Of all the films in the Jack Ryan film series, Clear and Present Danger always felt a bit underrated to me. After the more intimate Patriot Games, this film was a return to the large scale political thriller, this time focusing on the War on Drugs. With a complex plot and a strong cast, this film never seemed to get the attention it deserved.
A U.S Coast Guard boat stops a suspicious yacht and boards her when the occupants try to pass it off as a foreign boat. They discover the owners of the yacht, an American family have been murdered. It is soon discovered that the father of the family was businessman with strong ties to a Columbian Drug Cartel, as well as being a close friend of the President of the United States, President Bennett (played by Donald Moffat). Bennett is briefed on the incident by Jack Ryan (played by Harrison Ford) along with Deputy Director James Greer (played by James Earl Jones). After that meeting, Bennett meets with his National Security Advisor James Cutter (played by Harris Yulin), telling him that the drug cartels represent a "clear and present danger" to the U.S, unofficially giving him permission to get revenge for the killing of his friends, who in turn brings in CIA Deputy Director of Operations Bob Ritter (played by Henry Czerny) to assemble a Black Ops team led by John Clark (played by Willem Dafoe) to carry it out. The head of the cartel Ernesto Escobedo (played by Miguel Sandoval) begins to retaliate against the attacks with the help of his intelligence officer Felix Cortez (played by Joaquim de Almeida), who himself is conspiring to use the situation to overthrow Escobedo and take the cartel for himself. Meanwhile, Greer falls ill with terminal pancreatic cancer and Jack Ryan is named acting Deputy Director of Intelligence in his place. In over his head, Jack Ryan starts to unravel the secret and illegal mission that has been unfolding in Columbia, while keeping himself alive in the process.
Phillip Noyce returned to direct this film from a script by John Milius, Donald E. Stewart and Steven Zaillian. They do a good job of adapting the dense plot of Tom Clancy's novel, effectively juggling all the different plot threads that run throughout the film and bring it all together in the end. The manage to make a film with that much going on in it and keep all the different plot threads. They also manage to stage some great action sequences within that narrative, the biggest being the surprise attack on the SUV convoy midway through the film that Jack Ryan is right in the middle of. It's perfectly staged and intense as Ryan and his fellow agents are caught by surprise and have to fight their way out of an onslaught of gunfire and rocket launchers. The filmmakers also deserve points for putting their biggest action sequence at the middle point of the film rather than at the ending. It's a unique touch that you don't see often in these types of films.
This film has assembled an impressive cast for the film as well. Harrison Ford makes his second and ultimately final appearance in the role of Jack Ryan and continues to be great in the role. He does such a great job lending an every man quality to Ryan, relating to the audience in real and subtle ways how much his character feels in over his head when he has to take over Greer's job. Ford never saw Ryan as an action hero like Han Solo or Indiana Jones and never portrayed him as such, which is what makes him my favorite incarnation of the character. Tom Clancy's other big recurring character John Clark makes his first appearance here, portrayed by Willem Dafoe for this film, who does a great job with the character as the the leader of a Black Ops team implementing a series of assaults on the drug cartels of Columbia, especially that of Ernesto Escobedo. Both Harris Yulin and Henry Czerny make for suitably slimy villains for Ryan to outwit throughout the film. Joaquim de Almeida makes for an equally devious foe as he schemes to steal the cartel as he plays one person against another. James Earl Jones once again does so much with so little screen time, making the exit of James Greer a genuinely emotional moment (seriously, it was always a plot point in this film and novel that I didn't like). Anne Archer and Thora Birch make a return appearance as well in perhaps even more thankless roles as Jack's wife and daughter, who aside from Archer providing a key plot point and Birch reprising a cute moment from Patriot Games, really don't figure into the story much at all. Still, it's great to see them both come back.
I've always felt that Clear and Present Danger is a bit forgotten in terms of the Jack Ryan films and is not one that you hear about a lot, which is a shame as it's just as good as the first two films. It has a much larger scope than Patriot Games and feels a bit more akin to The Hunt For Red October with it's globe-trotting story line and numerous subplots. It remains an effective political thriller that I enjoy just as much as the first two films.
