Just when
you were starting to think that Star Wars
should bugger off to a galaxy far, far away for a long time, along comes Solo: A Star Wars Story. With the
underwhelming The Force Awakens (which
fans considered to be “too safe”) and the hugely-divisive The Last Jedi (which fans considered to be “too risky”), the latest
non-episodic entry is a welcome break from lightsabers. In fact, let’s jump
straight into hyperspace – it’s the best Star
Wars movie since fan-favourite The
Empire Strikes Back. While, in all honesty, that isn't saying much considering what's come since then, it's a statement that’s bound to trigger some upset among those
very-hard-to-please fans nonetheless. But hey, it isn’t Star
Wars without a little controversy, right?
Aldren Ehrenreich turns in an above-passable performance as everyone’s favourite nerf herder, while rising star Donald Glover is perfectly cast as a younger Lando Calrissian (a casting choice fans didn’t seem to have a problem with whatsoever, despite many despising Ehrenreich for not being the spit of Harrison Ford - go figure). Remarkably, the film wields far more charm than its more recent predecessors wielded lightsabers (including the meh-fest that was Rogue One), and shows whiffs of that “old soul” that’s as missing from Star Wars films as the Ewoks (as I write this, I’m cuddled up to my Wicket W. Warrick plush toy).
The
ridiculously-talented Ron Howard’s prequel flick might not do much to repair for you the
unholy emotional damage left by The Last Jedi, but his mark on the saga proves
enough to reinvigorate your interest at the very least. And while Solo is only an origin story of sorts and is probably as forgettable as Finn, there’s
enough nipple-tickling nostalgia here without the film, ahem, “force”-feeding cameos
down your throat. And with Billy Dee Williams set to return in next year’s Episode IX, you'd better make the most out of Lando
while you can, because they’ll definitely
kill him in the next one. And probably Chewie, too [insert distressed Wookie-growl here].
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