With the release of yet another Star Wars film, the franchise has reached and created its own spectrum. A spectrum that until now has not been visible on the larger scale, especially theatrically. On the far end, we have the serious, sobering narratives of Rogue One, in the middle the epic heroics of the Skywalker Saga, and finally at the opposite end, Solo: A Star Wars Story. A true adventure film the likes that have not been seen since Harrison Ford geared up as Indiana Jones and traded a bag of sand for an ancient bobble. By the time Solo had ended, I was certain, downright positive, that this summer will not see a more coherent and effortless tale of daring, drama, arrogance, and charming egotism. Where the Last Jedi stumbled for fans, it is doubtful that anyone will have a bad word for the latest entry in the Star Wars spectrum.

The first thing on everyone’s mind was surely of the type of man that could fill the shoes of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian (and if Chewie had more speaking roles and less facial hair, he might have also been of concern). Fret not, both roles have been deftly passed on to a new generation of young actors in Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover. Where the confident charm of Harrison Ford left off (or…ends up as it were), the beginnings of the outlaw hero Han Solo are taking shape, letting Ehrenreich find his place naturally in the shoes of the charismatic smuggler he is to become. His approach to Han is both all his own and yet very much bound to the legacy of the character, and he finds a sweet spot in your heart you can’t deny. Glover on the other hand has a different challenge in creating the original smooth criminal Lando. In doing so, he starts by adopting a playful affectation of the real Billy Dee Williams, and slowly slides into his own character, bringing to life a whole new side of Lando. The Lando we knew never let his cool fade, but a young Lando has much to learn in the ways of effortless tranquility. Glover ends up creating a much more complete picture of Lando’s past as the smuggler, the cheater, the womanizer, and the future politician. We finally are given a complete picture of the enduring competitive friendship that presents itself in Empire Strikes Back.

The most impressive aspect of this film is laid down by the capable, yet predictable, hands of Ron Howard who ended up creating a striking visual ascetic, bouncing back and forth from dark hues of blue to dazzling orange cascades, which feels reminiscent of the classic Episode V. The only thing no one bet on was what a run-away spectacular Howard inherited and commanded in Solo. Although we should have known having had a few blockbusters of his own under his belt. Either way, what started as an unexpected hand-off in directing turned into a runaway play for the endzone, the Millenium Falcon has landed. Touchdown. Sports/Flight metaphors aside, next to the stellar cast and direction, the biggest key to this films success is the way the story was handled. With so many things riding on it, from the meeting of the best duo in space (Han and Chewie), to the best rivalry in space (Han and Lando), to the Kessel Run, and finally the introduction to the origins of a film character legend, so many things could have gone wrong. And not a single one falters, slips, or drops for even a moment. Every moment is so matter of fact and dealt with breathless ease, it almost feels like the story wrote itself. Like we have known Han before Han was Han. To that end, we can celebrate our departed directors, the creative team, the writers (Jonathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan) all of whom deserve a big hand. And another big thanks to Star Wars: The Force Awakens for ushering in the reintroduction of physical props and locations. You can also thank those incessant fans for that.

I have said so much, yet told you so little, and honestly, you are better off. I would however like to continue gushing on behalf of the rest of the cast who brought to life every part of Han that we end up falling in love with. Starting with Beckett (Woody Harrelson) who becomes tantamount to Han’s survival and involvement with people like Greedo and Jabba the Hutt. As I have said before, there isn’t much to say about Harrelson anymore because he has never played the wrong role, each is his own. Could someone else have done it, maybe, but certainly not with that cock-eyed yet commanding nature. And to Qi’Ra (Emilia Clarke), who should forever be cemented as one of the largest female presences in Star Wars from this point forward. Clarke brings to the screen the beginnings of power and presence to the women the Star Wars universe has been lacking, or at least was lacking prior to The Last Jedi. Qi’ra is a full fledged character motivated all on her own and I hope they write more characters like her. Our other female leads were equally strong despite getting a little less light, but Beckett’s love interest Val (Thandie Newton) and Lando’s co-pilot (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) are strong co-stars who shine. In fact, you shouldn’t be surprised, but Han Solo’s life involves a lot of strong women. It was also nice to see a satisfying villain in the SW universe who wasn’t a Sith, kudos to Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany). Finally, right hand and Jiminy Cricket to Han, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) is as he ever was, larger than life and a complete breath of fresh air, as fresh as a Wookie’s can be.

Not that you should take my word for it, but this might honestly become everyone’s favorite origin story for any co-character in a fantasy film franchise ever. It didn’t have much competition in that very specific category, but even among the broader Star Wars catalog, this film is sure to be considered one of the best. Only time will tell, but I could see this shooting up the charts to fall right under the undisputed champion, Empire Strikes Back, and that’s saying a lot. The enduring image of the underdog, the reluctant hero, the not-too-good good-guy will forever be a classic, and I can only hope this adventure holds strong against the ravages of time and hindsight just as the original Star Wars did before it. We can only hope the rest of the Star Wars franchise holds up this newly placed bar.

~* 9/10 *~