The most significant difference between the ‘Star Wars’ anthology films and the so-called ‘saga episodes’ is that the stories aren’t focused on the Skywalker family. There’s no Luke, Anakin, or Ben Solo/Kylo Ren -- as well as a move away from the portentous struggle between the dark and the light sides of the Force. Yes, this family is indeed special for their outsized influence on galactic events, but what about the rest of the galaxy – people like us? There are (likely) billions upon billions of people in the galaxy, all of whom have their own biographies and tales to tell, some which connect to the overarching epic narrative, but who audiences only get fleeting glimpses of those character arcs in the mainline episodes. Filling out these tales is where the ‘Star Wars’ Story try to break new ground compared to the core films.
Of course, in addition to exploring other characters, the anthology films also allow the studio to fill plot holes and establish a more cohesive continuity (as they did in ‘Rogue One’), not to mention dive deeper into the backstories of more well-known characters like Han Solo. To put ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story's place in the saga into perspective, it's the first ‘Star Wars’ movie ever to not mention the Force (and that's despite including an overt introduction for a movie villain with a thriving presence in other canon media) nor centered around the conflict between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
Sure, a there’s a group of Rebels which show up, but the overall story was entirely focused on Han Solo's origin and setting him on the path for when audiences first meet him in ‘Episode 3:A New Hope.’ It is a personal story about real, grounded characters, and their place in the galaxy, not a focus on mystical beings, religions, with galactic implications. Instead, there was a grey area that Lucasfilm was able to explore because that's what these anthology movies allow for. That's not necessarily a good or a bad thing, as it can stifle originality by forcing characters to follow a preestablished path, but it is one of the primary aspects that make the ‘Star Wars Story’ movies different compared to the occasional self-importance, even pretentiousness evident in the recent saga episodes.
At its core ‘Solo’ is one big, fun, summer science-fiction western full of well-executed tropes and eye-catching chases, heists, betrayals and battles. The entire movie's plot is driven by what has got to be one of the most forgettable MacGuffin's in cinematic history: Coaxium. It's suppose to be an incredibly volatile yet potent power source, much like ‘Star Trek’s dilithium crystals, greatly prized and hard fought over. In reality, who cares? Aside from having a name this stuff is basically the Plot Device in big capital letters to hang the tale on. Funny how it’s never mentioned ever again in the other films.
A young (‘Solo’ takes place about a decade before ‘A New Hope’) Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), who appears to have had an Oliver Twist-like upbringing on the brigand-dominated forsaken world of Corelia -- dreams of becoming the best pilot in the galaxy, escapes slavery, inadvertently leaving his one true love, Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), behind. He eventually joins up with a crew of thieves led by Beckett (Woody Harrelson), and they must steal some Coaxium via a series of set pieces and random contrivances to get to those set pieces. The entire drive of the film is to get from one action sequence to another while dropping in numerous easter eggs and references to the original films.
If this summary appears facetious or glib, seriously, that's pretty much the entire point. There's some time spent on the love backstory (which hints at pathos), but we know already that she isn't his true true love (#Leia4EVR). How did Lando (Donald Glover) and Han meet? How did Han get his trademark blaster? The dice that hang on the Millennium Falcon’s bridge? The Kessel Run, huh? The film is overstuffed with references like this, which underlines the creative team’s decision to not leave much lore for the sequels, should there be any, which is fine, as original adventures are what will distinguish this sub-franchise.
To be candid, this is a blast of a movie even without all those ‘Star Wars’ eggs thrown in. Science fiction and westerns go hand in hand almost symbiotically (i.e. last year’s ‘Logan’ for example). The train heist from the trailers is one of the better in a long while; there's a mining caper; there's something very similar to a stagecoach chase; even quick draw shootouts make an appearance. This is everything you want from a sci-fi western, and it's just plain mindless fun. Replacement director Ron Howard might not be the edgiest director (possibly welcome by those who didn't like ‘The Last Jedi’), but the man knows how to make a movie.
The largest concern for anyone remotely vested in the ‘Star War’s universe heading into this film was the news furore around Ehrenreich's performance, and whether or not he was adequate for the part. To be fair he's no Harrison Ford -- despite some moments where he does seem to channel the older actor a bit – and it seems that that he didn’t want to be. Instead what he brings to the iconic character is a different sort of charisma, not the flinty-eyed stare Ford practically trademarked but the easy charm of a cowboy combined with a gunslinger’s swagger. His interpretation works in this movie, and he makes ‘Solo’ his own the old-fashioned way – his performance grows on the viewer as the film progresses. That Chewie and he are fantastic in their scenes together, with their meeting and budding relationship being one of the few callbacks that feels natural, unforced, lends both heart and pathos to Han’s future path.
Woody Harrelson's Beckett is spot on for the gruff ol' cowboy/Obi-wan figure he's supposed to be – this actor can mine virtually any role for opportunities to surface his innate quirkiness; There's a new droid for everyone to fall in love with, L3, who the movie plays with quite well, and as expected, Donald Glover is flamboyant as a brasher, younger Lando Calrissian. In fact, he doesn't really need to be Lando. He'd stand out if his character was named Mando or Kando or Cando. While there are definitely Billy Dee Williams echoes in his performance, Glover makes, no takes, the role as his own. As for Emilia Clarke as Han’s squeeze Qi’ra, though she does her best to be in ‘Game of Thrones’ mode, other than hints of a possible future appearance in the ‘Star Wars’ universe she’s never on screen long enough to be anything more than yet another British accented SJW heroine.
The recent ‘Star Wars’ anthology movies are good for franchise newcomers and fans of old precisely because they feel... new, to put it plainly. There's a certain sense of freedom associated with them as they can go where the saga episodes have never gone before: to various corners of the galaxy where the Skywalker story arc doesn't reign supreme. Moreover, there's a lack of expectation associated with the anthology movies, not in terms of quality but with regard to preconceived notions about the story (e.g. who Rey's real parents are, etc.) -- and that all translates onto the big screen.
While the two ‘Star Wars Story’ movies that have released so far have taken place between the prequel and original trilogies, what's interesting is that they both still manage to feel like old school ‘Star Wars’ movies but for modern audiences used to exploring the Marvel or DC extended universes. That's evident in many ways, including the movies' story structure as well as their more grounded nature compared to all the epic battles and lightsabre flailing in the saga episodes. For instance, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’'s brief action sequence on Mimban shows exactly what a live-action Republic Commando or Clone Wars movie could and should look like - it's both simultaneously spectacular and grim, offering a front line soldier’s perspective on what we’re used to seeing on a galactic scale. No one in these types of kill zones has some sort of divine purpose in a place where the Force has no sway: it’s just a bunch of people trying to stay alive.
Ultimately, it's not about advancing a narrative, exploring exotic locales, or even subverting expectations that have been built up for decades. In the end, it's about giving audiences an adventure story -- 'A Star Wars Story' -- for them to experience from the ground up, and that is certainly worth continuing.
While the domestic and international box office grosses may not show it (the total box office haul for ‘Solo’ globally is way off expectations), the existence of these spinoffs should allow for Lucasfilm to introduce newcomers to the franchise without requiring people to go back and watch every singla saga movie that came before in order to gain a semblance of understanding behind everything that's going on. And with the Skywalker family melodrama likely to end with ‘Star Wars: Episode IX,’ there will be many opportunities to tell one-off stories within the franchise, some of which don't need to connect to one another. While focusing on characters or groups, who perhaps deserve more screentime, may be warmly welcomed by many (but not all) fans, it's something that Disney should certainly consider doing more of down the line. Bring on ‘Obi-wan: a Star Wars Story!’
Punch it, Chewie!