As I mentioned in my previous review for The Hunt For Red October, for a long time Patriot Games was my favorite of the Jack Ryan films. While that opinion has drifted a bit more towards the prior film as I've matured, I still do enjoy this film a great deal. As a follow-up to the previous film, it is a darker and more intense film, but also accomplishes what it set out to be, more of a showcase of the Jack Ryan character and his family.
Jack Ryan (played by Harrison Ford) is visiting London with his wife Cathy (played by Anne Archer) and daughter Sally (played by Thora Birch) when they stumble into the middle of an attack on Royal family member Lord Holmes (played by James Fox) and his wife and child by a radical faction of the IRA. Jack runs into the middle of the attack, taking out two of the attackers and incapacitating one as the remaining attackers flee. The incapacitated attacker is Sean Miller (played by Sean Bean) and one of the dead terrorists is Sean's younger brother. Distraught, Sean swears revenge on Ryan. However, with Sean Miller in custody and his compatriots seemingly on the run, Jack Ryan is confident that it's over. However, a daring prison break while Miller is being transported to jail changes things and upon convincing the faction leader Kevin O'Donnell (played by Patrick Bergin), makes a strike on the Ryan family back home in the United States, injuring both Cathy and Sally in the process. Enraged, Jack Ryan returns to his former mentor Vice Admiral James Greer (played by James Earl Jones) to resume his job at the CIA, determined to put an end to Sean Miller and his cronies once and for all.
Phillip Noyce picked up the directing reins for this film when John McTiernan was unable to return and is well suited to this film's stronger thriller aspects. Working from a script by Peter Iliff and Donald E. Stewart, the film captures the essence of Tom Clancy's novel (even if Clancy himself famously disagreed and asked his name be taken off the film, which always baffled me because aside from a more streamlined finale, the movie is fairly faithful to the source novel). Noyce does a great job crafting a riveting thriller from the attack on Lord Holmes at the beginning of the film to the attempted hits on the Ryan family to the suspenseful finale at the end of the film. Yet one of the most riveting and memorable scenes of the film is when Ryan and his colleagues are watching live satellite footage of a SAS strike on the suspected training camp of Sean Miller's faction. Watching it play out is chilling, especially when one of the men in the room casually confirms a killing on screen while drinking a cup of coffee. It's a moment like that in this movie that has really stuck with me. Then to finish it off, the film has one of my all time favorite James Horner scores, with these wonderful celtic flourishes that would re-occur again and again in his scores, notably in both Braveheart and Titanic.
Harrison Ford took over the role of Jack Ryan when Alec Baldwin either couldn't return due to a scheduling conflict or over disagreements with the producers. Either way, I feel this is one area where we traded up. As much as I enjoyed The Hunt for Red October, Ford is the superior Ryan to me. He is such a skilled performer and able to convey so much with a simple glance, such as in the aforementioned training camp strike. Sean Bean makes for a frightening adversary in the film, conveyed his characters wrath and grief so convincingly. Anne Archer does well as Cathy Ryan in what is probably a fairly thankless role, who spends much of the movie reacting to the things around her, but she does have good chemistry with Harrison Ford and along with Thora Birch at her most precocious as their daughter create a warm family unit the audience can't help but root for. James Earl Jones is the sole returning cast member from the previous film and once again manages to accomplish so much with his few scenes in the film in a way that only James Earl Jones can. Samuel L. Jackson makes a memorable appearance here as Robby, Jack Ryan's friend and fellow teacher at the Annapolis Naval Academy.
Patriot Games holds up for me as a superior action thriller and a great first outing for Harrison Ford in the role of Jack Ryan. It's one I've always enjoyed since I first saw it way back when and only helped solidify my interest in this series of films, even as they continued to be rebooted. For this one though, it stands along with the one before it and the one immediately following it as my favorites in the series.
