Movies: Solo: A Star Wars Story, 25 May 2018 Release (Early reviews are in)

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

Rogue One was awful too until the very end. It's just some science fiction movie that they slapped the SW tag on.

Minus the fact that it explains other parts of the Star Wars universe.

 

[Tawnos]

I do enjoy the fact that a lot of us went "wait, fuel? Since when is there fuel in Star Wars?" during TLJ and now there's pretty much an entire movie centered on it.

 

[johnjm22]

Minus the fact that it explains other parts of the Star Wars universe.

Why is that good thing?

Some things are better left unexplained and left to the imagination.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

This was my favorite Star Wars film of the Disney Era. We got a fun heist movie/adventure with characters that are either pretty well developed or just adding to said characters backstory and mythos. Going in, no we probably didn't need to know how Han got his name, or how he took ownership of the Falcon but those questions were answered as part of a fun story and a very entertaining 2+ hours.

There were two scenes that really sold this movie for me. The first was the train scene in the mountains. The second was the Kessel run and a fun ship to ship chase scene. These were entertaining, and I was on the edge of my seat just excited to be watching something like this on the big screen again. I mean we really haven't seen much of the exterior Millennium Falcon, but here we got it in spades and it was fun to see that ship fly like that again.

I know The Last Jedi might have left a bad taste in some people's mouths, and I wonder if this movie would be better recieved had this been switched with that movie last year. I also know there were complications with the shooting schedule and if this movie would actually be ready. In terms of that, I say they did a great job getting this movie ready to go and making it as fun as it was. I wouldn't mind a sequel, especially considering some of the ending scenes that almost took me out of the movie because it left me a bit confused, but not enough to diminish the whole thing.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Yeah we aren't going that route.

 

[Richard]

This was my favorite Star Wars film of the Disney Era. We got a fun heist movie/adventure with characters that are either pretty well developed or just adding to said characters backstory and mythos. Going in, no we probably didn't need to know how Han got his name, or how he took ownership of the Falcon but those questions were answered as part of a fun story and a very entertaining 2+ hours.

There were two scenes that really sold this movie for me. The first was the train scene in the mountains. The second was the Kessel run and a fun ship to ship chase scene. These were entertaining, and I was on the edge of my seat just excited to be watching something like this on the big screen again. I mean we really haven't seen much of the exterior Millennium Falcon, but here we got it in spades and it was fun to see that ship fly like that again.

I know The Last Jedi might have left a bad taste in some people's mouths, and I wonder if this movie would be better recieved had this been switched with that movie last year. I also know there were complications with the shooting schedule and if this movie would actually be ready. In terms of that, I say they did a great job getting this movie ready to go and making it as fun as it was. I wouldn't mind a sequel, especially considering some of the ending scenes that almost took me out of the movie because it left me a bit confused, but not enough to diminish the whole thing.

This was also my favorite Star Wars movie of the Disney. Things they referenced... like Cardia they did their homework.

 

[Osprey]

I know there's no basis for this in stories or canon, but I always got the feeling in ANH that Obi Wan already knew Han and Chewie a little.

I think that it's safe to say that Obi-Wan didn't know Han or Chewie because, for one, Han looks directly at him when he tells him who he is ("Han Solo. I'm Captain of the Millennium Falcon"), very business-like. Also, the meeting was set up by Chewie, whereas Obi-Wan could've gone straight to Han if he knew him any. Finally, Obi-Wan had never heard of the Millennium Falcon (he shakes his head and answers "should I have?"), and anyone who knows Han would have heard of his ship.

Based on all of that, I'd say that it'd be revisionist history to ever have younger Han and younger Obi-Wan encounter one another. I really hope that they don't, but I wouldn't put it past Disney at all, since they're deliberately Marvel-izing Star Wars and I have doubts that a bit of canon will dissuade them from crossing their two origin stories.

 

[Hivemind]

Mixed feelings on this one. Throwing it all in spoiler tags just be to safe, I guess.

