Re: Solo: A Star Wars Story [SPOILERS ALLOWED]

by SoloSideCousin Sat 26 May 2018, 2:46 pm

Riri wrote:I finally watched it! It was a fun ride, although i'm far more interested in the character interactions than the spectacle like the Kessel Run which dragged imo.

- Alden and Donald shined the most. Seriously Alden was fantastic as Han!
- I loved Qi'ra's conflicted character. She reminds me of Ben so much! Now Han's line "Snoke is using you for your power,when he gets what he wants he'll crush you" has so much more emotional weight!
- The elevator scene leading up to Drydens "office" paralleled the Throne Room scene in TLJ. Snoke/Dryden pointing out Qi'ra/Ben's weakness. Qi'ra/Ben deceiving their masters and killing them, and both taking over their masters roles. Qi'ra kept saying it's too late for her and she's done too much, I really want to know what crimes she's committed in the past. I wonder if anti's will give her so much stick like how they have with Ben? The way Dryden kept talking about Qi'ra's weakness (her love for Han) seriously sealed the Reylo deal for me!!! (i mean it was already sealed but this was further proof!)
- I can see why Han saw himself in Rey. Tough childhood, no surname, wanting to "go back" for someone.
- Enfy's Nest was so cool! So if she's part of the rebellion, then maybe she knows Bail Organa and Leia?
- Loved the significance of the dice.
- I wasn't fond of the amount of fanservice, sometimes it felt like every piece of OT Han dialogue had some sort of backstory, however I enjoyed the movie overall!

@Riri

Think of the timeline. This is several years before Rebels and Leia, Princess of Alderaan. Enfys Nest, Han *and* Q'ira (by letting Enfys get the fuel) birth the Rebellion, and they do it under very difficult circumstances. Bail and Leia get to jump on an already established movement from the comfort of a Palace. Bail may have brought the Rebellion into the big leagues because of his position, but years of hard, seemingly hopeless work happened before the Organas came onboard. This bit of information changes everything. It is really fantastic.

Also, I absolutely love Q'ira. She is absolutely Kylo/Ben-lite at the moment and may develop into an similarly intriguing character if more movies are made. She also doesn't just lust after power. By lying to Darth Maul she saves Han by leaving him unknown and she lets Enfys get the fuel, and she does this when she is going to be interrogated by forceuser Maul. There is a sacrificial element to what she does, and I predict that Kylo will do something similar, but Rey better find out about what Ben is doing, like Lizzie and Mr. Darcy!

Honestly, there is a ton of information embedded in this movie under the guise of a fun ride.

by Night Huntress Sat 26 May 2018, 4:33 pm

So, just back from the theatre.

I loved the movie - it's a different kind of love that I have for the saga films- those have a special place in my heart.

Alden did a great job as Han- I'm really pleasantly surprised how well he pulled it of. I was one of the salty b*** when he was cast. But I'm glad I had been wrong. Thumbs up

Chewie - WOW...I loved him. The way he and Han met is very different from the old EU- which I appreciated because predictable is boring.

Qi'ra- I liked her character...the "romance" between her and Han didn't border me as much as I thought. Somehow it wasn't really that...intense? I don't know. Watching them kiss and make-out didn't gave me that "butterflies in the tummy" feeling I had with Han & Leia or Ben & Rey. Nope

Lando was - well Lando. Donald Glover is made for this role...hope we see more of him.

Enfys Nest- YEAH! Bada** as hell! I wanted to see more of her!

Now the one thing disliked- that droid...I really really wanted to like her- but I didn't. I thought she was awful. Sorry L-puke

by DeeBee Sat 26 May 2018, 7:01 pm

I really enjoyed your comments snufkin, I"ll pick out a few bits and reply...

snufkin wrote: + Only quibble I'd have is him deciding to help out Enfys Nest and therefore the Rebellion, because that's somewhat inconsistent with how he is in the original movie. He's only originally interested in extorting money out of Leia to pay off Jabba and him coming back to help (and then sticking around) is a huge turning point for Han. This makes him a little too nice too soon, especially when one of the main reasons Leia keeps him at arm's length is that he's not a nice man. Having Qi'ra say outright that he's one of the good guys just feels a little too telegraphed to the audience and also the point is that he's not good/nice but Leia loves him anyways.

