It didn’t feel like it was a sure thing there for a while. The directors were cut, and we got this horrible first look that just did not inspire confidence. But this past Sunday night, during the Super Bowl, those of us with absolutely no stake in sportsball, were still treated to prime seats for the real upcoming action: the origin story of the galaxy’s favorite fly boy.
But first … a teaser
I guess they don’t want us to see little Han sign up for Imperial Flight School, but what we do know is that we are going to see Tiny Han decide that being the best in the galaxy maybe doesn’t require him to want to make a difference. There’s the origin story for our favorite scoundrel.
That Music
Opening notes sound like the revving up of an ancient and malevolent engine, with a bass line that screams bad boy smuggler. I kind of love it, but I’m way better prepared for that minor chord to bust in (once we see him on the mountain) and turn it into the theme we know.
That Voiceover
Two things: he’s been running scams since he was 10, and we deliberately don’t see his face or hear a real voice in that early teaser as he signs up for the imperial flight school. That makes me hopeful that we will see less origin “this is how I got this way from an early age” and more “straight to action, but here’s a flashback.” Or if we don’t … are we getting THREE actors playing Han Solo? Is the character vying for as many credits as Anakin Skywalker (he’s got five)?
That Freshness
The Millenium Falcon has never looked fresher. The bits and bots in the beginning (if that’s the dash that Han is clicking and flipping) look a little different than what we are used to, but this shot of the infamous interior had me shook.
But it’s not just a hospital-fresh cockpit and bridge that shows off the former glory of THE ship; she looks fresh off the assembly line. Bright white and blue. MF FINE AF.
That Crew
Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra is the one character we get a good insight into: early shots of her in the speeder with Alden Ehrenreich’s Han and her later assertion that she is the only one who really knows him feeds into the narrative that they go way back. But whether or not she’s a force for good or for ill is a little less certain. She’s certainly wearing a bit too much black.
Woody Harrelson is playing that mentor role up with his “Kid, I’m putting together a crew,” thing. Line could come straight out of Han’s mouth in a later context. Thandie Newton looks like she takes no one’s shit, and I’m down for more of her.The trailer belongs however to Donald Glover’s Lando Calrissian. He looks fierce and indomitable, fun and fearless. Also, he looks like Lando.
The trailer makes me most anxious for the introduction of Chewbacca. By the time he and Han are introduced to Woody’s character, they obviously have formed a relationship, enough so that Han is translating Chewie’s yelps. This inimitable Star Wars partnership … how did it begin? Is this movie even long enough to satisfy all our questions regarding these two? And where did Chewie’s second bandolier go?
That Solo
Let’s talk Alden. Cute as a button Alden. Alden who made that terrible Beautiful Creatures movie worth seeing. He’s adorable. His smirk is the best. His styling in this trailer? So far, I’m not feeling it. That fur looks like it was made from 1000 rats, and so does his hair. The one time he looks badass (when we see him flip his holster, spaghetti western style), we can barely see him at all. This character needs to do more for audiences than just tell the story; he has to BE the story. I want Alden to explode off the screen with charisma.
Yes, just like that.
That Tag
… better be the Kessel Run.
In other Star Wars news …
Ugh … ok?? David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, showrunners for Game of Thrones, have been tapped to write and produce a new spin-off series of movies in the Star Wars universe, and I … truly cannot imagine a more terrible bit of news. Look, I love expanded universe. I want to see Jabba’s mobster origin story, Leia’s first encounters in the Imperial Senate with Darth Vader, more Maz Kanata! The Star Wars universe is rife with stories to tell. Do I think the Sexposition Twins are going to churn out the complicated histories and the epic hero journeys that we long for? No, no I don’t.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is in theaters on MY ANNIVERSARY –
and also MEMORIAL DAY 2018: May 25th!
What do you think of the Solo trailers? Can you believe it will be here in a little more than three months?
