Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 16, 2018

Solo: A Star Wars Story was besieged by production problems, notably the firing of Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who had previously co-helmed the terrific The LEGO Movie and who reportedly came to odds with Lucasfilm over this film's direction and tone. The Internet is filled with the story and reaction to it, so there’s no need to rehash the specifics here. Solo was ultimately turned over to Ron Howard (Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code) who not only managed to salvage the movie but craft a cool and thrilling jaunt through some fringe corners of the Star Wars universe while exploring some -- certainly not all -- of the title character's lore, lore previously established in other Star Wars films, some created herein, and a couple of strings that come as very welcome surprises. Fun, fresh, and a nice blend of the expected and the unexpected, Solo is a success that deserved better at the box office and definitely deserves, and needs, a sequel.

Han (Alden Ehrenreich) has grown up on the mean streets of Corellia, a grim planet ruled by the likes of Lady Proxima (Linda Hunt) who take advantage of the aimless and the destitute, trading safety and shelter in exchange for the rewards of criminal undertakings. Han and his girlfriend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) dream of making their escape and seeing the galaxy together, but those dreams are shattered when the two are separated moments from escape and Qi'ra is left behind. Han dedicates his life to finding a way to return to Corellia and reuniting with Qi'ra, a journey that takes him into the ranks of the Empire and eventually into a criminal outfit run by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) who is eying a major score he'll have to share with the ruthless Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), one of the leaders of a nasty crime syndicate known as Crimson Dawn. But the plan goes awry, leaving the crew no choice but to undertake a risky mission to the spice mines of Kessel to secure a supply of highly valuable, though unrefined and dangerous, coaxium they hope will appease Vos.

The danger with a film like Solo, or any of the planned or discussed universe films focusing on densely pre-established characters from the Star Wars universe who have several movies of backstory ranging from offhand comments to major arc-building and sustaining development, is the temptation to simply line out a checklist from scene to scene to make sure “everything” is hit in some form or fashion, to watch the character routinely go down the line from one set piece or character meeting or life event to the next. For Han Solo, that means meeting Chewbacca, winning the Falcon from Lando, making the Kessel Run, getting mixed up with Jabba the Hut, and making sure he’s plopped down at the Mos Eisley cantina when the credits roll. Solo does that -- or maybe better said some of those things -- to an extent, but not to a level of rote fan service that would betray any creative license to build the character from the ground-up, even if the vast majority of viewers know where he’s going and by-and-large how he got there. Howard and Writers Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan mostly take the more difficult road, constructing the character around a few necessary beats but finding the humanity in him through new adventures that intersect with a few of those choice pre-established moments.

