The first official full-length trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story just dropped during American Idol. Here are my thoughts about what we just saw.
Solo: A Star Wars Story, much like Rogue One, is going to be a different kind of Star Wars movie. The difference in storytelling and tone is what is going to guarantee these Anthology films are successful.
These differences are ultimately what’s going to keep the franchise from going stale. And after seeing this new trailer, May can’t arrive soon enough.
There’s so much to like, where should we start?
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
What I like about the trailer is that it’s showing us that Solo is going to be a much grittier film. Solo is going to be about the Galaxies’ underbelly, and that underbelly isn’t pretty. The trailer gives us a glimpse of that; it lets us know that this is a story about smuggling, theft, gambling, and betrayals.
I am also enjoying the rogue’s gallery of characters with whom Han Solo will be doing business. It gives the feel of a great heist film a la Ocean’s Eleven. It feels as if every member of this crew will have their specialty, and Han will learn a livery one from every one of them. This, in turn, will help Han become one of the best smugglers in the Galaxy.
Lucasfilm
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One of these rogues is none other than Lando Calrissian, and the trailer gives us a glimpse of his gambling nature. We may have gotten a glimpse of a Sabaac game in which Han wins the Millenium Falcon, or perhaps a precursor to it.
What we do get from the trailer is that at that moment in time it’s Lando who’s considered the best Smuggler in the galaxy. Perhaps it’s the loss of the Falcon that helps some dethrone him.
The trailer also gives us a glimpse of the emerging relationship between Han and Chewie. We always knew a Han Solo origin story would let us see how these two meet, and the trailer delivers some great dialogue between the two.
It promises that not only will seeing them meet for the first time be memorable but so will seeing them get to know each other. It will lay down the foundation for what their partnership becomes by the time we see them again in A New Hope.
Lucasfilm
Still, there’s something a little troubling under the surface.
What was worrisome at the start of the trailer was that Alden Ehrenreich didn’t deliver a single line. It was giving me the impression that perhaps the onset rumors of his performance were true. However, those fears were quelled somewhat when we got more of Alden later in the trailer. All we can hope is that he channeled the essence of Han Solo without giving us a poor impersonation of Harrison Ford.
With Ron Howard at the helm, it appears the movie will make its release date despite the production setbacks. It’s also reasonable to believe that he elicited a better performance from Alden Ehrenreich than the previous directors.
Last, but not least, the Solo: A Star Wars Story official poster is fantastic, also!
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
They’ve put together a crew, with an elite cast, and Academy Award-winning director — a recipe for success!
Next: Sexy-new Han Solo posters released!
And Yet all we know is that we won’t find out for sure till Solo: A Star Wars Story releases on May 25.