were made in the 1990's). The action sequences are the standard Star Wars fair, which is certainly not a bad thing. There is a lot of fancy flying and gun fighting but not really a lightsaber to be found.

As a standalone film, Solo: A Star Wars Story has a good plot, interesting characters, and well-done action scenes. As part of the classic franchise, it comes across a little disjointed and disconnected as if it was the bastard step-child of the iconic film series, which may actually be apropos considering the Han Solo character always seems to be the "black sheep" of the rebel alliance.

Good but not great, if you are a Star Wars fan you should probably go and see it regardless of what critics say. It will also be interesting to see what idea they come up with next to continue the beloved franchise once Star Wars: Episode IX comes to theaters late next year.

Grade: B

-- Allison Hazlett-Rose