Movie Review: Solo: A STAR WARS Story (2018)

 May the fourth be with you!

All my fellow STAR WARS fans know what today is! The day to celebrate one of my favorite film franchises! For anyone who hasn’t seen STAR WARS and is confused, let me explain it to you. In STAR WARS a common saying is, “May the force be with you”, and since today is May 4th, you get the gist.

What are all of my fellow fans doing today? I’ve been busy all day admiring my STAR WARS gear, watching one of the films, and drinking chocolate milk. Right now after all that I’m reviewing one of the spin-off movies for you! Before I get started, know this:

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Interested in the other movies? I highly recommend watching them in the following order (with links to my reviews):

IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: The Return of the Jedi (1982), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), & IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Watch them in that order, ignoring those pesky numbers and all of the surprises will be intact!

If you want to watch the first spin-off, Rogue One (2016), then you can watch it any time, really, but in the timeline it goes between what happens in III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and IV: A New Hope (1977).

What about this one? If you want to watch this movie then you can once again watch it without previous experience, but you’ll get a lot more of the references if you’ve seen the original trilogy (episodes IV-VI) because that is where they drew inspiration even though in the timeline this comes around the same time as Rogue One (2016). Warning, if you have seen the prequels (episodes I-III) but haven’t seen the TV series STAR WARS: Clone Wars, then something near the end will really confuse you. My sister and I were bewildered and didn’t understand what happened because it wasn’t consistent with the rest of the series. That is, until a friend who had seen Clone Wars explained it to her.

Now, what we’ve all been waiting for, the review!

Solo: A STAR WARS Story (2018):

The orphan Han manages to get off the planet Corellia, escaping from a gang. Time passes and he has gone through several army positions until he gets thrown in jail. There he meets a new friend and later runs in to some smugglers. Working together they want to steal coaxium, a valuable fuel. When plans fall through they have to work specially for Dryden Vos of the Crimson Dawn where they strike a new difficult deal to make up for a mistake: Make a Kessel Run to get unprocessed coaxium. What with faces from Han’s past as well as new shifty accomplices, whom can he trust?

Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure.

Length: approx. 135 minutes.

Script: 8. A smattering of mild common swearing, but not too bad.

Crew: Directed by: Ron Howard. Written by: Jonathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan, based on characters by George Lucas.

Starring:

Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo.

‘“Sorry I punched your face.”

“Happens more often than you think.”’

Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca.

Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian.

Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra.

Woody Harrelson as Tobias Beckett.

Paul Bettany as Dryden Vos.

Erin Kellyman as Enfys Nest.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3-37.

Thandie Newton as Val.

Jon Favreau as the voice of Rio Durant.

Linda Hunt as the voice of Lady Proxima.

Ian Kenny as Rebolt.

John Tui as Korso.

Charlotte Louise as Margo.

Sema-Tawi Smart as Chanteuse.

Clint Howard as Ralakili.

Dee Tails as Quay Tolsite.

Attila Vajda as Sagwa.

Anthony Daniels as Tak.

Kiran Shah as Karjj.

Lily Newmark as Lexi.

Samantha Colley as Ottilie.

Costumes: 8. For some reason today anything I put here seems like it would be weird. Don’t know what that’s about. I don’t have anything bad to say about any of the outfits, I thought they were cool!

Cinematography: 7. Typical for an action movie. Lots of CGI with the space travel which was overdone in a few places but other than that fine.

Cinematography by: Bradford Young.

Music: 8. I don’t love it like I do the original, but I still like it! It was distinctly its own thing yet as the movie went on started using more STAR WARS themes which was very cool. I especially like the track for the Marauders.

Music by: John Powell with a few contributions by John Williams.

Quotability: 5. Has a surprisingly low score for a STAR WARS movie, I know. I haven’t even considered quoting it at all since I watched it, and neither has my sister. But there were some decent lines that I found.

“I admire anyone who can crawl their way out of a sewer.”

Content: 7. There is death, killing, and one or two suggestive lines. There are some scary things like creatures and powers that people have, but it didn’t bother me excessively.

Originality: 9. It was much more original than I expected! It took an idea and expanded on it, adding fun characters. I was impressed!

Good For: STAR WARS fans.

Age Range: It is rated PG-13 because of the violence and that’s not far off. I can see younger kids liking this a lot, but it would depend on what they personally like already. That’s me stating the obvious, sorry!

Overall Score: 7.5.

Worth watching?: Yeah, I’m glad to finally know what all of the hype is about.

Will I watch again?: Well...when I first started this review I was sure that the answer was no, but thinking about it this much has made me want to try it again.

Bonus thoughts:

Here’s what you guys have been wondering the whole time: Did I like it? Some of you might have guessed my feelings, but I assure you that there is more to it!

