As I mentioned in my previous post, my long wait to see Solo:A Star Wars Story finally ended today. Due to a timing issue, I did have to see it in LIEMAX (which I despise) but I won't hold that against the movie.
I was not disappointed at all.
This movie might not be deep, but it is fun.
Like two of the previous three Disney produced Star Wars stories, this movie did its job.
The Force Awakens was a love letter to Han Solo that built a bridge between fans who were children of the 1970s and those born in the 21st century. I thought it was perfect.
Rogue One needed to explain exactly how it was even remotely possible that a rag tag band of rebels could destroy the most powerful weapon in the galaxy using only a small fighter piloted by an untrained whiny farm boy. It did a fine job and also introduced some very cool characters... who we will never see again.
The Last Jedi should have been a love letter to Luke Skywalker that explained his whereabouts for the past twenty years and why Kylo Ren could become so evil that he murderer his own father. Not only did it epicly fail as an homage to Luke Skywalker (turning him into a coward and a tool), but it also provided 45 completely useless minutes of important rebels running around a casino planet after being arrested for parking violations.
Let me get this straight. Two of the most important characters got thrown in jail for parking violations. That made it into the actual movie?
This failure lead me to temper my expectations for Solo. The fact that they felt the need to replace the directors during production did not exactly rekindle my shaken confidence. Still I hoped the character and his backstory was compelling enough that it could not possibly be ruined.
The creative team had some simple tasks:
Show me how Han and Chewy became soulmates
Show me how Han and Lando became frenemies
Show me how Han got the Millennium Falcon
Show me why Han is a hero (even if he will never admit it)
Show me how Han learned it was always wise to shoot first
Not only did this movie check every single one of those off their list, it did it with a perfect mix of action and humor.
They didn't screw it up!
Please take note, this movie is not perfect. It could have been better. The middle slowed down a little too much for my taste and it didn't really do much aside from formulaically check off the boxes above. But that is OK. It was incredibly entertaining and my whole family loved it.
The special effects during the many action sequences were flawless as always. The creators knew this movie should be a fun ride and they did not disappoint. There are "car" chases, space chases, land battles, space battles, close combat sequences, and escapes. Toss in a nice caper element and you have the perfect popcorn movie. Although I don't think anyone will ever list this as a life defining movie (as many geeks did when Star Wars was released in 1977) I also don't think many people will turn this one off when it inevitably gets played on cable TV every 3 months for the rest of our lives. It will be one of those movies that when you are flipping through channels, you will always stop because no matter where you pick it up, something fun is about to happen.
In addition to the action, it is quite funny. It came as no shock that Han's banter with Chewbacca and Lando is amusing. However, what was surprising was how funny Lando's droid L3-37 was. She was genuinely hilarious. I think she may have become my daughter's new favorite character. My son just told me, "she is the best droid in Star Wars so far". High praise indeed... and well deserved.
See. She's delightful! (Easter egg alert)
Looking back, I should not have been surprised that the movie was far better than The Last Jedi. After all, it is written by Jonathan Kasdan and his father Lawrence Kasdan who is responsible for penning The Empire Strikes Back… the greatest Star Wars movie ever. When they needed to replace the previous directors, they chose Ron Howard who knows how to have fun (see Arrested Development). This team knew what was on the line. They could not break geeks’ hearts and ruin Han Solo. Not only did they preserve his legend, they added to it. In addition, they inserted so many Easter eggs for fan boys like me that I am positive that I did not catch them all. You need to pay attention to every detail of every conversation as well as the actors who might seem unimportant at first.
Speaking of actors, I was thrilled with every casting decision. Alden Ehrenreich did not simply perform a Harrison Ford impersonation. He played Han about as believably as anyone I can imagine. Woody Harrleson does well as the veteran scoundrel role model. Emily Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones) is fantastic. She is believable and athletic in her action scenes. Obviously Donald Glover was simply born to play Lando. Let's face it, he pretty much is Lando. I think if anyone else had been cast, fans would have been angry for years at the missed opportunity. He is suave, arrogant, and funny. Like I said... he is Lando.
