SOLO: A Star Wars Story (2018)

[Darth Geek]

No matter how many critically acclaimed movies he directs, he's always going to be Richie Cunningham in my mind.

Or that one other choice that I will not mention here because it would be like uttering the words of the black speech in Imladris.

Uwe Boll? Tommy Wisseau? James Nguyen?

Michael Bay

[Cyrusso]

Michael Bay

... yes.

[ihavemyreasons]

Don't underestimate Ron Howard, he's made some really good quality stuff in his career as a director.

I think he's an okay director, just not a great one. And given that he was hired after the great Chris Miller and Phil Lord were removed, clearly Ron Howard is only there because the studio wants someone they can control and who won't take chances.

This. Ron Howard makes perfectly OK movies that hit all of the crowd pleasing notes but don't break any new ground or take many risks. Without going and looking up everything he's directed, I can't think of a movie of his that I've hated. But I also can't think of a movie of his that I thought was great and wanted to see again after seeing it once.

[Kete]

I just got my tickets for the Millennium Falcon experience today. I'll let you know how it goes!

[goflyblind]

I just got my tickets for the Millennium Falcon experience today. I'll let you know how it goes!

you're watching the movie in that thing? you're braver than i thought.

[Kete]

So there is a replica of the Millennium Falcon that they are transporting to 4 locations prior to the Solo release, and they picked my theater as one of the locations.

Overall it was pretty cool. I ended up waiting in line for about 1.5 hours (1 hour to get the tickets, and another 30 min to get inside). I heard that it had the room with the holochess, but I only saw the hallway and the cockpit. I dont know if they had that section closed (it looks like there was a whole other section that it could have fit in). The cockpit was super cool, but they rushed us through sooo fast. The video is almost the entirety of the time available. We really had to press them for the extra 20 seconds that it took for me to sit and get a picture.

[Cyrusso]

Well I'm going to see it tomorrow night at my favorite movie theater. There is just one thing that seriously bothers me. I'm scared that with a lot of the stuff I'm seeing on social media that people will be all angry at this film and call it the worst movie ever or worst Star Wars movie ever. Yes, I know that in a perfect world, the only opinion that should count to me is my own opinion but the inner workings of my head stays contrary despite that. The wiring in my brain makes it very difficult for me to enjoy or love something if every single Facebook post on anything Star Wars related contains some negative comment about the film. I'm going to try and go in not having any particular expectations and if I do that I'm hoping it will maximize the fun factor.

[ihavemyreasons]

I've read a few reviews and basically they make it out to be what I expect it to be- an OK not great movie- worst of the Disney movies, but not as bad as the prequels but maybe just as unnecessary as the prequels. Guessing they'll be enough there that I'll enjoy it when I get around to seeing it, but going to see Deadpool 2 this weekend instead.   

[Pak-Man]

I have tickets for Sunday, but I have to say, in 30 days we've had Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, and now Solo. Slow it down, Hollywood! It's not even summer yet, and I'm already feeling some blockbuster fatigue.

[kunedog]

A fairly positive review from an unexpected source will prevent me from staying home.  Foreign box office totals are looking grim, though.

Spoiler

Though it says "No Spoilers" he still drops mild ones in the middle of the video (with a warning).

[Cyrusso]

I loved it! It was pretty much everything I wanted it to be, and that made me very, very happy. Seriously, this movie rocks!

[ScottotD]

I would have enjoyed it more if it was just Donald Glover in amazing costumes while the Star Wars score played, always nice to see a movie knowing you're not sharing the cinema with MRAs though 

[kunedog]

B

Seanbaby once wrote that no movie was ever saved harder than Eddie Murphy saved The Golden Child.  With a director it's not as easy to know for sure, but I believe Ron Howard has succeeded where Joss Whedon failed (with Justice League) and saved Solo.  This the first movie since the OT that truly felt like I was watching a classic Star Wars movie, and that alone is quite a feat.

I attribute this ill-defined "feeling" to:

- the action scenes, which seemed simpler, quieter, and more drawn out than those in other Disney SW flicks.  Apart from one frantic exception, I was never confused about what was happening on screen from shot to shot.

- some new alien characters with speaking roles.  Might be my imagination, but those seem scarce in Star Wars of late.

- an original plot with no (okay, minimal) referenced or outright aped scenes from past movies and NO DEATH STAR.

I do wish it were another Rogue-One-style cast of unknowns instead of including Han/Lando/Chewie.  Han and Lando are fine as bland protagonist and cool merc, but I accepted only Chewie as himself.  I don't give one shit about the dice, and I'm sure Howard was ordered to include forty closeups of them.  Also, please Hollywood, find the strength to cut (or just never shoot) inane dialog revolving around your characters' names.  You now risk Han Solo being derisively spoken of in the same breath as Luigi Mario and Martha&Martha.

Overall, I'm shocked Ron Howard molded Solo into something I like at all, but he can't save its profit margin too and I won't enjoy seeing it die from lack of earnings.

[Kete]

I liked it much more than I thought it would. I could have done without a lot of the fan service, but overall I liked it. I agree, if I could cut one thing, it would be the Solo name dialog.

[Darth Geek]

I suppose it's appropriate that a movie about a smuggler, and who deals a lot with the seedier side of the galaxy, would feel "film noir-ish". But all it did was make me not give a shit about anything that was happening.