While Han Solo is one of the most beloved characters in the original Star Wars trilogy, he's also one of the most ambiguous. How fast is 12 parsecs on the Kessel run? How did Han really get the Falcon? What's his relationship with Kanjiklub, amongst other space gangs!? With a Han Solo prequel announced, I was excited to hear more about Han Solo's exciting past, especially with Chris Lord and Phil Miller (The LEGO Movie, 21 Jump Street) at the helm. Although the film's production became more and more troubled as time passed, with Lucasfilm swapping the directorial duo for Ron Howard pretty late into the shoot, I was beginning to lose hope - until the final film gave a new feeling of it.
One of the film's advantages that strikes you almost immediately is its colour palette. Going from a deep blue in Han's original home to the gloomily desaturated planet of Corellia to the orange of Han and Lando's first meeting. This colouring feels like a subtle reminder that Star Wars, as a whole, takes place across an entire galaxy. As individual films take place on a number of planets, it's interesting to see how the colouring adds to the context of each setting as well as its contribution to the plot and universe as a whole. Solo continues to visually impress with its cinematography work, work which, thematically, cinematographer Brad Young kept consistent despite the change in directors. Personally, I feel that the film offers something new through its visuals. It manages to fit in with the style and tone of Han Solo's character, while rigidly keeping it in line with other Star Wars films.
This style is one that takes cues from the excitement, action and heroism prevalent in many Western films. Working for the highest prices, obeying no authority other than himself and constantly running away from bounties on his head, Han Solo is nothing short of a space cowboy. Thus the adaptation of a Western makes sense for a film revolving around his early life. However, the film also makes sure it has its place in the same, massive, sci-fi universe as its predecessors; offering answers, references and a few big surprises that fans both new and old will adore.
Another step Solo takes away from most of the other films in the franchise is its casting. With the exception of Rogue One, Star Wars has found great success in its tendency to cast unknowns. However, it seems that this exception is specially dedicated to the anthology films such as Rogue One (starring Mads Mikkelsen, Felicity Jones and Donnie Yen) and Solo. With stars like Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke and Donald Glover in the mix - it's definitely the most recognisable cast Star Wars has had in a while. However, their one rule is embodied in Alden Ehrenreich, who plays the leading scruffy-looking nerf-herder.
If I'm being honest here, no-one could play Han Solo better than Harrison Ford. When originally casting for Star Wars, George Lucas was looking for actors that weren't simply placing themselves in the persona of their character, but were acting like another version of themselves. As a result of this and Ford's performance, I didn't feel entirely persuaded that I was seeing the young Han Solo, but an impression of him. By no means does that mean Ehrenreich did a bad job with such a huge role. He is able to resemble the recklessness and cockiness that makes Solo so Solo, although he doesn't quite immerse me in the role in a way that someone like Anthony Ingruber could have.
On the opposite end of the scale, and my favourite aspect of the film, is Donald Glover's portayal of Lando Calrissian. Having watched Empire Strikes Back prior to my viewing of the film, I could tell Glover had watched it probably more times than I have to understand and dissect Lando's character. He manages to translate his key nuances, his suave style, cool confidence and that narcissistic edge, as well as adding a new "unfinished" tone to the character that Glover makes his own. Remember, this is a younger version of the character after all.
Overall, Solo does pretty well as a Star Wars film that functions as a standalone from the franchise. While it has a few forgettable characters and, at times, a confusing balance between good and evil, as a "Han Solo" film it certainly delivers. If this is the style of film to be expected with the forthcoming trilogies from Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss, I'm more than ready to jump to hyperspace and see them ASAP.