4 SPOILER Things I Liked/Didn't Like about Solo: A Star Wars Story

This article discusses the movie in the spoilierest of ways. Ye have been warned...

So I went to see the new Solo movie on opening night. It was...okay. It didn't make me angry like The Last Jedi, nor did it entertain me and surprise me like Rogue One. It was a good enough movie that established some interesting things and has me interested in future installments. I have a couple of issues which I will get into but in general the movie was fine. For those of you that hated The Last Jedi because of its radicalization, this might calm you down a little bit, and those that hated The Force Awakens for being too derivative, this strays enough from the Star Wars bubble that you may like it. It definitely was very slow in the beginning, and only picked up when Lando comes on the scene.

That I didn't hate the movie is actually a pretty high feat as it is. I was not pumped when they first announced the movie would be made. I did not feel as though I needed a Solo origin story, and felt that they probably wouldn't be able to do Harrison Ford's portrayal any justice. Then add on top all of the shenanigans and drama that has accompanied this movie from the firing of the original directors, to the hiring of an acting coach, because apparently Alden Ehrenreich sucked at acting for a while there. Although I must mention that his portrayal was fine. It wasn't as good as Donald Glover's Lando, but it was perfectly serviceable.

But as I said, the movie was okay. It eschews a "normal" Star Wars plot in favor of a "heist" movie plot. We discover the origins of Han Solo, and see how he meets the people in his life, and how they start to shape his character. There are a bunch of jokes, a lot of betrayals, a ton of throwbacks and easter eggs, and ends on a sequel-baiting ending. I want to go through some of the stuff that I liked, and then some of the stuff I didn't like, and the questions that arise from those:

4 Things I liked

1. Lando - Donald Glover's Lando stole this movie. He was by far the best part. He channels Billy Dee Williams' original character so well, you have no problem believing he is the younger version. He is charming, suave, smooth, and just as duplicitous as everyone's favorite only-black-guy-in-the-universe. I would definitely love to see more movies with him in it. Also, he has a cape room.

2. The Visuals - This movie uses a lot of practical effects, actual sets, and costumes, which I love. It is part of why I loved the original trilogy so much. It feels real. I also really liked how the movie was shot. There were shots that made it feel like a Western, and the dirt and grimey nature of the galactic underground was shown. The scenes in the Maw with the Star Destroyer and the Cthulhu monster were all so beautiful they should be desktop backgrounds. The creature, character design, and costuming were all excellent as well. Shout out to poor John Favreau's Rio Durant, the monkey creature that died early on. I liked him too.

3. Easter Eggs, throwbacks, and references* - As a Star Wars superfan I appreciated this a lot. At times it felt like the movie was winking at me, but most of the time I just enjoyed seeing little references that helped enhance the movie for me. One of the biggest was the name dropping of Aurra Sing, who was apparently killed by Tobias. But she was a bounty hunter seen in the podracing scene of The Phantom Menace, and someone who had a ton of stories surrounding her in the old EU canon, and even a lot in the new stuff in The Clone Wars animated series. For most people that probably didn't mean much, but that instantly fleshed out Tobias and how good of a fighter he must be.

Another great one was the explanation of how a Parsec is a measure of distance, not time. This has always been confusing for a lot of people, and it was nice that this movie explained it. There was also a subtle nod to how Lando mispronounces Han's name in the original trilogy. And of course the biggest wink to fans was how Han shot first, in the closing moments of the movie when Han shoots Tobias, showing a semi-character arc for Han as he learns not to trust people.

4. Darth Maul reveal - This one was big enough to earn its own spot. This could be put in both the good and bad section actually. Probably the biggest spoiler in the movie was at the end when it is revealed that the former Darth Maul is actually the leader of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. I recognized his voice even before they showed his face, considering they used the same guy that voiced Maul in the Clone Wars and Rebels TV shows. So on one hand I enjoyed the reveal, as it gives us some insight into a chapter unknown in Maul's life, and it helps bring the Star Wars universe together a little more, not to mention hinting at possible future stories involving the characters in the movie.

However, on the other hand it was probably very confusing to most viewers. I have already seen and heard people talking about the reveal as a twist that the movie is set before Revenge of the Sith, or just flat out confusion as they thought he died in the Phantom Menace. These are valid concerns. As far as the movie canon goes, the last time we saw Maul was that he was cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and fell in a giant pit in the Phantom Menace. Speaking of which, considering what Obi-Wan did something similar to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith, can we be sure Kenobi has EVER killed anyone? It seems as though he keeps walking away thinking he's got the bad guy when in reality they just come back later. #pondababalives.

But anyway, for those of us who are huge Star Wars nerds, we know that Maul actually survived, and went on to have many plucky tales of woes and misfortune in The Clone Wars and Rebels, and then *spoiler alert* gets "killed" by Obi-Wan on Tatooine (look it up on wookiepedia). So this movie hints that Maul is part of yet another crime syndicate and explains what he has been doing in between The Clone Wars and Rebels.

4 Things I did not like

1. Reveal of Enfys Nest - This one was disappointing and confusing. Late in the movie, Enfys Nest, the cool looking bounty hunter who has been harassing our anti-heroes, is actually a biracial young girl! The pause in the movie seemed like it was supposed to be this huge, jaw dropping reveal. At the time, however, I thought it was a pause showing that Enfys Nest is actually the daughter of Tobias and Val (the poor character from Westworld who died way too quickly), especially considering that Tobias is white and Val is black, and Enfys Nest is biracial and young. This could still be the case, but that would be dumb because they would have wasted the father/daughter drama that should have enfolded.