The story was fun, the design of the movie was rad, the characters were well constructed, and it was a neat journey.

Just one big problem:

It wasn’t Han Solo.

Before you turn on me know that I liked it quite a bit! The thing is, I would be very engaged then I would think, “Wait, this is Han?” It would completely throw me off track because it. isn’t. him. Han is a mysterious character whom we first see in A New Hope. I don’t need a backstory made up for him. Alden Ehrenreich was trying his best, so I don’t blame him in any way as he was great to watch, but I prefer to think of him as a whole new character in the fabulous STAR WARS universe.

The most believable character of the ones we are familiar with was Donald Glover’s Lando. He was very charismatic yet without a lot of maturity. I love Lando so I highly approve. I think of this movie as Lando with a bunch of new never-before-seen characters.

My favorite part of all of this had to be Dryden Vos. Paul Bettany rocked acting him! He was so creepy with a spoilt elegance. It was revoltingly awesome. He was an epic villain.

I have to say that I didn’t like L3-37, but that’s just me. Qi’ra was a fascinating character whom I want to know more about!

I liked a ton of concepts here. The Marauders, the Crimson Dawn (such a neat name! Every organization needs to have such an incredible name), and Enfys Nest and crew! It had great potential.

This film was definitely an ordeal to make! They went through several directors before landing on Ron Howard as well as some change of cast and crew involving several reshoots. Knowing this beforehand I thought that it would be easy to spot where things got changed around, but I was wrong and didn’t notice.

The climax was one of the craziest that I’ve ever seen! I was getting whiplash from everything that was happening so quickly! At first I was just stunned (and a little irritated) but thinking about it now, it was really cool. Probably my second favorite part of the movie after Dryden Vos. If, like me, you are a hardcore STAR WARS fan yet are wary of trying this then I would say it is worth a shot! You don’t have to believe that everything is cannon and just enjoy it as something completely different like me, or if you enjoy it as it is then I’ll be happy for you!

Well, there’s the scoop from me. Thanks for reading this! Tell me if you’ve seen this and what you think of my thoughts! Was anyone else unsure of this film? Was it better or worse than you expected? Let’s just talk all things STAR WARS! Who else likes Dryden Vos as much as I do?

May the fourth be with you, and Godspeed rebels.

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS III: The Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Hello, there!

Long time, no see!

Okay, so when do I ever do two posts in a row? That is a good question. And, I never do STAR WARS reviews randomly, I always have it on a special day. That is a really good observation. So what am I doing here today?

You know how yesterday was STAR WARS day because it was "May the Fourth be with you"?


Well, today is Revenge of the Fifth.




(Get it? I really hope you all think that it is hilarious or something because I have been waiting two years to use that.)


Because of this, I will be reviewing Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith.

Confession time: This was the first STAR WARS movie that I saw part of. It wasn't my fault, I was really little and my dad was watching it and I happened to be in the same room. Now, this could have been really bad, because the part that I saw was really filled with spoilers. But, I was so little that I didn't remember it. All of what I knew about STAR WARS were that they had weird colored swords. When we finally watched the original trilogy I loved it! We watched the prequels, and then I started to get Deja Vu. I remembered that I had seen it before!

Now, to avoid a disaster, like the one I nearly had, watch them in this order:
IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), and VIII: The Last Jedi (2017).

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

STAR WARS III: The Revenge of the Sith (2005):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
We are in the midst of war. With everyone searching for the evil General Grievous, the Jedi feel uneasy. They assign Anakin Skywalker to spy on Chancellor Palpatine, but he feels like that would be betraying his friend. Before he has had nightmares that have come true, so when he starts to have some about someone he loves the most, he panics. With Obi-Wan on the trail of General Grievous, and other Jedi spread through out the universe, commanding the Clone army, Anakin has no one to turn to. He feels like no one trusts him, so who can he trust? Will his choice change him for the better, or for the worse?
"Have you ever thought that we may be on the wrong side?"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 140 minutes.

Costumes: 8, nothing great, but nothing bad.

Costumes by: Trisha Biggar.

Script: 9, no bad words.

'"I sense a trap."

"Next move?"

"Spring the trap."'

Crew:

Directed by: George Lucas.

Written by: George Lucas.

Starring:
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. "Use your feelings, Anakin, something is out of place."

Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala.

Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine. "All who gain power are afraid to lose it."
Frank Oz as the voice of Yoda.
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu.

Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.
Kenny Baker as R2-D2.
Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa.
Matthew Wood as the voice of General Grievous.

Christopher Lee as Count Dooku.
Temuera Morrison as Commander Cody.
Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars.
Bonnie Piesse as Beru Lars.

Cinematography: 7, some of the fight scenes are a little weird, and there is some bad CGI.

