Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Director: Ron Howard
Release date: 24th May 2018
We first meet Han (Alden Ehrenreich) as he hotwires and steals an M68 cruiser. He hooks up with his girlfriend, Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and the pair go on the run. Due to an unexpected turn of events, they are separated and Han ends up joining up to fight with the Empire. Three years pass and through pure bad luck, Han ends up being chucked into an underground arena to be torn apart by an unseen assailant. After a frantic battle, he escapes and joins a group of thieves who are going to rob a train of its precious cargo. The group leader is in debt to a very evil man who will kill anyone that upsets him and events lead to a stand-off…
It’s so hard to say anything about the story in this movie without giving any spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that..
This movie is a standalone story in the Star Wars Universe, and tells of the origins of the young Han Solo and the beginnings of his partnership with the wookie, Chewbacca. It’s set around 10 years prior to Han joining the Resistance. Their meeting, though strained initially, very soon becomes the partnership that we all know and love. In the movie’s trailer, it’s revealed that Chewie is 190 years old which makes him around 200 during the original Star Wars trilogy.
As a long-time fan of Star Wars, I have been really looking forward to the release of this movie for a while. There doesn’t seem to have been the same hype that the previous movies have had but I don’t think that that is necessarily a bad thing. There also doesn’t seem to have been ‘the wait’ that we normally have between movies for this one.
If you love all things Star Wars then I do sincerely think that you’re gonna love this movie. I had heard of Alden Ehrenreich before and on seeing the initial photos of him when he was announced for the iconic role, I was a bit unconvinced that he could be the perfect actor for the movie. When you actually see him on the big screen though, he totally owns it. He has the same twinkle in his eye that Harrison Ford has and also the same cheesy grin. A really great ensemble cast, including a cheeky droid named L3-37 and the wonderful Donald Glover as a young Lando Calrissian, plus a very evil baddie makes this one to definitely catch on the big screen.
Some epic battle scenes and chases, and the story of a young guy trying just trying to find his place in the Galaxy, makes this a movie that you should not miss..
Running at 2hrs and 15mins, it’s not an overly long story but it will keep you entertained from start to finish. Also the fact that it’s got a 12a certificate will enable dads to take their kids along and introduce them to this amazing World.
Overall: 9/10