@snufkin
YMMV - I was okay with it. I think Solo showed that Han always had that good guy deep down.. but the intensity with which he fights this good guy instinct seems to ebb and flow at different points in his life. That at the start of the movie, he was adamant he and Qi'ra would escape together - he wanted to share the valuable coaxium with her and get them both out - this for me set him up as not totally ruthless from the start of the film.
I think Qi'ra does know Han very well and she was accurate in her assessment of him. Even if she herself didn't head down the same path.. and instead chose evil.

snufkin wrote: -- Also way too on the nose, the decision to instead of running off with ones "you're one of the good guys" love interest, to seize power/rise further up

@snufkin
-Yeah this was pretty blatant.. and I loved the parallels.. I was thinking about this particular parallel, and how Kylo/Ben asked Rey to join him, but Qi'ra did not ask Han... It got me thinking...
Qi'ra I think really did love Han. When she reported to Darth Maul I think (I've only seen the movie once so I could be wrong!) she told him what happened and blamed Beckett for everything, and completely left Han and Chewie out of the story. As far as Darth Maul knows, they were never involved. In doing this, she set Han free from a different form of enslavement that he could have gotten himself into - Beckett talked about that didn't he? someone did.. about how once you get into these organisations there is no getting out. Han didn't seem concerned but he should have been. Han was a short term thinker (just focused on the next thing and understandable why!).. Whereas Qi'ra was thinking long term. It seemed Qi'ra was the worldly wise pragmatist, and Han was naive to this reality..
If Qi'ra had asked Han to join her in Crimson Dawn - I do wonder.. he may have said yes - not fully realising what he was in for..
what do you guys think?

The way Qi'ra let Han go, deceiving him into leaving - is probably why I like her character. She didn't try and convince Han to live that life, she didn't ask him to be her partner in aiming to rule something.. she set him free - knowing that he is a good guy and it is not the life for him. While taking more power for herself, she also gave Han a gift by setting him free to live a different life. Crimson Dawn was not the life deep down good guy Han would be best living.. It's quite sad. Apart from her love for Han, I think Qi'ra has killed in herself goodness - and she doesn't see herself as a good person. But it is the path she is on now, and there is no turning back.

This made me think of Kylo/Ben's offer to Rey once he defeated Snoke - why did he ask Rey to join him? I then remembered, it's because Kylo/Ben thinks that he is on the right side.. he may be thinking it is too late to go home, but he is not thinking I'm choosing the path of evil I think. This is how he can ask Rey to join him. Of course, the audience can see that he is heading down the wrong path - but Kylo/Ben is yet to make that realisation. Kylo/Ben making the offer meant he was asking Rey to let those she cared about die - Qi'ra I think would have known that Han would not be okay with that.. and she would not have asked it of him.
Kylo/Ben doesn't know Rey so well yet though.. that or his deep seated hatred of the resistance was stronger and clouded his judgement. Hmmm
What do you all think?
Anyway, while we see parallels it's really interesting to explore how they are different and similar!

snufkin wrote:
- - Han susses Finn out pretty fast because he was also a deserter
-- Beckett's double crosses are why Han warns Ben about Snoke using and discarding him once he has what he wants out of him (which was finding the person who's the Light & killing them, which turned out to be Rey).

@snufkin
- well spotted!!!! Great insights!!!

snufkin wrote: In regards to what this means for IX, I'll stick with my usual thoughts that considering how much it was an actual family project between this film and TFA with input on TLJ (though JFC Lucasfilm, can we have some actual living mothers on screen who get to have relationships with their children???), I still have a hard time seeing that IX will be "welp he's terrible and his dad died in vain, long live the beautiful friendship gang, the end!" Though if my suspicion of what happens goes down and basically Supreme Leader Ben Solo takes out the FO and what's left of the Empire with Rey as a partner and then they get all hitched up (making her Han's eventual daughter-in-law and mother of the grandchildren Leia had fantasized about in Bloodline), you know a certain sector of the fandom is going to riot. TLJ's controversies were just a warm-up for that bloodbath.

