The latest Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer hit the internet recently. It’s hard to believe that we are just 6 weeks away from seeing a new Star Wars film. The Last Jedi is still so fresh and new in my mind. I feel like I still need so much more time to finish processing that film.
As I’ve said before, I’m biased towards Star Wars. Star Wars makes me happy and I always want more. More movies, more books, more comics, more. I’ve been excited about the Han Solo movie since it was first announced, but that’s not to say I haven’t been skeptical about it. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of Star Wars fans have had some level of skepticism or concern about it.
Fan concerns have not been helped by what could easily be described as one of the most troubled productions of recent memory. My own skepticism was alleviated by looking at the team now creating the film. It’s being written by Lawrence Kasdan and his son and now directed by Ron Howard. That’s a strong, award-winning creative team behind the film. Add in the fantastic cast and I have a hard time believing that this movie will be anything but enjoyable.
A Han Solo movie is a harder sell than I would’ve thought. My initial reservations were with Han’s introduction in A New Hope, how important is Han’s story before he enters the Mos Eisley Cantina? Obviously, he had a story before then, but was it enough for a movie? It’s a problem with any prequel story. How much do we need explicitly spelled out and how much can be left unsaid?
Rogue One changed how I look at the stand-alone films. Rogue One did such a great job expanding the story of the Rebellion and bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. I’m not sure there is any story involving a young Han Solo that could possibly compare. Of course, that’s not the point at all, but I know that the comparisons are inevitable.
Out of the characters tossed around among fans for a solo movie, I think Han Solo does have the most story potential. As much as I love Obi-wan and would so thoroughly enjoy seeing Ewan McGregor back in the role, I don’t think there is that much to say about him alone on Tatooine. Wasn’t the whole point of his mission on Tatooine to avoid attracting attention to himself? Doesn’t exactly make for an exciting movie.
I’m happy to see so many positive reactions after watching the trailers. I’m excited and can’t wait to see all the new sights, but I’m an easy mark, they had me at “new Star Wars film!” I like that it’s a smaller scale Star Wars movie, the fate of the entire galaxy does not hang in the balance here. Instead, it looks to be a much more personal journey of a young man finding his place in the world. A story that we can all relate to.
Author: Paul Depaola
Born in the desert, raised on the beach and now residing in the mountains. An obsessive, compulsive geek with a tendency to bring everything back to Star Wars. In his spare time he is TK-5990, a proud member of the 501st Legion. Paul is also the host of his own podcast, Fanboys Talking.