"I have a really good feeling about this!" That's the line that Han says in the trailer that's playing in the cinema before the movies. And I remember my friend leaning over to me and saying: "I hate that he says that so much". There's no denying that all of my friends felt that this movie was not needed, me included. But we got it nonetheless and I always wanna give every movie a chance. "Star Wars" has been a very meaningful and inspirational saga for me and my family since ever before I can even remember. When Disney took over I held out hope that the new adventures would give me some joy of revisiting these characters in this world that I love. Unfortunately, I have been feeling more and more let down about the whole situation. I'm not gonna get into it here because there's too much to discuss. And there's already plenty of people who have voiced their displeasure of the mishandling of this property. The fear of us getting a new SW film every year is that the specialness will fade away. That they no longer feel like the events they were and that SW becomes over-saturated. It's been talked to death on other platforms, I know. I'm gonna get to what I thought, since that's why you are reading. Well, I did my best to go in with no expectations. Just to be open with the whole "expect the worst and hope for the best" type thing. And yes, you feel the "Star Warsy"-ness, but I couldn't help but to leave the cinema less happy than you should watching a SW movie. The action set-pieces, the references and the practical effects are appreciated. But the core of the story needed more.
Every beat of what you sort of expect to happen happens. Chewbacca and Han's friendship was what I bought the most. It honestly felt pure and sympathetic. They got that right. Of course, the heist stuff is fun, but the care for the people and story? Other than the fact that you already know some of them based on previous films, you don't feel the importance of why this needed to be told. It becomes an un-eventful film in the series that really adds nothing new to what you already know about our main characters. It's nice to see Lando because you know him, but in the end he is just there in surface-level form. Nothing against Donald Glover, he was a great casting choice. But if this was your introduction to him or Han, then I'm not sure how much you would care. The reason I felt I could care a little was based on knowing who Han or Lando are in the other movies. I will again say that I enjoyed when the sense of urgency kicked in. You know, when a mission or quest is presented and you go: "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go on an adventure". It's unfortunate that the adventure leads to no special impact. Creature effects and designs felt organic to the world, so that was nice to see. I bought the underground gambling places a lot more here than I did in "The Last Jedi". Here they blended in to the world and didn't distract. Everything looked and felt like it belonged in the SW universe. Although I would be happy if they didn't over-relay on everything that's nostalgia. Some new element would be nice to introduce. But this movie lands in a safe zone where no big leaps of risks are taken. The problem is that it failed to engage me in the actual story.
The movie didn't make me feel happy or angry, it's a feeling in between. It's probably just fine, but you won't remember most if it. An average sci-fi movie that doesn't do much more than to be mildly entertaining. I have nothing against Ron Howard. I feel more bad for him because he had to take over mid-production and fix what he could. I respect the commitment in his effort, but I think I would have done some changes to make sure it got a warmer reaction. How about Alden "Would that it were so simple" / "The rules don't apply to you" Ehrenreich? Well, he's not a bad actor, kids. Leave him alone. The issue is that I just couldn't buy him as Solo. I'm sorry, Alden. You did your best, but you seemed more like another character. There's glimmers towards the end that remind you that it's supposed to be Han, but again, it's surface level. Not to say that I didn't think his character was like-able. No, he has charisma and humanity about him. But it's sad that it's never to the point where he earns the role and you go; "That's Solo!". I'm gonna end the review by saying that I'm conflicted about it. There are fun scenes to enjoy, but the the bigger picture is... kind of ..uninteresting. I hate to say it, and the worst part is that I'm starting to feel ready to let go of the new SW. If "Episode IX" doesn't give me the motivation to see what happens next, then... What's the point?
PS: There's a cameo at the end and it was actually the most unexpected and exciting part of the movie. But it's also a little bit like: "Oh, I'm happy to see you.. But, what.. Why again?"
Every beat of what you sort of expect to happen happens. Chewbacca and Han's friendship was what I bought the most. It honestly felt pure and sympathetic. They got that right. Of course, the heist stuff is fun, but the care for the people and story? Other than the fact that you already know some of them based on previous films, you don't feel the importance of why this needed to be told. It becomes an un-eventful film in the series that really adds nothing new to what you already know about our main characters. It's nice to see Lando because you know him, but in the end he is just there in surface-level form. Nothing against Donald Glover, he was a great casting choice. But if this was your introduction to him or Han, then I'm not sure how much you would care. The reason I felt I could care a little was based on knowing who Han or Lando are in the other movies. I will again say that I enjoyed when the sense of urgency kicked in. You know, when a mission or quest is presented and you go: "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go on an adventure". It's unfortunate that the adventure leads to no special impact. Creature effects and designs felt organic to the world, so that was nice to see. I bought the underground gambling places a lot more here than I did in "The Last Jedi". Here they blended in to the world and didn't distract. Everything looked and felt like it belonged in the SW universe. Although I would be happy if they didn't over-relay on everything that's nostalgia. Some new element would be nice to introduce. But this movie lands in a safe zone where no big leaps of risks are taken. The problem is that it failed to engage me in the actual story.
The movie didn't make me feel happy or angry, it's a feeling in between. It's probably just fine, but you won't remember most if it. An average sci-fi movie that doesn't do much more than to be mildly entertaining. I have nothing against Ron Howard. I feel more bad for him because he had to take over mid-production and fix what he could. I respect the commitment in his effort, but I think I would have done some changes to make sure it got a warmer reaction. How about Alden "Would that it were so simple" / "The rules don't apply to you" Ehrenreich? Well, he's not a bad actor, kids. Leave him alone. The issue is that I just couldn't buy him as Solo. I'm sorry, Alden. You did your best, but you seemed more like another character. There's glimmers towards the end that remind you that it's supposed to be Han, but again, it's surface level. Not to say that I didn't think his character was like-able. No, he has charisma and humanity about him. But it's sad that it's never to the point where he earns the role and you go; "That's Solo!". I'm gonna end the review by saying that I'm conflicted about it. There are fun scenes to enjoy, but the the bigger picture is... kind of ..uninteresting. I hate to say it, and the worst part is that I'm starting to feel ready to let go of the new SW. If "Episode IX" doesn't give me the motivation to see what happens next, then... What's the point?
PS: There's a cameo at the end and it was actually the most unexpected and exciting part of the movie. But it's also a little bit like: "Oh, I'm happy to see you.. But, what.. Why again?"