I've long had an affinity for the various Jack Ryan films over the years, adapted from the novels of Tom Clancy, some more closely than others. With the upcoming Amazon Prime series centered on the character, I thought it might be fun to take a look at Mr. Ryan's varied cinematic incarnations. I'm starting at the beginning with what also happened to be my first introduction to the character as well, The Hunt for Red October.
In 1984, Soviet Submarine Captain Marco Ramius (played by Sean Connery) has been selected to command a new submarine called the Red October, a sub outfitted with a "caterpillar drive" a way for the sub to move stealthily across oceans without being picked up on passive sonar. Ramius is tasked with taking the sub out with her crew to perform test exercises alongside another submarine captained by Captain Tupolev (played by Stellan Skarsgaard). Once underway, Ramius swaps out their orders with false orders that they are to sail to the East Coast of America to conduct missile drills. Meanwhile, CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (played by Alec Baldwin) catches wind of the existence of the Red October and briefs United States government officials on the uniqueness of the sub as well as the threat it poses, especially when satellite images show the Russian fleet leaving and sailing towards America, suggesting a possible attack by a renegade Soviet Captain. However, Ryan has a different theory as he suspects that Ramius, who has no strong ties to the Soviet Union, may be intending to defect to the United States. Ryan is ordered to travel to the Atlantic to try and prove his hypothesis, rendezvousing with the USS Dallas, a U.S submarine captained by Bart Mancuso (played by Scott Glenn), whose sonar operator Jones (played by Courtney B. Vance) may have stumbled upon the Red October.
The film was directed by John McTiernan from a script by Larry Ferguson and Donald E. Stewart. Together they crafted an engaging thriller that was also a fairly faithful adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel. The film has a unique approach of brains over brawn, as each side strategically makes their moves throughout as each party nears their goal, playing a riveting game of cat and mouse with one another. The fact that McTiernan and his scriptwriters can make so many scenes of people analyzing, thinking and talking absolutely riveting is impressive in itself. It's not to say there aren't action sequences as there are several, including Ryan having to try and get from a helicopter to the USS Dallas in the middle of the Ocean or the climactic showdown between subs at the end. But there are also fascinating looks into the operation of the subs and how they navigate underwater, including a tense scene of Ramius and his crew navigating an undersea canyon.
The cast for the film is top-notch, led by Sean Connery who gives a such a compelling performance as Ramius you almost forget he's playing a Russian with his same Scottish accent. In all seriousness though, his performance is great in the film as his character's true motivations are revealed throughout the film. On the other side of the coin, we have Alec Baldwin in his one outing in the role of Jack Ryan who does a great job of conveying a character who is for the most part more comfortable on solid ground and behind a desk than in the field, which was something that always appealed to me about the character and Baldwin portrays that wonderfully throughout the film, especially in the climax of the film as he finds himself in the thick of the action. James Earl Jones has a great supporting role as Vice Admiral James Greer, who is the Deputy Director of the CIA, adding his usual gravitas to the role. Scott Glenn has a great turn as the Captain of the USS Dallas Bart Mancuso, who is always soft spoken and even keel which I thought was a nice touch and added a realism to his performance that Glenn often gives in his performances. Sam Neill gives a memorable turn as the Executive Officer of the Red October. And of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that Tim Curry has a supporting role as the ship doctor on the Red October, one of the first crew members to voice suspicions about what Ramius is really up to. Curry brings his usual unique presence to every scene he's in and I love it, but then again I am a big Tim Curry fan period.
The Hunt For Red October has long been a favorite of mine, as well as my family, pretty much since it came out. It was one that both my parents really liked so I have seen it many, many times. It's one I appreciate more as I got older and better understood everything that was happening in the film (in my younger years, I gravitated more towards Patriot Games, the film that follows this one). But as I've gotten older, I think my favorite has changed to this one. It's a bit smarter and a bit more unique in it's plotting. It values character over action and because of that the more suspenseful parts work all the better. It's an expertly made thriller with a fantastic cast to back it up and you can't ask for much more than that.
Coming a full ten years after the first film, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, picks up again with all the characters we fell in love with the first time a ways down the road from when we last saw them. Within that time, the filmmakers managed to craft a follow-up that is maybe, possibly, and much to my surprise better than the first one.
