Solo is the origin story of the beloved character Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise. Fans might, however, object to my calling him ‘beloved’, as he is not exactly someone who delivers sappy dialogues in a romantic comedy. Han Solo is rough and raunchy, sort of like Clint Eastwood without his Stetson. He is sarcastic and reckless, and his appeal is that he won’t take any bulls**t from anyone. At the end of the first Star Wars movie, Han says that compassion was a trait he didn’t know he possessed. Unfortunately, in Solo, his compassion is blatantly on display. On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is that Han’s compassion and his cynicism are kind of a package deal, and when you take the cynicism away, what you have is your garden-variety hero with his heart hanging on his sleeve. And that is what you have in Ehrenreich’s Han Solo.
Even so, Ehrenreich delivers a convincing performance. His smile drips charm, and, when he flashes it, you feel like you are in on a secret with him that no one else is privy to. There is nothing wrong with the story either, with dollops of action and drama that link it effectively with the different episodes of the franchise. But it goes off on a tangent occasionally. Through his adventures as a rowdy smuggler, it is like the makers are anchoring Han to us, rather than freeing him to take us to his world. The wonderland is being brought to Alice, not the other way around. (Maybe the earthy tones in which the film is set add to this effect.)
The film begins with Han trying to make if off the streets of Corellia with his love Qi’ra (Clarke) to realise his ambition of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, he is forced to leave Qi’ra behind, and he promises to come back to her. He decides to join a group of thieves, led by Tobias Beckett (Harrelson) to make enough money to get him back to Qi’ra. A turn of events leads him to future bestie Chewbacca and a firm friendship is established. The newly formed crew finds themselves in a pickle when they get involved with the leader of a crime syndicate, Drydon Vos (Bettany). To win their freedom, they have to get a ship and acquire a batch of valuable coaxium. Qi’ra, who mysteriously appears alongside Vos, joins the mission and introduces Han to Lando Calrissian, the owner of the iconic Millenium Falcon.
The thing with franchises like Star Wars is that the action is always cutting-edge, and the heroes accomplish impossible feats that stretch the limits of credulity. The funny thing is that, your foreknowledge that they are going to come out of those capers remarkably unscathed, does not detract from the thrill of watching them do so. Solo, in that respect, is no different from the others in the franchise. There are some death-defying stunts, like when the Falcon is slung into a cluster of black holes called the Maw and you have no idea how the crew is going to come out of it, although you know they are going to. (The Maw is so effectively created through special effects, it is sure to haunt me in my nightmares.)
In so many ways, origin stories have an edge over others because you just need to tap into the fan base that the characters already have. There is a kind of déjà vu that permeates the storyline. When Han meets Chewbacca, for example, or when he first sees the Millenium Falcon, there is a bittersweet element, because you know the significance that these events have in the future. There is a scene in which Han goes to register as a pilot. He is asked his name, and he answers Han. When he is asked who his people are, he says he has no people. So, it is jotted down in the book: “Han… Solo.”
And there, you have the birth of a hero.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover
Rating: 3.5