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Solo: A Star Wars Story – Set before the events of Star Wars Episode IV, young Han Solo escapes from captivity on Corellia and falls in with a band of criminals who attempt a dangerous heist commissioned by feared gangster Dryden Vos. Along the way Han meets Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian for the first time, along with a mysterious woman who may not be all she seems.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) – Director: Ron Howard

Solo A Star Wars Story movie poster

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56323217

Rating: 12

Running Length: 135 mins

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover

Genre: Science Fiction, Crime, Action

 

REVIEW – ‘SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY’

Did we need a prequel about young Han Solo? Probably not. We probably don’t need the Young Obi-Wan or Young Boba Fett movies Disney are planning either, but when the end result is straightforward, unpretentious fun like ‘Solo’ is, it’s hard to complain.

The plot for the most part is pretty simple and contained, following Han’s introduction to the criminal underworld, and Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover effortlessly and convincingly slide into their roles as Han and Lando, while new characters are varied and interesting. Key moments like Han and Chewbacca’s first meeting are handled with wit and imagination, and while some things are over-explained (the scene where we find out how Han got his name is pretty silly) for the most part the connections and geeky references are kept to a minimum and won’t put off newcomers to the saga.

It’s a long film at 2h 15mins but the pace never flags and there’s always something happening, with an action scene never far away. The highlight comes early with a tense and exciting train heist sequence, and there are plenty of battles, chases and escapes to keep the energy up. The most welcome surprise is perhaps Droid L3 who steals the show and gets the biggest laughs, and who has almost more personality than anyone else in the cast. Paul Bettany also stands out as a memorable and menacing antagonist. Only Emilia Clarke disappoints, not quite able to suggest the moral ambiguity and hidden darkness that the script works hard to have us believe about her character.

Towards the end of the film the twists start to pile up and there are hints of bigger issues at play in the wider Star Wars universe. There are a few surprising reversals (perhaps a few too many), but the attempts to broaden the story out to what is really happening between the Empire and the budding Rebellion are welcome and put Han’s character development into context.

Still, this can’t help but feel a little safe and inconsequential when compared to the recent bold narrative shocks of ‘The Last Jedi’, but the warmth and familiarity are part of the charm, and it’s hard to resist spending a couple of hours in the company of these lovable rogues.

CONTENT – IS ‘SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

In the opening sequence we see large numbers of children being held by a local gangster and forced to work for her as thieves, à la Fagin in Oliver Twist. The gangster is a large, worm-like creature who may be scary to smaller children.

Han and Chewie awkwardly share a shower, but we only see their bare feet and then heads and shoulders.

A man and woman kiss, and the man nods towards the bed to suggest what they could do next, but they are interrupted before anything can happen. A human and droid talk about one of the male characters, and there is a veiled implication that they have some kind of intimate physical relationship.

Han is beaten by a creature holding a stick, and is involved in a fight where he is thrown around and almost strangled.

One character is shot in the shoulder and eventually succumbs to the wound, another is stabbed in the chest although the impact and wound are barely seen for a split second. Another character is shot in the chest and dies. A small wound and a little blood are visible. Several characters are seen dying from their wounds, while their friends grieve and try to comfort them, but the scenes are brief and the suffering is portrayed minimally.

We see Chewie holding up two dismembered arms, although we don’t see the limbs actually being removed.

During the train heist scene characters repeatedly come close to falling off a fast-moving train high in the mountains, or to smashing against the rocks on the mountainside, and the whole sequence is quite tense. In many battle and chase scenes characters are seen to fall or get shot but there is no explicit or bloody violence.

There is some mild cursing (crap, damn) and a couple of instances of dialogue cut off just before a curse word is used (“Oh sh…”, “Son of a…”).

During a party scene characters are seen drinking alcoholic beverages, and refer in their dialogue to a desire for alcohol. In two separate scenes characters play cards and recklessly gamble with large amounts of money and valuable possessions as collateral.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT – IS ‘SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY’ FOR KIDS?

‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ is an enjoyable action comedy with plenty of battle scenes but little in the way of distressing content. It should therefore be ideal for family viewing but with parental supervision recommended for children 8 and under.

  • Violence: 2/5 (frequent fight and battle scenes)
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5 (Two supporting characters die and the protagonists are visibly upset as they console them in their final moments)
  • Fear Factor: 1/5 (main characters in peril during the train heist scene)
  • Sexual Content: 1/5 (one kiss, some brief, mild verbal references to implied sexual relations)
  • Bad Language: 1/5 (infrequent mild profanity (shit, damn)
  • Dialogue:  1/5 (mild verbal references to sex which may go over most children’s heads)
  • Other Notes: (deals with crime, smuggling, moral flexibility and betrayal, features main characters drinking and gambling)

Words by Simon Litton

Simon Litton is Belgian based lover of photography and his ability to see a big release movie so quickly is highly commendable.

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