Sophie (played by Amanda Seyfried) is putting the finishing touches on a remodel of her mother's treasured hotel on the small island of Kalokari in Greece. Her mother, Donna (played by Meryl Streep), passed away a year prior so the completion is something of a tribute to her mother on behalf of her and her father Sam (played by Pierce Brosnan). To mark the reopening, they are planning a grand celebration with the return of old friends, including Donna's best friends Tanya (played by Christine Baranski) and Rosie (played by Julie Walters) as well as Sophie's other dads, Bill (played by Stellan Skarsgard) and Harry (played by Colin Firth). During this, we also flashback to when Donna (played by Lily James) first struck out on her own, first to Paris where she met Harry (played by Hugh Skinner), and then on to Greece, where she first meets Bill (played by Josh Dylan) and then Sam (played by Jeremy Irvine), as well as how she first wound up with her beloved hotel. By her side for much of it are her beloved best friends Rosie (played by Alexa Davies) and Tanya (played by Jessica Keenan Wynn).
Ol Parker both wrote and directed the film, from a story he developed with Richard Curtis and Catherine Johnson. They took inspiration from one of the greatest sequels of all time, The Godfather, Part II, to craft their follow-up with a movie that is at once a sequel and a prequel. Parker does a great job balancing both halves of the film as it transitions from the past to present day with ease. I also have say it takes balls of steel to make a sequel and kill off the beloved main character of the previous film, a plot point I was initially very resistant to, but it does add a strong poignancy to the film that actually sneaked up on me and I was not expecting.
Of course, the main draw of the film is the musical numbers. I feel that they were maybe a bit better integrated into the narrative, but it probably helps that this film uses some deeper ABBA cuts like "When I Kissed the Teacher" or "Why Did It Have to Be Me". Some of the more popular songs do make an appearance though, such as young Donna and Harry having lunch at a Napoleon themed restaurant so we can shoehorn in "Waterloo" (which is not a complaint, in fact it's one of the best numbers in the show). "Dancing Queen" also makes a second appearance towards the end in a wonderfully triumphant sequence. Of course, it also feels like they stepped things up a little in terms of the musical numbers, such as the aforementioned "Why Did it Have to Be Me" being performed on Bill's sailboat in the middle of the ocean, which could not have been easy to shoot. The same for both the "Waterloo", which was playful and fun, and the reprise of "Dancing Queen" being a huge and wonderful spectacle.
The whole cast of the original film return for this outing, including Meryl Streep in a scene I won't spoil except to say it was beautiful and absolutely wrecked me emotionally. Amanda Seyfried leads the film for the modern day segments, fretting about the opening of the hotel as well as her strained relationship with boyfriend Sky (played by Dominic Cooper). Pierce Brosnan is back as Sam and does well at being a source of support for Sophie as the two try to get the hotel open. For those who didn't like his singing in the first one, he is mercifully spared from singing for most of the film, aside from one small, poignant moment that I really rather liked. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are as much fun as ever slipping back into their roles as Tanya and Rosie, returning for the grand reopening and to help Sophie. Also back are Stellan Skarsgard and Colin Firth, who don't have as big of parts this time around, but certainly make a fun pair for their scenes together (I won't spoil it, but you'll see what I mean when you see the movie). Andy Garcia is a new addition to this film as the manager of the hotel who, in a fun twist, has a strong connection to Sophie's family that I don't think she was even aware of. And, of course, I have to talk about Cher as Sophie's grandmother. Anyone going to this just for her is going to be disappointed as she doesn't show up until towards the end, but she is fantastic as Ruby.