@snufkin
Hear hear! Yes seeing Ben triumph in the end will be a triumph for the legacy of Han, Leia and Luke - why would people not want to see that?! I think they just find it hard to imagine this can be done in a satisfying way. Me, I have faith the makers can pull it off successfully and who knows maybe the rioters will be converts in the end and embrace it.

by Night Huntress Sun 27 May 2018, 12:53 am

DeeBee wrote:

The way Qi'ra let Han go, deceiving him into leaving - is probably why I like her character. She didn't try and convince Han to live that life, she didn't ask him to be her partner in aiming to rule something.. she set him free - knowing that he is a good guy and it is not the life for him. While taking more power for herself, she also gave Han a gift by setting him free to live a different life. Crimson Dawn was not the life deep down good guy Han would be best living.. It's quite sad. Apart from her love for Han, I think Qi'ra has killed in herself goodness - and she doesn't see herself as a good person. But it is the path she is on now, and there is no turning back.

@DeeBee

I absolutely agree- Beckett said to Han that he doesn't really know her and Vos mentioned to Han that Qi'ra had done things he can't imagine... I don't think she is evil but I do believe she did bad things to survive...I'm not sure it was only the power she craved at the end. I assume a part of her did it to give Han freedom. Despite her love for him- she knew ones he fully realize what kind of life they would be trapped in he wouldn't be happy. Vos wasn't the big bad- what do Obi-Wan say in TPM? There is always a bigger fish? That's how these organizations work. And even if you manage to take out the big bad on the top- you'll always have to watch you back...because people want to push you of the throne.

Maybe that's a lesson Ben also have to learn in IX.

by snufkin Sun 27 May 2018, 1:17 am

Okay one thing that occurred to me with the “he’s using you & when he gets what he wants he’ll crush you” warning that’s part of the parallels/mirroring, what if that could maybe also be whatever eventual fate Qi’ra meets as she rose up the chain of command in that criminal syndicate? Am I right (but too lazy too Google it) that the networks mentioned are also the ones in Bloodline? Who are behind the funding for the First Order and who flourish post war in places like Jakku bc there the NR didn’t provide for the less powerful world. You have to imagine there has to be something in IX about where the money is coming from. The Canto Bight part are the more well heeled and respected part of that economy. Not that we’ll get into Space Economics, just that the Supreme Leader could come face to face (and in conflict with) the same gangs his old man ran with and tangled with. And they may be happier having somebody like Hux in charge.

by Riri Sun 27 May 2018, 3:11 am

Fantastic meta on Qilo/Reylo. Echoes everything folks have been saying here

https://raven-maiden.tumblr.com/post/174271362006/what-solo-a-star-wars-story-tells-us-about-reylo

by Riri Sun 27 May 2018, 8:03 am

Sorry double post but wanted to post this visual parallel.

This last shot of Qi'ra mirrors the last shot of Ben in TLJ. Both separated from the person they love due to the darker path chosen, alone in a dark room with light trying to pierce through Beautiful parallel and visual storytelling.

Solo: A Star Wars Story [SPOILERS ALLOWED] - Page 3 Img_7216

Solo: A Star Wars Story [SPOILERS ALLOWED] - Page 3 Img_7217

by Darth Dingbat Sun 27 May 2018, 12:12 pm

These are just random thoughts, not responding to anyone specifically -

I'll have to see the film again soon, and of course we don't really know for sure about Qi'ra's actions and motives until her story continues, but I have to say that her story will have much less appeal to me personally if it turns out we're supposed to see her as a sort of martyr.

The sacrificial element is more appealing to me in Kylo's case because he's already on an extremely dark path - we've seen him do terrible things with our own eyes. Whatever sacrifices he might make, whatever suffering he might go through (or is shown to have gone through in the past), whatever pity he might excite, it all serves a cathartic and redemptive function.

In Qi'ra's case, we've really only seen her as a nice person doing mostly good or neutral things. We know more about her backstory, the life circumstances that were against her from the start, and what she had to go through than we do about Ben's. We have never seen any of the unsavoury things she may have done for Crimson Dawn, and anyway we know her hand was always forced because she's Crimson Dawn's branded property. When she killed Vos, it was a cheerworthy moment comparable to Kylo killing Snoke, not Kylo killing Han... so she was already doing a redemptive thing... without actually being in need of redemption, in the audience's eyes. You can easily frame that as a victim standing up to her victimiser and triumphing. Except then she goes on to make those startling choices she does.

