Before he returned as
the father trying to set his son right in “The Force Awakens,” Han Solo was the
suave guy of the “Star Wars” franchise. You knew he had a lot of crazy tales to
tell about gamblers, smugglers and other eccentric people he associated with
before he joined the Rebellion, but for some reason you never heard all of
them. A.O. Scott said in his review, “Maybe that was for the best, but on the
other hand, why not set him up with a ghostwriter and a vanity press and let
the yarns rip?”
Because you might find
out that he wasn’t really interesting as you expected him to be. Young Han,
played by a hard-working, a little lost-looking Alden Ehrenreich, is shown as a
reckless youth on a dark, rough planet called Corellia, hot-wiring speeders and
kissing his girlfriend, Qi’ra, played by Emilia Clarke. Scott noted, “The
opening scenes carry a faint whiff of the burning rubber, gasoline and
adolescent hormones of “American Graffiti,” the 1973 car-crazy coming-of-age
picture directed by George Lucas and starring Mr. Howard (with a young Harrison
Ford as well).”
Scott described, “Han
is fresh-faced and earnest, a long way from the grizzled, Humphrey Bogart-ish
cynicism of “A New Hope.” He and Qi’ra, indentured to a giant centipede with
Linda Hunt’s voice, start running like figures in a Springsteen song — we gotta
get out while we’re young! — only to find their dreams of escape dashed by the
Empire and a criminal syndicate called Crimson Dawn.” Han signs up for Imperial
Navy and escapes. Qi’ra gets engaged to a crooked criminal named Dryden Vos
(Paul Bettany), and the former lovers reunite in his bar, where Han, now part
of a gang of freelance thieves (led by Woody Harrelson’s Beckett) has arrived
to make a deal.
Scott said, “That’s
enough plot for now, though of course, this being a “Star Wars” movie, there is
plenty more where that came from, and enough made-up geography, astrophysics
and political science to fill a semester of hard study. I should admit that
even though I’ve been enrolled, on and off, for most of my life, I’ve been a
pretty consistent C student.”
Scott continued, “However,
I will also say that I was surprised when a figure from one of the earlier trilogies
showed up, and I argued fiercely with an editor (a bigger nerd than I am, by
the way) who said such a thing just wasn’t possible. There followed an
intensive seminar in the newsroom of The New York Times, during which issues of
timeline integrity and what might or might not be canon were debated with
appropriate vigor and solemnity. If I say any more, the spoiler police will
come after me. Journalism can be an intense business.”
Scott said, “Unlike
“Solo,” which ambles from one set piece to the next in a spirit of genial
in-betweenness. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also holds
whatever irreverent, anarchic impulses it might possess in careful check. Some
fans may blame Mr. Howard for this, and fantasize about what might have been if
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the “Lego Movie” auteurs originally hired to
direct, had been allowed to see the project through.” However, this galaxy has
always been a rule-bound area, and too much difference from franchise
traditions would probably have motivated up some type of fan fury.
There’s no reason to
get furious. There are some great action scenes, and some that seem mindless.
There are so many side characters that come close to overpower the protagonist,
including Beckett’s lover, Val (Thandie Newton), an essential droid called
L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Lando Clarissian (Donald Glover), the original
owner of the Millennium Falcon, Han’s sometime enemy and secret ego model. We
also can’t forget Chewbacca, played by Joonas Suotamo.
Funny enough, he meets
Han in a mud pit. If there are any other questions you have lingering, you have
to see the film for yourself. However, one thing that stays curiously
unanswered is how Han became the cautious, sarcastic man Leia (and everyone
else) fell in love with back in the 70s. It’s not Ehrenreich’s fault that he
doesn’t remind us of Harrison Ford. (Scott does admit, “Though the idea of Mr.
Glover aging into Billy Dee Williams creates a magical loop in the pop-cultural
space-time continuum.”) It’s more of the stories not really adjusting. Men like
the old Han Solo belong in the past. We’re supposed to be nicer people nowadays.
I would suggest
everyone go to the theater and watch this, especially if you’re a Star Wars
fan, like me. I personally thought this was a nice film, although I can
understand problems people might have with it. However, I don’t think there are
too many problems with it. Expect a short cameo of Ray Park returning as Darth
Maul.
Stay tuned Friday for
the continuation of “Coen Brothers Month.”
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