The prequel side of the cast is equally impressive, led by Lily James who manages to so perfectly embody Donna with her infectious free spirit nature, it's easy to see why the three guys she encounters in her adventures all fall for her right away. On the other side of the coin, they found some wonderfully charismatic guys to play the younger versions of the three guys. First up is Hugh Skinner as wonderfully innocent and funny Harry who pretty much falls for her the moment they meet in a hotel lobby in Paris. After that, she encounters Bill in Greece, played by Josh Dylan, who is frankly quite charismatic and smoking hot so no judgement there for jumping from one guy to the next. Finally, there's Jeremy Irvine as the younger Sam, who she meets when she first arrives on Kalokari. He has some good chemistry with Lily James, but anyone who saw the first film knows how this one ends as well.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is a triumphant and fun second outing with a group of characters I have always loved, while also delving into their past and showing how some key events referenced in the first film actually played out. It is just as much a bright and lively musical as the first film, but with a bit more of an emotional center to it as well making the film overall a little more satisfying than the lightweight original (which, don't get me wrong, I still love just as much). Fans of the original film will probably love this one just as much. I know I did, as I sat in the dark with my ice cold soda, tapping my feet and singing along with every song.
There is something about Mamma Mia that really captured the public's attention. A smash hit Broadway musical that became an equally smash hit film musical that grossed over $600 million dollars in the summer of 2008. But in the intervening years, it has seemed to garner more hate than love, at least online. Now, and I can't quite believe it's been that long, ten years later the film has a sequel, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. I decided in honor of the ten year anniversary of the film, as well as the release of the new film, I'd take a look back and see if it still holds up.
Sophie Sheridan (played by Amanda Seyfried) has grown up never knowing who he father is. Now at the age of 20, with her wedding to her fiance Sky (played by Dominic Cooper) approaching, she had discovered a diary belonging to her mother, Donna (played by Meryl Streep). Within those pages are three likely suspects for her father, Sam (played by Pierce Brosnan), Harry (played by Colin Firth) and Bill (played by Stellan Skarsgard). She decides to invite all three to her wedding, convinced she'll know immediately which one is her real father. Of course, things don't quite pan out that way and Donna is understandably mortified to see three of her exes show up out of nowhere, seeking solace in her two best friends, Tanya (played by Christine Baranski) and Rosie (played by Julie Walters). As the festivities continue to wind up, Sophie finds herself overwhelmed as she tries to figure out which of the three men is her father while Donna tries to resist the rekindled spark between her and Sam.
Phyllida Lloyd, along with screenwriter Catherine Johnson do a good job of transitioning the musical from the stage to the screen. They do a good job of not making the film feel too stagey and opening up the action to beaches, boats and assorted locales around the Greek island the film is set in. The cinematography by Haris Zambarloukos is gorgeous and gives the proceedings a warm and welcoming fell that compliments the film nicely. They also stage the various musical numbers that run throughout the movie in really fun ways with a nice sense of humor to them as well. The film maintains a light and humorous feel throughout that compliments it's soundtrack of ABBA songs.
The film has a stellar cast, starting off with Meryl Streep as Donna, who gives the role her usual level of dedication as she does an admirable job singing throughout the film. I could tell she was having fun with the role though. The same goes for both Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, both having fun with their roles as Donna's friends. Pierce Brosnan took a lot of flack for his singing in this, but honestly I didn't think it was that bad. Either way, he makes a decent romantic foil for Meryl Streep. Stellan Skarsgard is a lot of fun as the adventurer Bill, who writes books about his various misadventures and catches the eye of Rosie, a fellow writer herself. Colin Firth has fun with his role as the sweet and good-natured Harry, not afraid to make him a little dorky. Amanda Seyfried is charming as Sophie and manages to make her character's hare-brained scheme seem at least understandable, if not all that plausible. Dominic Cooper does his best with the rather thinly written role of Sky, but he seems to be mostly around to be eye candy, which the handsome Cooper most certainly is.
This film came along at a time when I needed it the most. I was in a very depressed and unhappy place and this film managed to put a smile on my face at a time when I desperately needed it. Because of that, I tend to get a little defensive when people rip on it, which they tend to do quite mercilessly (looking at you, Nostalgia Critic). It's a lightweight piece of musical fluff that is clearly not meant to be taken seriously for a second, punctuated by some of the most infectious pop songs ever written. If that's not your cup of tea, by all means move along. But I'm left baffled with why some people are so angry about a film that is so silly. At this point, I've moved on but I still felt the need to address this sort of hatred that has inexplicably developed around this film.