So it's in those choices that her ambiguity lies, and that's what makes her so intriguing and multi-layered - again, to me personally. She's not a bad person, and in light of her backstory it is understandable that she ends up making bad choices for complex reasons. But I do find it a lot more interesting if those bad choices are actually bad choices, and if she is actually choosing a dark path - instead of sacrificing herself to a dark path for the sake of doing what she sees as the right, self-sacrificial thing. Because again, that would be basically a good, victimised character having a dramatic turning point and... continuing to be good and victimised.

But it all comes down to personal preferences and the highly personal way we all interpret these things. I do see the parallels that are discussed, but I just find it very hard to see Qi'ra as a direct parallel to Kylo, when the story has never framed Qi'ra as a villain or even really a grey character. She becomes morally ambiguous when she chooses to take Vos's place and ally herself to Maul. Before that, she was a good person under duress. If even that final act of hers is as a good person under duress, it's less appealing... to me.

by Riri Sun 27 May 2018, 12:41 pm

Has anyone bought "Most Wanted"?

Han's father calls himself nothing and a nobody.

Solo: A Star Wars Story [SPOILERS ALLOWED] - Page 3 Img_7212

by SoloSideCousin Sun 27 May 2018, 1:16 pm

Riri wrote:Has anyone bought "Most Wanted"?

Han's father calls himself nothing and a nobody.

@Riri

Holy crap! That actually made me a little teary. What happened with Han's dad?

by ISeeAnIsland Sun 27 May 2018, 2:40 pm

SoloSideCousin wrote:
Riri wrote:Has anyone bought "Most Wanted"?

Han's father calls himself nothing and a nobody.

@Riri

Holy crap! That actually made me a little teary. What happened with Han's dad?

@SoloSideCousin

Wow. That's interesting... You'd think that Han wouldn't have been super young when his father disappeared/took off/was killed/whatever, given that memory, but then you've got Han not being exactly sure how old he is, which would point to him having been on his own for a while. And there's the line in Solo about him having been running scams on the street since he was 10...

But yeah, super blatant parallel (again) between Han and Rey's childhoods.

by snufkin Sun 27 May 2018, 3:43 pm

The moment that they had that conversation between Han and Lando (RIP Lando's mom, she sounds awesome & so far sounds like the only woman in Star Wars who actually got to raise her kid), felt like they might have well lowered down a flashing neon sign. Not just to lay on heavy that Han and Rey both had crappy childhoods/drunk parents and that's why he tries to help her, but also that Han becoming a pilot and kind of a big deal is rooted in his own father's sad life, and oh by the way his father worked in the shipyards of Corellia to build these type of ships, which makes Mitaka's whole "YT model Coreillian freighter" moment even more loaded. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that a franchise steeped in men and their daddy issues should continue to be a theme in the ST and the standalone Solo film. Just that this time they're plumbing Han's side of the family and his own coming-to-grips with being a father despite the relationships he had with his father and men like Beckett.

Also I could swear besides the whole business that he co-wrote the bridge scene and this film with one of his sons (and they don't sound in interviews like they have a relationship where "he just got more evil and died, letting down his parents' suffering and sacrifice" would be a likely outcome) that he's also discussed in some of the post TFA podcasts about his father dying when he was still a teenager. The OT and PT may have been about George Lucas' issues as a son and father, but the ST and Solo definitely feel like there's some of Kasdan family history invested in it. Which okay, but it makes me more sad Carrie Fisher won't be around so maybe we could've at least got some equal time in IX for Leia to grapple with her role as a mother along with everything else placed on her shoulders.

