Solo: A Star Wars Story (Dir. Ron Howard, 2h 15m)

 
It seems to be a minor triumph that Solo: A Star Wars Story is here at all, given its storied and troubled production, its change of directors, its doom-laden coverage, (everything from box office failure to its leading man having no acting ability). What is even more remarkable is that none of it shows in the finished product; whether this is testament to Howard's ability or whether the film was always more cohesive than critically assumed, it's difficult to tell. Such as it is, Solo is a great, if slightly unnecessary addition to the Star Wars canon, fleshing out the backstory of beloved pilot and cinematic icon, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich, stepping into the shoes of Harrison Ford) as he grows from rebellious crook into the cocky smuggler we all know and love

Ehrenreich certainly brings a great deal of Solo's character across perfectly, albeit in an embryonic state for much of the film-this is clearly a story about his personal growth as a person-but by the end his performance doesn't feel that far away from Han as we met him in the Mos Eisley cantina early into the original Star Wars. The story serves this growth well, as we see him yearn for freedom, together with his lover, Qi'ra, only to find his escape from his childhood as a indentured thief only lands him in another form of servitude, that of an Imperial soldier-escape from this only lands him in more trouble, working off a debt to vicious crime syndicate.

However, whilst this adds a nice degree of grit, as well as depth to Han, the story sadly seems to stick to what I can only describe as a two and a bit hour long Star Wars inflected version of the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Much as River Phoenix ran through a cliff-notes version of how Dr Jones got that scar, his fear of snakes, his hat, and his ability with a bullwhip-not to mention his strongly held belief that antiquities belong in a museum, rather than sold for profit, Solo does something very similar for Ford's other iconic role.

As a result, Han adopts his surname, picks up his iconic blaster, rescues his soon-to-be First Mate, the wookie Chewbacca, from Imperial troops, flies the (much cleaner and less battered) Millenium Falcon, mutters something about having a feeling about something, does the infamous Kessel Run (in under 12 parsecs!) wins the Falcon off Lando, and heads to Tattoine to (obviously) get himself entangled with Jabba the Hutt's plans.

And yet there is something admirable in the Solo-ish self-assured nature this film has in going through now-familiar storybeats; there is a slickness and a stylishness to Han as a character, even if it feels a work in progress. Qi'ra, played by Emilia Clarke, is a likable romantic foil to Han, with just as much ability to handle herself in a fight, and even more cunning that her former lover, whilst Chewbacca, as ever, feels like Han's moral compass, as well as providing (via growls) some of the film's best lines.

Stealing the show, much as Harrison Ford stole many of the scenes in the original Star Wars, is Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. Lando...is the best thing about this film, from his utterly perfect recreation of Billy Dee Williams' persona, to his relationship with the rest of the crew of the Falcon, his rivalry with Han, his rapport with robo-liberationist L3-37 (Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge), and his cool-as-hell wardrobe. It's small wonder that calls for a standalone Lando film are now gathering pace.

However, Solo's biggest problem is its reason d'etre. Aside from explaining the significant of the two metal dice left behind for Adam Driver's Kylo Ren to discover, like a son unexpectedly accosted by his father's car's fluffy dice, fleshing out a backstory we already know, and adding a cameo, that, whilst enjoyable, neither leads anywhere nor is of any surprise to those who read or watch the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Solo feels...unnecessary. Not a bad unnecessary, and certainly, it's visually and thematically as good as any of the films made under Disney's ownership of Star Wars, but unnecessary nonetheless.

This seems to be the problem with the A Star Wars Story films thus far-Rogue One was an enjoyable heist movie but aside from Darth Vader tearing up an entire squadron of rebel troops, only added a few details here and there of any particular note. Solo is very much the same-a few little nods, a couple of moments of truly impactful changes to the Galaxy, but otherwise old news in a new film. The other problem is that, much like other prequels introducing much loved characters, it undermines them.

We learn everything there is to know about Han Solo from the three and a half minutes from him sitting down at the table in the cantina, to the moment he shoots Greedo under the table, gets up and leaves. He's fully formed from the moment he gets up, eyes the Roderian's smouldering corpse, and throws a few credits to the cantina owner. Did we need Solo? In a word, no. It's a serviceable addition, but with a Boba Fett film on the horizon, one can only hope that a Galaxy Far Far Away steps away from the familiar figures and tells brand new stories of its own soon.

Rating: Recommended.