Still, the film has it's fans as well and I certainly count myself among them. I still watch the film regularly as well as listen to the soundtrack. This movie may not be for everyone, but if you don't find a bit of lightweight fun every once and enjoy the music of ABBA, then you'd probably love this movie as much as I do. And if you don't, well don't talk to me then. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.
After the emotionally devastating Avengers: Infinity War, going into the more comedic antics of Ant-Man and The Wasp was a refreshing piece of lightweight fun. The film reunites all the cast members from the first film for this new outing that while not as much fun as the first film, still remains an enjoyable and fun superhero outing
Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) has been confined to his house on house arrest for the past two years due to his involvement in the events of Captain America: Civil War. He is days away from the end of his sentence when Hope (played by Evangeline Lilly) and her father, Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas), re-enter his life thinking he may hold the key to finding Hank's wife and Hope's mother, Janet (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), who has been trapped in the Quantum Realm for the past 30 years. Also new on the scene is a new baddie, known as Ghost (played by Hannah John-Green), who is after Hank and Hope to get some technology she needs to hopefully fix her constantly phasing nature from solid to not and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it. If that wasn't enough, they also have a shady dealer Sonny Burch (played by Walton Goggins) on their trail, wanting the Pym technologies for his own nefarious purposes. On top of all of that, Scott is also trying to keep off the radar of Detective Jimmy Woo (played by Randall Park), lest he find out Scott is not actually at home and therefore jeopardizing his chances of release so he can spend more time with his daughter Cassie (played by Abby Ryder Fortson).
Director Peyton Reed returns to the director's chair to man this sequel, working from a script from a total of five writers, including Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari and Paul Rudd himself. Within that group, they managed to craft a film that is reasonably entertaining with a few nice flourishes I liked in the choices of villains and how they portrayed them. At the same time, it still lacks that same spark the original film had. I can only presume that is because of the noticeable lack of Edgar Wright's contributions that the first film retained, despite him having left that project due to creative differences. That's not to say the film is terrible by any means, but that it lacks the same energy the first film had. Still, the film does come up with some novel touches. They continue Marvel's trend with a sympathetic and understandable villain in Ghost, whose actions are driven by a desperate need to fix her condition. Although, it did occur to me as I was watching the film that if she just approached Hope and Hank and asked for their help, they probably would. But extreme pain probably doesn't make someone think entirely clearly. The film also throws in Walton Goggins character just so there is a more traditional baddie to throw a wrench into the works for Scott, Hope and Hank. And then addition to that, we have Hank and Hope trying to retrieve her mother from the Quantum Realm, which offers some fun surprises I won't dare spoil.
Paul Rudd once again lends his every man charisma to the film that I've always loved seeing in films with him. Evangeline Lily finally gets her superhero moment as The Wasp after being on the sidelines with Hank throughout the first film and once again rocks it as Hope. Michael Douglas is clearly having fun as Hank, delivering each of his characters jibes to Scott with perfection. Michael Pena once again shows up as Luis and is just as funny in this one after damn near stealing the first film. They do revisit the gag of Luis trying to tell a story again, but do make us wait for it. But it was once again one of the biggest laughs of the movie. Laurence Fishburne pops up as a former associate of Hank Pym that may or may not be the ally they are looking for. Hannah John-Green does reasonably well with her role as the Ghost and does a surprisingly good job making her character relatable and sympathetic, while also establishing her as a formidable foe.
While Ant-Man and The Wasp doesn't recapture the same level of fun as the first film, it is still an amusing and fun time and a wonderful antidote the emotional and intense Avengers: Infinity War. It's not the best Marvel movie, but it's by no means their worst either. It's a bit fluffier than some of their other films, but that's not necessarily a bad thing either.
Arriving in cinemas this weekend after a long stream of discouraging news stories about it's production, audiences seem to be giving Solo: A Star Wars Story a side eye, even perhaps saying, "I've got a bad feeling about this." I'm happy to report that not only is it not a disaster, it may be one of the purely entertaining Star Wars films I've seen in a long time. It's not afraid to just be a rollicking adventure story about the most lovable scoundrel in the Galaxy's formative years and delivered on that level beautifully.