by rawpowah Sun 27 May 2018, 3:51 pm

And as expected, the really juicy stuff is left out of the movie and inserted in auxiliary material nobody is going to read outside a small group of fans Neutral

by SoloSideCousin Sun 27 May 2018, 3:53 pm

snufkin wrote:The moment that they had that conversation between Han and Lando (RIP Lando's mom, she sounds awesome & so far sounds like the only woman in Star Wars who actually got to raise her kid), felt like they might have well lowered down a flashing neon sign. Not just to lay on heavy that Han and Rey both had crappy childhoods/drunk parents and that's why he tries to help her, but also that Han becoming a pilot and kind of a big deal is rooted in his own father's sad life, and oh by the way his father worked in the shipyards of Corellia to build these type of ships, which makes Mitaka's whole "YT model Coreillian freighter" even more loaded. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that a franchise steeped in men and their daddy issues should have that be a theme in the ST and the standalone Solo film as well. Just that this time they're plumbing Han's side of the family and his own coming-to-grips with being a father despite the relationships he had with his father and men like Beckett.

@snufkin

The Han dad doesn't actually sound like a bad guy, just dysfunctional with the drinking, the depression/self-loathing and probably an utter cluelessness on how to raise a child. After all these fathers, Kylo/Ben *needs* to be there for his kid.

by snufkin Sun 27 May 2018, 3:58 pm

@SoloSideCousin Oh definitely with the dysfunctional and depression/self-loathing, which feeds into how they've characterized Han in the novels as being insecure (which probably he blames himself for not standing up and objecting to sending Ben to Luke because he doubted his correct instincts) about being a father. He probably didn't sell Han off for a bottle of Early Times, unlike Rey's parents. Which all of this just feels like it's pointing to Ben getting his sh*t together and ending up with Rey, where they'll have a family together who manage to learn from and avoid the mistakes of the past generations.

It's funny but I just read the latest novel by one of my favorite Western regional authors, Willy Vlautin, Don't Skip Out on Me (his Lean on Pete just got made into a film by Andrew Hautin). And Rey is 100% the type of character who'd be in one of his novels as the lost and lonely but open-hearted young person who lives on the margins thanks to poverty and family dysfunction while trying to both survive and hope for a better/happier life.

by rey09 Sun 27 May 2018, 6:01 pm

rawpowah wrote:And as expected, the really juicy stuff is left out of the movie and inserted in auxiliary material nobody is going to read outside a small group of fans

@rawpowah

Exactly what I was thinking. Disney is really doing this all wrong. Massive waste of potential. Incredibly frustrating. It's all about how can we make money off of random s***.

by Cowgirlsamurai Sun 27 May 2018, 7:12 pm

Can Ron Howard Save ‘Solo’?

Sorry if this has been shared before... but did anyone else know that Michael K Williams originally played Dryden, but was unavailable for reshoots after the director change, so they brought in Paul Bettany?

The actor Michael K. Williams, who was not available for reshoots, was replaced in the role of a villainous crime lord by Paul Bettany, who previously worked with Mr. Howard on “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

by californiagirl Sun 27 May 2018, 7:41 pm

Cowgirlsamurai wrote:Can Ron Howard Save ‘Solo’?

Sorry if this has been shared before... but did anyone else know that Michael K Williams originally played Dryden, but was unavailable for reshoots after the director change, so they brought in Paul Bettany?

The actor Michael K. Williams, who was not available for reshoots, was replaced in the role of a villainous crime lord by Paul Bettany, who previously worked with Mr. Howard on “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

@Cowgirlsamurai

Yes, which is surely one of the reasons why so much of the film is Ron Howard's, as the original actor's schedule didn't work with the reshoots at all, entailing a somewhat different character than they had before.

by DeeBee Sun 27 May 2018, 11:28 pm

SoloSideCousin wrote: ...Think of the timeline. This is several years before Rebels and Leia, Princess of Alderaan. Enfys Nest, Han *and* Q'ira (by letting Enfys get the fuel) birth the Rebellion, and they do it under very difficult circumstances. Bail and Leia get to jump on an already established movement from the comfort of a Palace. Bail may have brought the Rebellion into the big leagues because of his position, but years of hard, seemingly hopeless work happened before the Organas came onboard. This bit of information changes everything. It is really fantastic.

Also, I absolutely love Q'ira. She is absolutely Kylo/Ben-lite at the moment and may develop into an similarly intriguing character if more movies are made. She also doesn't just lust after power. By lying to Darth Maul she saves Han by leaving him unknown and she lets Enfys get the fuel, and she does this when she is going to be interrogated by forceuser Maul. There is a sacrificial element to what she does, and I predict that Kylo will do something similar, but Rey better find out about what Ben is doing, like Lizzie and Mr. Darcy!