Spoiler

Fan service is cool, but there's a point where it crosses the line between fun easter eggs to cringey. This is something that the Disney Star Wars movies have struggled a lot with (even Rogue One at a couple moments). I really really appreciated some of the subtle nods they put in for fans (like the line about Beckett killing Aurra Sing), but some of it felt really forced. Ever since the prequel trilogy (and actually before that with the Star Wars EU and fandom), Star Wars has had a real problem with giving every single line and bit character from the Original Trilogy and elaborate backstory. While I can fully appreciate a Han Solo origin story movie roping in a lot of the stuff surrounding the character, did we really need to see every line he said in episodes 4 and 5 turned into a plot point? Showing how he met Chewie and Lando and won the Falcon, that all makes sense (although even having all three of those events take place on the same adventure is a little bit cramped). But then you throw in the Kessel Run and the origin of his blaster and his lucky dice and references to him heading to Tatooine to work with the Hutts and how he got hist last name and Han shooting first and etc etc etc and it starts to make me roll my eyes. Not everything needs to be crammed into one movie, nor does every single throwaway line in the Original Trilogy need a movie exploring it. I guess I like easter eggs more when they're easter eggs, not when they're central plot points that are crammed in your face.

In terms of the movies plot, it was both really busy and somehow lacking substance. Objectively, a ton of stuff happened. But very little of it felt like it had real consequence. Han never really had any real direction other than "I wanna become Episode IV Han Solo, but with a girlfriend." Yet, somehow he was even more noble than he was in the original trilogy, and it felt a little awkward (especially when characters kept repeating that to his face). The third act was just messy. Yes, we get it that the Star Wars underworld is full of doublecrossers and people who cannot be trusted (Beckett literally said as much). But none of the back stabbings felt really surprising, and when the "twists" just kept coming it was just messy. I honestly feel that the movie would have been better if they didn't shoehorn in some Rebel sympathizers for Han to side with.

It wasn't all bad. I enjoyed myself watching the movie. L3 was great. Lando was great. I got nerd chills when Maul appeared (more accurately, I got nerd chills once I saw the robot legs and knew what was coming). Calling back to the Episode 5 asteroid chase music during the Kessel Run was utterly fantastic.

 

[Hivemind]

Spoiler

My whyy was with regards to him hanging out with the Crimson Avengers. I don't think it fits and would have preferred someone like Snoke in that role. Snoke fits and makes it clear he did have a hand as an authoritative figure before the OT even began, and the reason he wasn't heard of was because he was independent and likely would have been snuffed out by Palpatine in that case. Him consolidating power and waiting for Palpatine/Vader to kick the bucket (one was at least in his 70s and the other was half cyborg and needed a respirator to breath properly) would have been an interesting nod to the past people wanted out of him.

Am curious to see how that plays out if they do end up making a sequel. I am definitely willing to see another Han and Chewie adventure based on what they gave me in this one.

Spoiler

No, having Maul in that role makes far more sense than Snoke. Maul became a figure in the Star Wars underworld during the Clone Wars, attempting to build a shadow empire that could rival the Republic by strong arming the various underworld factions (the Hutts, the Pykes, the Black Sun, and Deathwatch) into working under his leadership. That plan ultimately failed, but it still makes sense to have Maul involved in the criminal underworld in some capacity. There's still some explaining required to clear up what happens to Maul and the Crimson Dawn in between the events of Solo and the events of Rebels, but this fits the continuity far more than Snoke. Snoke is far MORE powerful than Palpatine and Vader, so having him patiently awaiting their demise would have been a terribly anticlimactic backstory. Plus that would tie far more directly into the main saga, which this movie was not intended to do.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Spoiler

No, having Maul in that role makes far more sense than Snoke. Maul became a figure in the Star Wars underworld during the Clone Wars, attempting to build a shadow empire that could rival the Republic by strong arming the various underworld factions (the Hutts, the Pykes, the Black Sun, and Deathwatch) into working under his leadership. That plan ultimately failed, but it still makes sense to have Maul involved in the criminal underworld in some capacity. There's still some explaining required to clear up what happens to Maul and the Crimson Dawn in between the events of Solo and the events of Rebels, but this fits the continuity far more than Snoke. Snoke is far MORE powerful than Palpatine and Vader, so having him patiently awaiting their demise would have been a terribly anticlimactic backstory. Plus that would tie far more directly into the main saga, which this movie was not intended to do.

