#It's really cool to notice all the references that the Caesar trilogy has just from this movie

[ramssby]

ok so I just watch the first Planet of the Apes movie and damn Taylor is such an idiot, he really was a faithful representative of the pedantic human, also that kiss was not what I expected (idk what i expected), why did he ask to kiss her? djsjsj its seem so random and infront of cornelius and nova too, i love this movies.

Was it just me or did the plot of the cave with the ancient human artifacts remind me of the plot of proximus and the vault in kingdom? i mean i bet it was intentional but i haven't seen anyone talk about it

[oscar-isaacs-number-one-bitch]

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” Movie Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story is the second spinoff film in Disney’s Star Wars anthology series. It was directed by Ron Howard and stars Alden Ehrenreich as the titular Han Solo. In this installment, Han is a young hotshot growing up on Corellia, a planet used for building ships. He’s been running scams and boosting vehicles on the streets since he was only 10 years old, but he longs to be a pilot, to fly among the stars. This film also stars Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, and Donald Glover as Captain Lando Calrissian.

This movie suffered perhaps the most famously tumultuous pre-production of any Star Wars movie thus far, with original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller being fired by Kathleen Kennedy from the project near the end of filming for going in a far different direction than what Lucasfilm had intended for the character. Lucasfilm even hired an acting coach for star Alden Ehrenreich in order to get his performance more in line with the character. Ron Howard was brought in very late in the game, and according to reports, re-shot about 90% of the film in order to make the story more in line with what had been originally envisioned. And to top all of that off, most entertainment/cinema news outlets continued to highlight the unnecessary nature of a Star Wars movie about one of its already most famous characters, often citing that not knowing his past was one of the most interesting parts about the smuggler with a heart, and that the interesting part of the character’s life is already in the original Star Wars trilogy. It was a massive overhaul at the last second for a film very few believed in, and the world has waited to see if they pulled it off. Did they? Well, yes and no.

To start with what works about the film, anyone worried about Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo can put their minds at ease. The actor comfortably shoulders the role, reminding us why we liked him so much in Hail, Caesar!, never falling into the trap of performing a mere impression if Harrison Ford. Even watching the film, I noticed some of the mannerisms and habits from the original Han Solo surfacing, reminding me why the character is as foolish and charming as he is. Donald Glover is also a treat to watch as Lando. We all knew he would be, but there’s something so refreshing about getting to say it in certainty. He’s smooth, collected, and notably fashionable, and you can tell Glover is having a great time filling the shoes of Billy D. Also having fun is Paul Bettany, as a sort of gangster overlord that hires a crew Han finds himself on for a heist job. Bettany struts around more than comfortably, his performance a further expression of his excitement at getting to play a Star Wars semi-villain.

You get to see, in this film, how Han meets Chewbacca as well, and while there are some things that seem a tad unbelievable about their first encounter, it’s ultimately a very charming, and somewhat funny, meeting to see play out. There are also a few smaller moments between Han and some other characters that stand out as being pure Han Solo moments (like his card games with Lando), and the train heist from the trailers has some exciting moments as well.

But therein is where the problems arise. Despite a well-rounded cast with solid performances, and a handful of cool action moments within set-pieces, there doesn’t seem much reason for things in this movie to exist. I’m not referring to the film itself (although unnecessary, we were always going to get this film, so it was really more of a waiting game to see how good it would be), but rather to the connection of events within the film. Many things occur that seem random or unprompted by previous events or actions; whole parts of the story seem to have been wiped, character motivations change on a dime without much rhyme or reason, and it all feels sort of like a soup made out of a bunch of good individual ingredients that don’t quite work when it’s all mixed up.

Many of the legends from the original Star Wars trilogy surrounding Han Solo’s story appear in this film, but are ultimately better left as myth, as in action they’re more disappointing to watch play out than they are exciting. What this film truly is, rather than a Star Wars story, is a fan service vehicle to show off how Han got all of his stuff in the original trilogy – his blaster, the falcon, Chewie as a partner, etc. But those things aren’t what makes a character, they’re merely various expressions of a character’s personality. Solo seems to want to make these legends into Han’s entire personality; it comes off as a film that doesn’t really know what it wants to be until its final act, but instead of setting up an intriguing mystery along the way, it stumbles along with shoddy pacing from set-piece to set-piece, just trying to keep its footing, rather than sprinting towards the climactic end a film like this needs in order to be exciting (or simply being content to stay consistent with the ambitions of its first two acts, rather than trying to be more than what it is). There’s not much more I can say about that without delving into spoilers, though, so I’ll leave that point alone now.

The addition of Ron Howard to the director’s chair also didn’t seem to help things very much at all. The direction wasn’t bad necessarily, and DP Bradford Young (who was nominated for an Oscar for his work on Arrival) conjures some gorgeous imagery, but Solo, a film that was taken from under two of the most exciting comedy directors working today and then given to an Oscar-winning filmmaker, comes across as ultimately rather unremarkable. It’s not bad, but there doesn’t seem to be anything truly special about it – something to make the audience say “ah, that’s why this film got made.” Whereas I was hoping for Apollo 13 or Rush Ron Howard, what I got was really more In the Heart of the Sea Ron Howard.

I don’t mean for it to sound like I hated this movie. I didn’t, and there were things about it that I definitely enjoyed, but so much of the why behind things that happen in this film is left unanswered, to the point where a lot of it just feels like lazy filmmaking. I’m not saying it is lazy, and there were certainly a lot of troubles this movie had to overcome to get made, but the narrative could have benefitted from the “less is more” idea, especially in its third act, and that might have been something Lord and Miller would have handled better than Howard. Under Howard’s direction, this film is content to just be the serviceable, if unremarkable, middle movie between two of the larger Star Wars narratives, and if that’s okay with you, you’ll have fun. But for me, I need a little bit more of a reason to care. It’s good, but it’s just shy of being great, which can be frustrating at times. Star Wars is a special thing, and for something within this universe to seem un-special, is just slightly disappointing, especially if that thing carries the weight and legacy of Han Solo.

I’m giving “Solo: A Star Wars Story” a 6.3/10