Han Solo (played by Alden Ehrenreich) grew up an orphan, working as a petty thief in exchange for shelter and protection from a sort of intergalactic Fagin, Lady Proxmia (voiced by Linda Hunt), along with Qi'ra (played by Emilia Clarke). Han manages to score an valuable item that they can sell to get off their planet and away from Lady Proxima. Pursued by the gangsters Han stole it from, they manage to narrowly escape except Qi'ra gets captured as they try to board a starship and the two get separated. With no other options, Han joins the Imperial Army, intending to become a pilot and return to rescue Qi'ra. Finding himself dropped into combat as a grunt soldier (he apparently scrubbed out of flight school because he had trouble taking orders). There he meets up with Tobias Beckett (played by Woody Harrelson), a thief and smuggler looking to do some looting from the Imperial Army. Before he can escape with them, Han is tossed in a pit as an attempted deserter to be fed to a captive beast. Of course, said beast turns out to be none other than Chewbacca. The two are able to escape with Beckett and his crew, who feel that Chewie could be some good muscle to have on their next job and Han would be a good spare pilot. The job is to steal a load of Hyperspace fuel, a very valuable commodity, for intimidating gangster Dryden Vos (played by Paul Bettany). This proves to be a tougher job with more complications than anticipated, leading the crew to seek out the fastest ship they can find, the Millenium Falcon, and her pilot, Lando Calrissian (played by Donald Glover).
The history of Han Solo is a fairly well known one among the fans of the Star Wars saga so it was a trick trying to keep the film surprising when most fans knew what the big set pieces already were going to be. Screenwriters Jonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan, the latter of whom wrote arguably the best Star Wars film (The Empire Strikes Back), strike a nice balance between what the audience expects and presenting it in a way that offers a few surprises along the way. Director Ron Howard does a great job bringing the adventure to life, keeping the film moving at a steady pace. I won't get into specifics because I don't want this to be super spoilery, but two of the major elements of Han Solo lore do get portrayed within the film and I have to admit I was pretty giddy watching them unfold.
Alden Ehrenreich has had some unfortunate press over the past year, with such stories as him needing an acting coach on set and such. I think those rumors may have been overblown because I rather enjoyed him in the role of Han Solo. I had to remember that this was a younger, more idealistic Han Solo. A novice in the art of thievery and smuggling, and yet there is that same sort of fly by the seat of his pants charm that I always loved about the character that Ehrenreich captures wonderfully. Yet, he wisely makes the part his own and isn't just trying to imitate Harrison Ford's iconic performance. Which makes sense, since this Han isn't yet the cynical grump that we meet in A New Hope. Woody Harrelson makes an entertaining turn as Beckett, a mentor of sorts to Han. There are certain traits that Beckett has that we see in Han down the road in later films, which was fun to see. Donald Glover is one of the best parts of the film as Lando, capturing much of the charisma and charm Billy Dee Williams displayed in both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I also really enjoyed Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Lando's woke co-pilot droid L3-37, a rebellious droid wanting equal rights for all droids and close companion to Lando (perhaps too close for some, but I won't judge). Emilia Clarke does well as Qi'ra, who when we first meet her is just as idealistic and ambitious as Han, but when we see her again later in the film, she is a very different character who has had to make some difficult choices in the name of survival. Clarke does a great job playing the character and is someone we're never quite sure we can trust or not.
Going into Solo: A Star Wars Story expecting a deep introspection of the character of Han Solo would be a mistake. This is a character that was happiest when he was in the middle of an adventure, showing off piloting a starship. He's not a deep, tortured character and the film wisely doesn't try to portray him as such. It's a breezy, entertaining adventure romp showing the early days of one of the most beloved Star Wars characters and should be enjoyed in that spirit. I'll be the first to admit it's not one of the best Star Wars films, but it is one of the most fun and that ain't bad.