Honestly, there is a ton of information embedded in this movie under the guise of a fun ride.

@SoloSideCousin

I totally got confused with the time line - I was unspoiled going in and had heard nothing to give the movie context. When I saw Maul I was confused and had to go look him up.. I knew he was in clone wars but wasn't across the rebels stuff. aie!
I'm slowly starting to get my head around the galaxy wide context of Solo - without this I couldn't grasp the full significance of Han giving the coaxium to Enfys Nest.. That Han played a role in the development of the rebellion is pretty awesome and mindblowing. I love it!!!

I agree with what you say about a 'sacrificial element' - Qi'ra is not acting out of pure sacrifice but there is an aspect of her sacrificing a life with Han and setting him free - as part of the choice she is making to seize power and to do her version of 'survival'.
Not unlike Kylo/Ben - he kills Snoke to save Rey, but also to seize power - there are numerous motivations going on and the characters are not simple. I love that... Qi'ra is not a simple villain, but in the end of Solo, she is a villain.

@Riri - thanks so much for sharing this content about Han's dad Riri. I sometimes feel like keeping across canon is a group effort. Because it is simply impossible for an individual to be across everything.. so I love how fans pool their resources and share and collate information together. Everyone is someone!! Someone has to build ships..

rey09 wrote:
rawpowah wrote:And as expected, the really juicy stuff is left out of the movie and inserted in auxiliary material nobody is going to read outside a small group of fans
@rawpowah

Exactly what I was thinking. Disney is really doing this all wrong. Massive waste of potential. Incredibly frustrating. It's all about how can we make money off of random s***.

@rey09

@rawpowah & @rey09 - I can see what you mean.. this is going to be an interesting time in the SW universe..
I'll share my thinking on this, but I don't believe in telling anyone how to view things..
For me, this content about Han's dad is moving, and adds wonderful nuance to the movie content. However, I didn't need to know it to see the connection between Rey's upbringing and Han's.. I made a connection and I think that was enough to understand and enjoy the story of the movies. However, knowing it does enrich the story doesn't it!!!
I've been grappling with this myself - I really do understand the frustration with the spread of SW content!
I've asked myself: How do I enjoy Star Wars, without the fear of missing out, or without unreasonable expectations of myself and the amount of content I can absorb (with my head and my wallet rofl). Both of these things have the potential to reduce my enjoyment - and I don't want that.. but missing out on content here and there may reduce my enjoyment also.. so what to do? I guess it comes down to Balance (appropriately no?!).

I think I've come to accept I'm not going to catch everything, and I have a choice to accept my limitations and just go with the flow, or become frustrated and resentful of Star Wars at trying to milk money out of me or missing out on content. Life is short and stressful, and star wars is for fun. I think conversing with others online helps as with many eyes (and wallets) a star wars fan somewhere will share their finds with us. This is one reason why I love to share anything I find - I really appreciate the way SW fans share with each other! So I guess this is the compromise I have come around to. I am not saying anyone else should view it this way, but just wanted to share how I've come to view it over the last few months..

edited to add: came across this Stupendous wave vid and I found it helpful in getting across the time line.. maybe you will find it helpful too.

all the content spread out is a boon for makers of youtube vids I guess!

by rawpowah Mon 28 May 2018, 2:34 am

@DeeBee The Han content with his dad informs Han's relationship with Ben, not Han's similarity with Rey.

by DeeBee Mon 28 May 2018, 3:20 am

rawpowah wrote:@DeeBee The Han content with his dad informs Han's relationship with Ben, not Han's similarity with Rey.

@rawpowah

Oh okay rawpowah, yeah I misunderstood.. looking back I'm guessing maybe your comment was related to this comment from SoloSideCousin?

SoloSideCousin wrote:
...The Han dad doesn't actually sound like a bad guy, just dysfunctional with the drinking, the depression/self-loathing and probably an utter cluelessness on how to raise a child. After all these fathers, Kylo/Ben *needs* to be there for his kid.