I still don't know how they found an actor who looked exactly like the old Chewbacca.
If they had consulted me before creating this movie, in addition to the jobs listed above, I would have added a few more:
Include as many Easter eggs as possible (including a Ron Howard one)
Make me teary eyed or give me chills a couple of times
Include a huge surprise
Make me yearn for a sequel
Even without my expert opinion (sarcasm intended) they managed to include all of these as well. In fact, the surprise they included is so huge that I bet even the most avid fan will not see it coming. If someone had given me 50 guesses, I don't think I could have possibly predicted it... and it is AWESOME! (Please no one spoil it in the comments.)
Although Solo: A Star Wars Story may not be a grand slam, at least it isn't the sacrifice bunt that The Last Jedi was. The Last Jedi moved the story along and will be quickly forgotten. This was a double down the line that the runner stretched into a triple. Hopefully the sequel knocks him in.
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0 (I did go to the bathroom during one slow part)
Number of eye rolls: 0
Number of face palms: 0 (An attempted cantina-like Easter egg fell a bit flat)
Number of times my kid asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0 (They were entertained nearly non-stop)
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Did my kids like it: 13 year old son and 11 year old daughter both LOVED it!
Would I see it without my kids: Twice
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Full price, perhaps a second time as a matinee, and I will buy the DVD.
Look really an amazing movie , you've inspired me to watch it .
Thanks
I hope you enjoy it.
Oh you finally saw it. That's great!! I agree with you (maybe except the droid part), I liked this movie. I didn't know if I would adapt to the new actor playing Han but he did a great job and became Han Solo, now I don't have problems to acept him as the younger version of the character. Also, even the movie works perfectly as a stand alone film it sets the possibility of a sequel, that's great. I loved the big reveal at the end and its implications because it sets futures projects.
I was shocked by the ending! Never saw it coming. I hope it does well becuase I want to see more cpaers with him!
I can see why you might not like the droid. I may be biased by the fact that I have an 11 year old daughter who LOVED her.
This sounds epic!!! I would have seen the movie tonight if I hadn’t been fitted tickets to go see Deadpool. Which was absolutely amazing btw!!! You’re earlier review was bang on!!! I am so glad to hear that this movie answered so many of the questions that I have also been thinking of. Solo is on my next up list for movies. You can tell the summer season is getting in full swing. The movie hits keep on rolling. You're so right... it’s amazing how they found a Chewie double!! Bahahahaha
Glad you enjoyed Deadpool. I think I liked Deadpool better than this one but no way I could ever see that with my kids. LOL
Glad you enjoyed Deadpool. I think I liked Deadpool better than this one but no way I could ever see that with my kids. LOL
sir this is twince//hehe
You are definitely a good dad who spends quality time with your kids. A good review of Star Wars for parents out there to consider. Thank you for your great support for @steemiteducation and all your contribution to the platform. I started participating in @steemiteducation for the recent months and I have started to tag under steemiteducation as well. It is really the heart of an educator for your involvement in this initiative! Cheers for many of your great work to come! Thanks for your regular movie reviews and your contribution to steemit platform! A salute to your great work @hanshotfirst!
Oh I am well aware of your contributions to @steemiteducation. I do a lot of voting there but from another account. I am so happy you found the tag. You have been making great contributions!
Seems to be an amazing movie and I'm sure Star Wars fans will swear by it. But will it appeal to someobdy who's not been through other Star Wars movies - in other words, does this really do well as a standalone movie a movie lover could go and watch in the movies over the weekend with no knowledge of Star Wars and enjoy it still?
It is definitely meant for Star Wars fans but I don't think someone would be lost if this were the first Star Wars movie they have ever seen. To them it would just be a sci-fi action movie with a heist. I think it could still be fun.
I'm glad you did this review, I was wondering about watching this movie because of the critics I've read.
Btw, your set of question is brilliant!
Thanks! It's not very deep but it is fun.
This is very encouraging and I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the Solo movie so much. I need to get to the theater soon to check this one out.
As long as you know that it is pretty much mindless fun, I think you will enjoy.