Is he more powerful, though?

 

[Hivemind]

Is he more powerful, though?

Yes.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Yes.

I feel like the events of TLJ kind of demonstrated him as more of a pretender than anything. And I don't see how he becomes more powerful than people who were cultivated and able to harness their powers. Are you basing this just on what we have seen from the movies or are you basing this on other sources?

 

[Tawnos]

Yes.

Absolutely not. Well, maybe more than Vader. But not even close to Palpatine.

 

[Hivemind]

I feel like the events of TLJ kind of demonstrated him as more of a pretender than anything. And I don't see how he becomes more powerful than people who were cultivated and able to harness their powers. Are you basing this just on what we have seen from the movies or are you basing this on other sources?

Andy Serkis said he was more powerful in an interview.
But ignoring that, Snoke also has shown the ability to choke people via hologram, link up force users across the cosmos, read minds, and a slew of other feats that Sidious could not.
Outside content also indicates that Sidious was in the unknown regions prior Ep7, so that rules him out as a candidate for this movie. Also, Palpatine heard a mysterious voice calling to him from the unknown regions prior to his death. Most currently believe that to be Snoke.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Just because he didn't do it doesn't mean he couldn't.

Sidious was able to single-handedly diminish the Jedi order's use of the force and took their prized possession and made it his apprentice. We don't know enough about Snoke to actually determine whether he is that kind of powerful or not.

And besides, talking about Snoke in this movie:

Spoiler

There has to be a reason Snoke didn't just take the Empire for himself way back when, right? If he is so powerful what was his motivation for just hanging back?

 

[Natey]

This was my favorite Star Wars film of the Disney Era. We got a fun heist movie/adventure with characters that are either pretty well developed or just adding to said characters backstory and mythos. Going in, no we probably didn't need to know how Han got his name, or how he took ownership of the Falcon but those questions were answered as part of a fun story and a very entertaining 2+ hours.

There were two scenes that really sold this movie for me. The first was the train scene in the mountains. The second was the Kessel run and a fun ship to ship chase scene. These were entertaining, and I was on the edge of my seat just excited to be watching something like this on the big screen again. I mean we really haven't seen much of the exterior Millennium Falcon, but here we got it in spades and it was fun to see that ship fly like that again.

I know The Last Jedi might have left a bad taste in some people's mouths, and I wonder if this movie would be better recieved had this been switched with that movie last year. I also know there were complications with the shooting schedule and if this movie would actually be ready. In terms of that, I say they did a great job getting this movie ready to go and making it as fun as it was. I wouldn't mind a sequel, especially considering some of the ending scenes that almost took me out of the movie because it left me a bit confused, but not enough to diminish the whole thing.

What left you confused?

 

[disgruntleddave]

I thought it was fantastic. I came in expecting to have some major complaints due to its mixed reception and left completely satisfied.

 

[tacogeoff]

Why is that good thing?

Some things are better left unexplained and left to the imagination.

Why? It was a decent story which put together a bit of a loose end from another film. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. It seems like not much about the star wars franchise appeals to you. What would you like them to be about? (Pure interest, I'm not being sarcastic. I want to hear your thoughts)

 

[Natey]

I think that it's safe to say that Obi-Wan didn't know Han or Chewie because, for one, Han looks directly at him when he tells him who he is ("Han Solo. I'm Captain of the Millennium Falcon"), very business-like. Also, the meeting was set up by Chewie, whereas Obi-Wan could've gone straight to Han if he knew him any. Finally, Obi-Wan had never heard of the Millennium Falcon (he shakes his head and answers "should I have?"), and anyone who knows Han would have heard of his ship.

Based on all of that, I'd say that it'd be revisionist history to ever have younger Han and younger Obi-Wan encounter one another. I really hope that they don't, but I wouldn't put it past Disney at all, since they're deliberately Marvel-izing Star Wars and I have doubts that a bit of canon will dissuade them from crossing their two origin stories.

They've been decent at not messing with the canon they described when taking over. All theatrical movies, Rebels, Battlefront 2, and Clone Wars are canon. Along with any comics and books released after the sale.

That means that this awesome sequence.. is canon!