So unfortunately, we are left to assume the pause on the reveal/twist was meant simply because Enfys is a young, biracial, girl. Considering Disney has said they are pushing for more diverse characters in Star Wars, I thought it was a little insulting the way they did this. It was like they said, "hey look, I bet you didn't think a little biracial girl could be this cool?! This is such a huge twist as there is no way a young, biracial girl could do that!". It shouldn't have been shot as a twist, but just had her take off her helmet like it was nothing and continue on with the story, which would normalize the event while obviously empowering both women and minorities, while also not slapping viewers in the face like we are stupid and ignorant. I think it kind of backfires on Disney. But who knows, maybe I'm looking too much into it.

My wife, who is not a Star Wars addict, was very confused by the twist as well. She wondered if Enfys was Tobias' kid, and then assumed she was some really big EU character, because the pause was so obvious. When I told her Enfys was not she agreed that it must have been that she was a little girl, and that that was dumb. I agree.

2. Lack of an ending - This was more confusing than anything else. I felt we did not have any kind of closure between the two main characters we met in the beginning in Han and Qi'ra. I don't really buy that Han is over her, even though he did kind of change when he didn't trust Tobias in the end and instead shot him. But it doesn't feel over with he and Qi'ra, and they clearly said she is going on to work with Maul in the crime syndicate. So maybe that is hinting at future TV shows, or additional movies, but I was under the impression these Star Wars story movies are all one-ofs. Don't get me wrong, I am fine with seeing more Han Solo movies now, especially if they involve Maul and Qi'ra, but that isn't a guarantee. If Solo doesn't do well enough in theaters then maybe they don't make anymore, and that will make the ending to this movie so much worse, because we will get no closure when it comes to the movies, and will have to wait for something else to explain what happened.

3. Han Solo's last name - Ugh, this was the worst explanation of a tidbit of Han's life in the movie. As a little joke, we find out that Han's titular last name, is not his actual name, but rather one given to him by an Imperial Officer since Han apparently doesn't have a last name. I mean, him not having a last name is fine, that goes along with the urchin and abandoned lifestyle (not to mention adhering to Disney's insistence in family legacy not being a thing in Star Wars anymore *cough* Rey), but it felt like a big let down, especially since it was delivered as a joke.

4. L3-37 - I heard a lot of hype surrounding this leetspeak character, but after seeing the movie, I was disappointed. I really did not like the character at all. Her becoming part of the Falcon is ok, as it makes Threepios lines in the OT a little more entertaining when he has difficulty communicating with the Falcon. I don't mind the rebellious nature, nor the want for a droid uprising, but the bathroom and sexual humor is very much out of place for a Star Wars movie.

That conversation L3-37 had with Qi'ra about she and Lando being "compatible" and how he wanted a physical relationship was just creepy. She also had that awkward scene where she makes a peeing joke and that she can't "go" with someone looking at her as she pulled out her phallic "saw" to cut the gate open to get to the Falcon. Oh, and this weird "period" joke I think L3-37 made asking Lando to help her with her sticky gears? It was very strange. Star Wars may not be a kid's franchise, but it definitely isn't about sexual innuendo and toilet humor. I did not like that at all.

 Add on top of that how the writers decided that Lando was pansexual, and I guess that also means droids? If anyone in the Star Wars universe is pansexual I guess Lando could be, but it doesn't really fit in the world. Also, that whole thing reeks of what JK Rowling does with Harry Potter, where every time there is a social justice issue or debate, she chimes in and says one of her characters was a member all along, even though there wasn't any evidence before. You don't get to just keep changing what you wrote in order to stay relevant. The books were good, just leave them. Lando was good, just leave him. K-2SO was so much better in every way. No more L3-37 please.

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I also wish that Chewie and Han's relationship was more fleshed out, as I felt it didn't have enough, but if they are making more movies then we should get to see more of what brings them together. I get they are kind of partners, but I want to see how they become best friends and depend on each other, and that doesn't mean I want more shower scenes, lol.

But anyway, that's what I think so far. My opinion may change, but I was fine with the movie, will add it to my collection, and hope they make more with these characters as they are fun.

*Other easter eggs I liked:
Tubes from Rogue One - We see him in Enfys Nest's gang, and reveal where he may have started prior to his work with Saw Gerrara in Rogue One.

Weazel - Yet another Phantom Menace reference, as this Enfys Nest gang member was last seen in the podracing scene, not to mention rumored to also be Willow timeline/story jumping. It's also always nice to have a Warwick Davis cameo as he was Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi as well.

How Enfys Nest and her band of marauders are another group that will help start the Rebellion.

Teras Kasi - Qi'ra's fighting style. Dumb Star Wars fighting video game, but kind of cool it got a mention. I believe Snoke's guards also use that fighting style, so it's nice to bring the universe together some more.

The Mandolorian armor and  Xim the Despot's masthead crystal skull thingy, which is a reference to a crazy guy from way back in the old EU.

Chewie and the Dejarik holochess game and ripping the arms off that one guy, more references from A New Hope. Side note - why didn't Chewie just attack Tobias in the elevator when they were betrayed? It's not like Tobias could have really stopped him. Whatever.

Sabacc being played and how Han wins the Falcon fair and square. Also saying "I know" to Lando at the end, referencing Harrison Ford's famous improv line from The Empire Strikes Back.

Lando's Return of the Jedi costume being used by Tobias.

Side note - in the official visual dictionary it mentions Dryden's desk is made of obsidian from Exar Kun's tomb, so I guess he's canon now. That's pretty awesome, I wonder if they will do anything with it.

Sad to not see Threepio or R2D2, as they have been in every Star Wars movie ever except now this one, but there really wasn't a good place to put them. At least Threepio's Anthony Daniels made it as a cameo in the Kessel Mines scene.

There are many more, but it's a fitting movie to have a ton of easter eggs, and I appreciated them. I hope you appreciated this little novella of a semi review, and go out and enjoy the movie!