Let me know if I'm still misunderstanding.
I can see the book snippet does add to a better understanding of Han's background - and YMMV, different parts of characters' histories resonate differently with us all - for me I understood well enough that Han came from likely an obscure background where he got little support and was probably abandoned in some way and didn't get much parenting. To learn this new information about Han's dad is super interesting and all but for me I can understand Han without this detail so I would be okay with this not being in a movie - but I am also glad to learn this new content. Hope I'm making sense. I certainly don't mean to say you are wrong to want it in the movie - I think we will all have different opinions on what we think should be in the movies at times.

I was a little confused at this book 'Most Wanted' when it was first mentioned, because Most Wanted was also the name of the DJ comic ('DJ: Most Wanted') I wonder why they went with the same name??!!! confusing.. or.. maybe there is an intention behind it I"m not aware of yet - there is always that!

by rawpowah Mon 28 May 2018, 3:29 am

@DeeBee It's actually in response to the excerpt from Most Wanted.

by DeeBee Mon 28 May 2018, 3:59 am

rawpowah wrote:@DeeBee It's actually in response to the excerpt from Most Wanted.

@rawpowah

Yes I was thinking it was related to the excerpt too - I was trying to understand what you were referring to when you replied to my comment saying that the Han content with his dad informs Han's relationship with Ben - because I was thinking of Han and Rey, so I was curious. No worries Cool

by Irina de France Mon 28 May 2018, 7:14 am

So I saw Solo yesterday, and I’ll be putting my detailed/spoilery thoughts under the cut.

As for a general overview while trying to spoil as little as possible… I definitely liked the movie. To compare it to another anthology movie, I didn’t like it as much as Rogue One (though I might change my mind after other viewings), but it was very enjoyable: basically Western meets film noir meets sci-fi, and the combo worked pretty well.

I have to admit, before the marketing for the film started, I was very meh about it. I didn’t hate it in advance like some people did, but I was pretty much planning to see it just because Lawrence Kasdan was the screenwriter, Donald Glover was Lando and I honestly couldn’t have thought of a better casting choice, and Thandie Newton aka my dreamcast for Selina Kyle/Catwoman was in it.

I did start getting a bit more optimistic as time went on. And since I’m a creature of dust and ashes and, most especially, salt, I wanted Alden Ehrenreich to succeed as Han partly because of the fandom being all “HE’S NOT HARRISON”, and also partly because if he hadn’t told the big bosses the original directors wanted Han to be space Ace Ventura, this movie would have been a mess.

And… despite all the complications, they actually did it. And unlike Justice League, I didn’t really see big contrasts indicating there had been two different visions working on the movie.

So it honestly makes me sad that the movie is underperforming because it's a genuinely well-made, multi-layered heist film. I don't think it's the film itself's fault: Lucasfilm/Disney had some pretty terrible timing and promo for the film overall, and they REALLY should have pushed it back to December.

Everyone in the cast was very good, well-cast: Alden did a terrific job playing Han and while I didn’t think he looked a lot like Harrison Ford at first, I can see the resemblance now; Donald Glover was perfection as Lando, and Emilia Clarke and Qi’ra turned out to be pleasant surprises and I enjoyed them a lot more than I expected to.

For some reason… the overall storyline and how it drew out kind of reminded me of a video game. I’m not sure why, though. That’s not to say it was badly done, but it could simply be that I became used to how quickly paced TFA and R1 were, or how TLJ was either jarringly edited at first viewing, and how certain elements were rushed and others dragging for too long. Solo didn’t have any pacing issues… though I might change my mind after repeat viewings.

There were a lot of things I was a bit afraid of before the film came out that thankfully did not bother me too much, but I did read spoilers before going in. I kept myself spoiler-free to a certain extent for TLJ and I kind of regret it, so I decided not to take any chances. (SO YOU CAN BE SURE AS HELL I’LL DO IT FOR IX.) So I was prepared going in, so there’s nothing I saw that upset me.

Shout-out to the soundtrack. It was GREAT.

Anyway, the spoilery part is under the cut to shorten the post.

Spoiler:

That’s all I can think of right now. I’ll maybe have more thoughts later on.

by rawpowah Mon 28 May 2018, 7:32 am

The Skywalker-Solo family from "The Farce Awakens" reviews Solo:

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