 

[Hivemind]

I think that it's safe to say that Obi-Wan didn't know Han or Chewie because, for one, Han looks directly at him when he tells him who he is ("Han Solo. I'm Captain of the Millennium Falcon"), very business-like. Also, the meeting was set up by Chewie, whereas Obi-Wan could've gone straight to Han if he knew him any. Finally, Obi-Wan had never heard of the Millennium Falcon (he shakes his head and answers "should I have?"), and anyone who knows Han would have heard of his ship.

Based on all of that, I'd say that it'd be revisionist history to ever have younger Han and younger Obi-Wan encounter one another. I really hope that they don't, but I wouldn't put it past Disney at all, since they're deliberately Marvel-izing Star Wars and I have doubts that a bit of canon will dissuade them from crossing their two origin stories.

All of this could also be said for Obi-Wan meeting R2D2 and C3PO in A New Hope ("I don't recall ever owning a droid"). Yet Lucasfilm (pre-Disney) rammed both of those droids into the prequels right alongside Obi-Wan.

 

[Osprey]

I just ran across this new Honest Trailer for the "original Star Wars spin-offs" (the two Ewok movies and the Holiday Special). As usual, I laughed, even though I really liked the Ewok movies when I was young.

All of this could also be said for Obi-Wan meeting R2D2 and C3PO in A New Hope ("I don't recall ever owning a droid"). Yet Lucasfilm (pre-Disney) rammed both of those droids into the prequels right alongside Obi-Wan.

That's a good point... and Disney following in the footsteps of post-1997 George Lucas wouldn't be a compliment or justification. It's decisions like that that helped turn the fan base against Lucas and led to optimism that Disney would rescue us from them, not copy them.

 

[Tawnos]

Andy Serkis said he was more powerful in an interview.
But ignoring that, Snoke also has shown the ability to choke people via hologram, link up force users across the cosmos, read minds, and a slew of other feats that Sidious could not.
Outside content also indicates that Sidious was in the unknown regions prior Ep7, so that rules him out as a candidate for this movie. Also, Palpatine heard a mysterious voice calling to him from the unknown regions prior to his death. Most currently believe that to be Snoke.

Vader could choke people via hologram too.

And Palpatine could likely do all those things as well.

 

[Tawnos]

I think that it's safe to say that Obi-Wan didn't know Han or Chewie because, for one, Han looks directly at him when he tells him who he is ("Han Solo. I'm Captain of the Millennium Falcon"), very business-like. Also, the meeting was set up by Chewie, whereas Obi-Wan could've gone straight to Han if he knew him any. Finally, Obi-Wan had never heard of the Millennium Falcon (he shakes his head and answers "should I have?"), and anyone who knows Han would have heard of his ship.

Based on all of that, I'd say that it'd be revisionist history to ever have younger Han and younger Obi-Wan encounter one another. I really hope that they don't, but I wouldn't put it past Disney at all, since they're deliberately Marvel-izing Star Wars and I have doubts that a bit of canon will dissuade them from crossing their two origin stories.

It’s something about the way Alec Guinness delivers the line “Chewbacca here is first mate on a ship that might suit us.” Although seemingly someone else introduces them. You’re right that it’d be a crazy stretch. Just something underneath I often thought.

 

[Pilky01]

From May 3rd

'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Tracking for Record $160M-Plus Memorial Day Bow

 

[johnjm22]

Why? It was a decent story which put together a bit of a loose end from another film.

Simply trying to explain another part of the SW universe doesn't make something good. By that standard the prequels are good.

And I didn't say that explaining something was necessarily bad either, only that some things are better left to the imagination. This isn't a controversial opinion. Good storytellers/filmmakers know what not to tell you or show you.

It seems like not much about the star wars franchise appeals to you.

That's true I dislike most of it. Most of it is bad.

What would you like them to be about? (Pure interest, I'm not being sarcastic. I want to hear your thoughts)

I like the immersive fantasy world of the OT and the vibrant imaginative elements contained within it. I like how real everything feels. I like the contrast between good and evil and the simple well told story of the hero's journey. I love the music and practical effects. The size and scope of it all. The charisma of the characters/actors. It's amazing how many things came together to make the OT work so well.