The morning after the Super Bowl, we were gifted with the first trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story. And I do mean ‘gifted’. The trailer gives off a wonderful devil-may-care attitude, perfect for the young scoundrel and his merry band of misfits.
Even the Falcon Was Young Once
The runaway star of the trailer is the Millennium Falcon. Solo powers her up in time with the soundtrack, and they’re already in perfect sync. Her snow-white hallways and still-gleaming controls indicate this is going to be an origin story for more than just Han himself. By the end of the trailer, they’re twisting and turning through turbulent space together, with awfully familiar odds at success.
Take a look at the first Solo: A Star Wars Story posters.
Qi’ra Has the Power
I’d love to offer you an “on the other hand” reaction, but the trailer is tightly crafted. Between the awe-inspiring looks at young Han’s galaxy, the absolutely smashing costumes, and the promising cast, I have very little problem with what we’ve seen of Solo.
However, the exchange between Han and Emilia Clark’s Qi’ra is cliché. Here’s to hoping she’s more than the first woman who sees through Han’s tough exterior. Here’s to double hoping Qi’ra doesn’t go the way of so many women before her and wind up dead for the sake of Han’s character development.
Hitting the Reset Button on Baby Solo
Han Solo’s origin story was thrown out with the rest of the EU when Disney decided to hit restart. However, it sounds like some essentials remain. Han has always played jump rope with galactic (and planetary, and city-wide…) law, “pulling scams” since at least ten. Whether or not Solo introduces his mysterious parents, how he came to be such a morally grey character, or exactly where he developed those supernatural flying skills is yet to be seen.
If the trailer is any indication, Solo blends the known with the unknown rather well. Swinging from familiar (Han interpreting when no one in the galaxy seems to understand Wookie), to brand new (what kind of cantina IS that?) and back again (the cockpit of the Falcon is always full of people terrified for their lives…), Solo pulls from what we already know and expands Han’s corner of the Star Wars galaxy. It looks like Lawrence Kasdan’s script keeps Han, Lando, Chewie and the rest in strong, capable hands.
About the film:
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
The film is directed by Ron Howard from a script from Lawrence Kasdan, and stars Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, and Paul Bettany.
Solo: A Star Wars Story releases in U.S. theaters on May 25, 2018.