The female droid was really fun. My daughter is referring to her as "Susan B Android".
well detail review and i know the movie will be very interesting also @hanshotfirst
It is Nice Review.I was Watch Star wars and I like it very much.I hope Now I will Watch this Story.Ans as your Review,I hope This Story will be good.
I also liked this movie alot and i am happy to find other people who liked it. For a sec i thought i was the only one
Is it getting bad reviews. I honestly have not looked. Was worried about spoilers.
Thanks for the review. You did a good job.
You are very creative in your movie review and honest with every detail. I'm not a fan of Star Wars but you stirred my interest and curiosity to try it.
Thanks for this review , really interesting movie.
Good review, why don't you make it as a video?
Thanks for this review , loo really amazing ,i hope finding some time to watch it.
Hola amigo, aunque no la he visto aun, me parece bien interesante tu análisis y muy completo. Soy fan de estos film, estoy de acuerdo contigo el ultimo Jedi fue una decepción. Aunque la película según tu análisis no es perfecta es mejor que las anteriores. Saludos.
Wow @hanshotfirst this looks really interesting. I do like the star wars series and I think I need to watch this one too. Thanks a lot for sharing this post with us sir.
this movie so much interesting and amazing,,although there has some funny part..in this picture..i think its child based action movie..all of my nephew enjoy very much.
This is the one movie you really had to see with your steemit name :)
I'll be seeing it very soon. Its great to hear it met your expectations.
I just saw Deadpool 2 last night. Loved it.
Lando spin-off incoming, with Childish Gambino soundtrack, played by Donald Glover, surprise appearance by Danny Glover.
I'm not hugely excited, but I am looking forward to it. Frankly I'm just not a big fan of the concepts they've pitched so far for the anthology films. They feel a lot like some of the worst ideas of the legends continuity applied to film - more concerned with filling in details that weren't worth elaborating on in the original films than they are actually trying to give us something new that we might not like.
I'm certainly not expecting to hate it, and there are some things that I do anticipate really enjoying. But I'm ultimately expecting to be pandered to and not much more.
Didn't read because I haven't seen it yet. But I'm looking forward to see it tomorrow. This is the first Star Wars Movie I haven't seen opening day in a long, long time. Just been busy at MegaCon :)
Thanks for the review - i heard from others they would not expect anything good but your judgements looks promising so at least I should go to the cinema and watch that as well :-).
Thank you @hanshotfirst. I grew up watching the first one when I was like 9 back in 77'. I might have to check this one out even though I hadn't seen the most recent ones. Sounds pretty decent
Among all the Star Wars movies where would you rank this? I’m curious, I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet.
There were so many moments where it just made me laugh my ass off and others were it made smile thinking about Han as a character and part of the Star Wars universe.
I'm now your follower. Please consider becoming my follower.
I think this is amazing movie.
Seen this movie, it was brilliant and the person who won me over the most was Lando, played by Glover.
But what I did want to talk about is that as a non Star Wars even I felt anger and momentarily pissed off at how they treated Luke's character in the movie. Luke Skywalker is a legendary character who a lot of people revere towards and his treatment in the movie was absolutely appalling, I mean taking a timeless character and killing him off like that was absolutely an insult.
I want to see this post has inspired me to see her thank you friend no doubt I will see that incredible movie
My apologies my dear @hanshotfirst I was pending for the comment of this long awaited post after the premiere of this film that is part of the history of the star wars saga. However what is seen in the film visual effects and sound are a spectacle with previous films .. Although I do not see the same seriousness with which lucas films has us accustomed .. Seguire pending your post .. May the force be with you !!
I also found it very enjoyable, especially after not being wowed by the trailers.
Excellent...I was wondering if it was going to worth seeing it or not! Thanks!
Great review; can't wait to watch it.
Fine way to lead the audience along the movie without spoiling it, while raising expectations.
I’ve been debating going to see this because I have a hard time imagining anyone other than Harrison Ford as Hans. How him and chewy became soul mates is probably one of my biggest questions though ... so the fact that they answer that confirms that I really should go see it!
Especially if you didn’t check Steemit once?? Impressive!