The Star Wars Universe of George Lucas has been extended again by Disney with a new prequel addition to the Star Wars saga, “Solo: A Star Wars Story”, starring Alden Ehrenreich and Woody Harrelson. Directed by Ron Howard, the film provides a backstory to the legendary Han Solo. Some spectators believe audiences are suffering from Star Wars fatigue, with one movie coming out a year for the past three years, but Solo is packed with high spirited performances, new ideas and loads of action.
Alden Ehrenreich makes his debut in the Star Wars series as young Han Solo, a spirited and courageous smuggler, who’s actually the good guy, despite his illegal practices. Ehrenreich displays the true heart of Solo through his soulful acting and convincing love of his partner, Kira, played by Emilia Clarke. The original Han Solo, Harrison Ford, was the epitome of the handsome, bad boy, stereotype, which Ehrenreich does not portray as easily. His actions are more awkward and his voice is a lot higher pitched, while Ford had a deep, booming voice. Alden lacks the Harrison Ford cockiness hardened by a tough upbringing; he seems more like a friendly, hopeful little boy with lots of dreams that no one really takes seriously. Even though he is not exactly like the previous Han Solo, Alden has a new take on the character that shows a softer and amiable side of Solo, helping to support the background story of him.
Another thing the movie lacks is comedy. In the past films, the humor is definitely evident, whereas Solo contains little to none. At the very beginning during Han’s first adventure with Beckett’s crew, the audience is introduced to their pilot, Rio, who is basically the only source for comedic relief. He makes a few humorous remarks, then gets killed off. The droid, L3, attempts to suffice for the loss of Rio with her patriotism for all droids, but it isn’t enough. In addition, Chewbacca displays occasional situational humor, such as joining Han in the shower when they could have done it separately. After that, the humour dulls, setting it apart from the rest of the Star Wars saga.
To make up for the lack of comedy, there is an abundance of thrilling action from the very beginning, starting in the opening scene. Immediately following that, he battles with his evil overseer, leading to wild chase. The Solo has an equal amount of gun-to-gun fighting to the amount of space battles, creating a perfect balance between the two and captivating the audience.
Lastly, the film created new ideas for the Star Wars universe, most prominently the droid L3-37. Lando claims to have possession of her, but she refuses to be owned by anyone and carries a strong opinion concerning the treatment of droids. A Star Wars movie cannot be complete without the addition of a droid, but L3 does not act like the prior ones. R2D2, C3PO and BB8 all serve a master, whereas L3 acts as if she and Lando are partners, which is a new and unexplored concept in the Star Wars universe.
The galaxy far, far away remains mystical and enticing with the new prequel, “Solo: A Star Wars Story”. With action-packed scenes and new concepts being introduced to the Star Wars Universe, Star Wars outdoes itself again with another legendary movie. Brand new actors, exciting action and new ideas extend the Star Wars universe even farther, making the series even more memorable that before.