Cinematography by: David Tattersall.

Music: 10!!

Music by: John Williams.

Quotes: 8, not as quotable as the other movies, but it still has some good lines.
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause."

NOTE/Age Range: This movie is rated PG-13 and for good reason. There is a lot of violence and scary images, like, really scary. I have know kids who are under 13 and watched it and were fine, but just be aware of that.

Storyline: 5, there is death, fighting, violence, loss of limbs, torture, killing, suggestive things, kissing, gross things. As I said above, it is PG-13.

'"Hold your fire! You're not helping here."

"I agree, bad idea."'

Good For: STAR WARS fans, people who like to know the back story.

Overall Score: 7.5.

Bonus thoughts:
Warning, this movie is really sad. Be prepared. It will make you scream, "You're breaking my heart!" This is a cautionary tale, more so than any of the others. I know that it must be hard to come up with back story, and George Lucas did a pretty good job, but he also left plot holes between this an Episode VI. A lot of plot holes.


Well, what do you think of this movie? If you love the prequels, do you still like this one even though it is sad? Tell me all of your thoughts!

Thanks for reading this post today, on "Revenge of the Fifth!"

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

Hello STAR WARS fans!

In case any of you didn't know, today is STAR WARS day! Why? Because we say:

"May the Fourth be with you!"

May 4th, just so happens to be today! Because of that, I'll be reviewing the second episode in the series. If you are not familiar with STAR WARS, you might be wondering why I am reviewing them "out of order". The answer: I am reviewing them in the way that they were made. I am such a huge fan of STAR WARS, and I cannot emphasize how important it is for you to watch them in the following order: IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), and VIII: The Last Jedi (2017). If you don't, some really awesome things will be spoiled.

That being said, there will be no spoilers in this post because:

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

Now, let's get to the review!

"What took you so long?"

I've been busy.

STAR WARS II: Attack of the Clones (2002):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away..."
Senator Amadala has received threats on her life multiple times where she barely escaped. Because a huge decision is going on the Jedi Council assign Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan Anikan Skywalker to keep her safe. When things get really serious, they split up, Anakin taking Senator Amadala back to her home planet of Naboo, and Obi-Wan trying to find out who is trying to kill her. Will things turn out more serious than the Jedi could have ever imagined?
"Do you think it will really come to war?"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance.

Length: approx. 142 minutes.

Costumes: 6, it went from a little over the top last time, to a little "under the top" in this one.

Costumes designed by: Trisha Biggar.

My favorite:

Script: 8, the script is pretty good, no bad words. The problem I have is that the actors all seem like they are just reading their lines, it isn't that smooth.
'"Sorry master, I forgot that you don't like flying."
"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide!"'
(Later) "Oh blast! This is why I hate flying."

Crew:

Directed by: George Lucas.

Written by: George Lucas & Jonathan Hales.

Starring:
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Why do I get the feeling that you are going to be the death of me?"

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. "You are focusing on the negative, Ani, be mindful of your thoughts."
Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala.

Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine.
Christopher Lee as Count Dooku.
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu.
Frank Oz as the voice of Yoda.
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.

Kenny Baker as R2-D2. "Don't worry, we have R2 with us." (This is true, because R2 is the true hero of all STAR WARS.)
Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett.

Daniel Logan as Boba Fett.
Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker.
Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars.
Leeanna Walsman as Zam Wesell.
Ahmed Best as Delegate Jar Jar Binks.
Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa.
Oliver Ford Davies as Sio Bibble.

Cinematography: 5, this CGI is so, so bad! It seriously looks like it is animated. And it is confusing in some parts with where we are.

See what I mean?

Cinematography by: David Tattersall.

Music: 10!! Oh, I love it! I'm not a huge fan of "Across the Stars", but it is nice.

Music by: John Williams.

Quotes: 10, anything Obi-Wan says is so quotable!
'"You wanna buy some death sticks?"
"You don't want to sell me death sticks."

"I don't want to sell you death sticks."

"You want to go home and rethink your life."

"I want to go home and rethink my life."'

Storyline: 7, there is fighting, violence, loss of limbs, death, gross things, kissing, and suggestive things.
'"I guess I was wrong, there was no danger after all" *explosions*'

Good For: STAR WARS fans, people who are struggling with growing.

Age Range: This has a lot of violence, but I would say anyone over 9 would be fine.
'"Your senses aren't that well attuned, my young apprentice."

"And yours are?"

"Possibly."'

Overall Score: 7.5.

Bonus thoughts:
This is such a long movie, I  feel like it could be shorter. This movie is really "cringy". So many times I felt like banging my head on my desk. They tried to put so many different things in here and it didn't work. That being said, it does have it's good moments.

