With the drama behind the scenes, the divisive nature of Thr Last Jedi, and the troubled production, it's a minor miracle that it's not a disaster. The fact that Solo is not only a solid movie, but actually kind of close to a great one makes it even more improbable. While a little too small scale and inconsequential for it to be considered a classic, Solo is ironically what a lot of the man-children who boycotted Solo because of Last Jedi,( I have lots of issues with TLJ myself, but I also didn't throw a temper tantrum like some others), would have wanted in a Star Wars film-an old school, Indian Jones-esque foray into space opera that more or less honors the characters that came before it.
The Good:
Frankly, this entire movie could go in this category. This is a really solid film that is written in the classic A-B-C plotted storytelling style of the original trilogy. The action scenes are actually really great,( with the Kessel run being a particular highlight), with real stakes. Perhaps most importantly, the Kasdans GET what Han Solo is about- a guy who is reckless, sarcastic, and " rough around the edges," but in the end is a "good guy." Another random I kind of loved about this was them using Daeth Maul as the big bad in this. I really hadn't kept up with the animated series too much, so I didn't even know he was alive, which made the reveal that much more surprising.
The Bad:
Most of this film is surprisingly solid, but the one element that really held this back is Alden Ehrenreich. He does an admirable job, but the dude just doesn't have the gravity or grounded appeal that Harrison Ford has. Again, he does the best he can and, after a little getting used to, his performance eventually works, but the dude is just not Harrison Ford. That was always going to be a problem with this film, and Ehrenreich doesn't quite live up to it.
Also, I like Woody Harrleson, but Tobias is just Woody Harrelson with no nuance. He could do better.
The Ugly:
Like others have said, I hated the lighting in this. Star Wars should be bright, and this isn't.
Overall, I really have grown to like this film a lot. Ehrenreich doesn't always work, but it's so solidly constructed and well-intentioned that I can't help but like it.
*** out of ****