Solo, then, feels intimately familiar yet resoundingly new. The new story builds the foundation for the character who will one day turn the Falcon around and aid Luke in destroying the Death Star. That’s perhaps the most critical component, that essential character fashioning that sets up the complex hero who evolves from smuggler and scoundrel to key cog in the Rebel Alliance. Of course none of that is directly conveyed in Solo but it is certainly implied within the context of the character’s evolution and particularly his actions in the third act. Alden Ehrenreich captures the character’s heartbeat with commendable enthusiasm and stability. He more or less looks and sounds the part and that he pulls it off is no small feat considering the enormous shoes he fills, not so much literally but certainly figuratively, finding that swagger and cadence and understanding those more minute character beats that play into the idea that Solo will one day make that choice to aid the Rebellion, to rise above his own greed and fight for something larger than himself. Donald Glover does much the same for Lando. Both men work the angles their characters give them, which requires a careful balance between the lighter beats that carry the personalities and the more intensive arcs that define them at the core.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Solo: A Star Wars Story isn't the prettiest movie to ever grace Blu-ray. It was digitally shot and is flat, predominately very bleak, and often without significant color punch beyond some of Lando's more colorfully intense capes and furnishings on board the Falcon. In these instances, the palette pleases, presenting colors boldly, and the contrast of the clean white surfaces (not Corvette interior blinding white but very clean and "new" as opposed to the dingy Falcon interior fans know and love) is often enough to help break up the movie's otherwise dull color palette. The opening sequence on Corellia is particularly bleak, beginning with a blue-dominant backdrop and pale, washed out blacks, the latter of which dog the transfer throughout. Even brighter, more forgiving locations -- Vos' yacht -- lack significant color delights in favor of more a monochromatic presentation. Textures are decent across the board, never struggling to meet the movie's modest demands and showcasing wear on droids, precise clothing details, complex environments, and essential facial features with commendable intricacy, but there's little here that really opens up and explores any of the movie's nitty-gritty details. There are a few smudgy edges throughout the film, notably in Dryden Vos' office at the 50:20 mark. Noise is also a little more prominent than one would expect of a high end production, even in better light. The movie appears fairly accurate to its source and artistic style, but it's not a dazzling reference presentation by any means and is drastically hindered by those elevated blacks.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Solo: A Star Wars Story features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack, whereas the UHD features a Dolby Atmos presentation. As with most other recent Disney releases, this one plays with less-than-ideal volume at usual listening levels, but most of the issues are alleviated by cranking the volume up a few decibels (from -12.5 to -5.0 on this reviewer's system). Dripping water and reverberation fill Lady Proxima's chamber with precise surround usage. The high speed chase to follow is filled with cool sonic maneuvers and a barrage of Star Wars sound effects that zoom all over the stage. The battle three years later, where Solo meets Beckett, is another highlight moment of laser blasts, explosions, and battlefield chaos din enveloping the listener, including some agreeable low end engagement. Surrounds carry beastly growls in chapter 10 and the scene when Solo meets Chewie is filled with positive pounding and crashing effects. Every action scene is a delight and the same holds true with every one: active surrounds, a wide front end, precision clarity, and some good bass. The latter isn't quite as dominant as it should be in most scenes, but the sheer walls of sound and absolute clarity certainly help. Music follows, enjoying supreme clarity and perfect stage placement. Dialogue is clear and detailed with firm front-center positioning, though there are a few moments during high intensity action where the spoken word isn't perfectly prioritized over competing elements, getting a little lost in music and action din.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Solo: A Star Wars Story contains all of its supplemental content on a dedicated second Blu-ray disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. The release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Solo: The Director & Cast Roundtable (1080p, 21:44): Ron Howard moderates a collection of the film's key talent: Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Joonas Suotamo, Emilia Clarke, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, and Paul Bettany. They discuss landing their roles, auditions, crafting various scenes, character relationships and backstories, anecdotes, work on the set and a George Lucas visit, inspirations, and more. There's a good bit of camaraderie and humor throughout.
• Kasdan on Kasdan (1080p, 7:50): Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jonathan discuss life with the franchise, working together on the film, and Lawrence's love for the Han Solo character.
• Remaking the Millennium Falcon (1080p, 5:36): The ship's importance in the film and within the Star Wars universe and imagining the ship as a relatively brand-new vessel, inside and out with particular attention paid to Lando's influence on its design.
• Escape from Corellia (1080p, 9:59): A discussion of the movie's timeline and how Solo fits into the world. It largely focuses on making the "car chase" scene from the movie's opening minutes, including geography, vehicle design, digital effects, sounds, and more.
• The Train Heist (1080p, 14:30): Much like the previous supplement, this is a detailed breakdown of one of the film's largest action pieces: train design and inspirations, the importance of physical models, digital effects, sequence complexity, shooting locations, building the Rio character, and more.
• Team Chewie (1080p, 6:41): A look at how the film introduces and builds the Han Solo-Chewbacca story, including both the emotional connection they share and the physical requirements of various scenes.
• Becoming a Droid: L3-37 (1080p, 5:06): An exploration of the character, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's performance, and the practical and digital effects that bring her to life.
• Scoundrels, Droids, Creatures and Cards: Welcome to Fort Ypso (1080p, 8:02): A detailed examination of one of the film's key set pieces and the story elements that emerge from the time spent there. There's also an interesting look at the card game invented for the film and the alien characters who sit around the table and mingle in the background.
• Into the Maelstrom: The Kessel Run (1080p, 8:28): A fascinating look at high quality on-set visuals, piloting the ship in the scene, sound effects, digital effects, and more.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 15:13 total runtime): Included are Proxima's Den, Corellian Foot Chase, Han Solo: Imperial Cadet, The Battle of Mimban: Extended, Han Versus Chewie: Extended, Snowball Fight!, Meet Dryden: Extended, and Coaxium Double-Cross.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a few takeaways from Solo: A Star Wars Story. First, it's a rousing, good-time film. Second, it's very well done from top to bottom, and that the film was plagued by production problems and switched out directors midstream isn't at all apparent in the end product. Third, there's got to be a sequel. The film doesn't go the Rogue One route, ending right where one would expect. There's ample room to continue with Han's story before meeting Luke and Obi-Wan in that Tattooine Cantina, and the film's surprise revelation and character twist beg for more exploration in either a direct Solo sequel or another universe film. Maybe Disney is over-saturating the market a bit, or maybe the release date proximity to The Last Jedi (not to mention the sharp divide responses to that movie) dampened enthusiasm, but whatever the reason for Solo's poor performance the product on the screen isn't it. Disney's Blu-ray release of Solo: A Star Wars Story is solid, though a bit unspectacular. Video is sometimes troublesome, never striking, but seemingly fairly faithful to Howard's and Cinematographer Bradford Young's bleak visuals (Young recently shot another dreary film, Arrival). Audio is strong once the volume is adjusted upward and the release is crammed with extra content. Highly recommended.