The way Hayden Christensen plays Anakin can be really creepy at times (and a little "off" because he sounds like he is just saying his lines), but he also is really relatable in parts.
(Sorry all of the pictures are sort of blurry, they haven't been loading well on my computer.)


There we go! Please tell me all of what you think of this movie!

Thanks for reading, and May the Forth be with you!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Hello, everybody!
I am so sorry that I have been so absent. I had a lot of posts planned for last week, but I had to suddenly go out of town and am finally back.

Anyway, as this is a movie review blog, I should review at least once movie a month, eh? (My minimum is supposed to be three, but that didn't happen). As you can see from the post title, I'm doing a STAR WARS review, and since I only do those on rare occasions, today, March 31st, must be a special day! You are correct in thinking that: it is Ewan McGregor's birthday! He plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels. Also, for some reason a lot of the reviews I've done this year have included him. Huh.

I am reviewing the STAR WARS movies in the way that they are made. If you haven't seen them, I cannot stress enough how important it is to watch them this way!! If you don't, some of the best moments in movies are spoiled. If you are to watch them, do it in this order: IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), & VIII: The Last Jedi (2017). You don't have to watch I, II, & III, because they are not the best, but it is interesting to know the back story.

Enough blabber, I'll get to it! This review today will be a bit longer because I have a lot to say.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

STAR WARS I: The Phantom Menace (1999):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away..."
With trouble on Naboo, two Jedi Knights take Queen Amidala away from there to plead the Senate to help her. Their ship being damaged, they land on Tatooine to get supplies. There Qui-Gon Jinn meets Anakin Skywalker, a nine year old slave who is great with mechanics and offers his friendship to the Jedi. Qui-Gon gets himself into a trading agreement that all depends on whether or not Anakin can win a pod race. All the while there is a mysterious figure that seems to be controlling the Senate, who are they?
"You Jedi are too reckless."

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 136 minutes.

Costumes: 8, there is nothing bad, but (and I think this is the first time that this has happened on this blog), they are a little over the top, but in the wrong places! I would love to see less CGI, but Amidala doesn't need fifteen different crazy outfits, see?

Script: 9,

'"Do you hear that?"

"Yeah."

"That is the sound of a thousand terrible things coming this way."'

Crew:

Directed by: George Lucas.
"There's always a bigger fish."

Written by: George Lucas.

Starring:
Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn.

'"I have a bad feeling about this."

"I don't feel anything."'

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Natalie Portman as Padmé.

Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker.

Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks.
Hugh Quarshie as Captain Panaka.
Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine.
Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker.
Anthony Daniels as (the voice of) C-3PO.
Kenny Baker as R2-D2.
Frank Oz as (the voice of) Yoda.
Oliver Ford Davies as Sio Bibble.
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu.
Ray Park as Darth Maul.

Peter Serafinowicz as Darth Maul (voice).
Terence Stamp as Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum.
Silas Carson as Nute Gunray, the Viceroy.
Keira Knightley as Sabé.
Richard Armitage as a Naboo pilot. (He isn't credited, but he's there!).
I was reading the credits and it said: "Jabba the Hutt as Himself". What does this mean?

Cinematography: 6, ugh, there is so much CGI! And it really isn't that good. I get so tired of it. The race is fun, though.

Cinematography by: David Tattersall.

Music: 10!! Oh, I love it!!

Music by: John Williams.

Quotes: 7, "What, do you think you're some kind of Jedi, waving your hand around like that?"

Storyline: 8, there is fighting, and death.
"Greed can be a powerful ally."

Age Range: A 6 year old boy that I babysit loves this movie. Seriously, he watches it all the time. So, he is fine with the violence.

Overall Score: 7.5.

Bonus thoughts:

"Are you brain dead? I'm not going in there with two Jedi." (This cracked me up!)

First off, I want to talk about Jar Jar Binks. I know that a lot of people really criticize him, and I understand that, but it is not Ahmed Best. He does a great job, the best he could have done with Jar Jar (I actually talk in his way a lot, mostly when I'm tired). I don't like Jar Jar Binks, because of the way George Lucas wrote him.
I usually like back story, but these prequels make me so sad! I just know all of what is coming. Speaking of, I hadn't seen this all the way through since the first time, which was in 2015 (and I was sick so I didn't remember a lot). When you rewatch it you cringe because you can see everything that is going to happen, it is so obvious! I know that I couldn't believe that I didn't see it the first time (but, as I said, I was sick, so I was a little foggy).
All in all, there are parts that I like, but I could just cut a lot out because it takes too long. And, I love seeing Ewan McGregor as a young Obi-Wan! He does such a good job.

Thank you so much for reading! Do you have a favorite of the prequels?

MovieCritic