Going into this movie, and the days leading up to it, I was not sold on Alden Ehrenreich being cast as the iconic Han Solo. I was dubious and had the complaints a lot of people had. The face is wrong. The smile isn't quite there. You can give him the coif, Ron, but can he sell it? But being the kind of person I am, that afternoon heading into the theater I did my ritual of swallowing my expectations and allowing the movie to show me what it had, the only expectation I settled on was that it was going to be a sci fi heist movie.
Two and a half hours later I walked out feeling pleasantly surprised by the experience. Some may sharpen their pitchforks, but I felt this entry was stronger than The Last Jedi we got only this last December. It didn't try to burden itself with too many side plots since it was, like Rogue One before it, a standalone movie rather than part of a larger arc...Minus one scene towards the end where I was left scratching my head, because it rang alarm bells of them attempting to, or alluding to, a larger plot. Those who have scene it will no doubt know which scene I'm talking about, but for the sake of the review I will refrain from spoilers.
The plot is very much what you will expect, the origins of the Smuggler who would later go on to become a General in the rebel forces, and how he escaped a life of poverty to create a better life for himself and his lady love, going to far as to enlist in the Imperial Navy before his inherent nature as...well...Han...see's that fall on it's face where we see how he and his relationship with Chewbaca begins and grows. This I was pleasantly surprised with, as it shows the scripts attention to detail of the loose Canon many Star Wars fans such as myself hold close: Han was an pilot aspirant in the Empire, and rescues Chewbaca from bondage from the Imperials.
The rest of the film without going into story specific details can be summed up in this classic line...
The Kessel Run is a perilous smuggler route used by Spice Smugglers through a dangerous stretch of space known as the Maw. Before now, many have believed it to be a cluster of black holes that needed precious piloting to maneuver through. What we get in the movie is far more impressive, and terrifying and is easily my favorite part of the movie.
I honestly can't discuss this movie further without spoilers, so the big question is: Should You See It?
Yes. See it. If The Last Jedi put you off with it's disjointed storytelling and Leia Organa becoming Space Supergrandma, this will put you at ease. It's a fun movie, and hits all the right numbers to make it a legit part of the legacy of the Star Wars franchise. While even now I am still not 100% sold on Alden as Han Solo...there is part of me that hopes that there will be more Solo films in the future, because I'll admit, that smug grin is starting to grow on me.
Later, nerds.
