The galaxy’s favorite space smuggler returns in the newest trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story released last weekend. Despite the title, the hero will be far from alone by the looks of the large cast.
This trailer has a wide range of action and characters. It shows everything from a tense standoff on a desert planet, to a potential train robbery, to Han’s first meetings with characters like Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian.
Alden Ehrenreich reprises Harrison Ford’s role. Ehrenreich’s voice sounds similar to a young Ford’s in the trailer, but it still feels different. Hopefully the movie takes the character in a direction that feels like a faithful, accurate depiction of how Han would’ve behaved when he was younger.
The cast is full of heavy hitters who all get their time to shine in the film. Woody Harrelson and Thandie Newton look like a real space pirates, and Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra is a love interest for Han I can get behind. Paul Bettany plays a scarred villain with some intense glowing blades.
Also, Donald Glover looks like the coolest person in existence as young Lando. This movie will likely catch hate, as all Star Wars films do in one way or another, but it’s hard to believe Glover’s toothy, sly grin won’t be 100 percent infectious.
We’re also given a quick glimpse at Chewbacca nuzzling heads against a fellow Wookie. While it’s currently unclear who that may be, it’s exciting to see the potential for more interactions from the furry beasts. Perhaps we’ll see Chewie’s love interest, parents or siblings who will make us love him even more, especially when Episode IX is released.
The movie is likely to garner criticism from hard-to-please fans for a multitude of reasons. There do appear to be some over-referencey moments and winks to the camera for humor that make it feel less like a prequel and more like a collection of “Hey, remember when we did this in that other movie?” moments.
It may be tough to look past anyone but Ford playing Solo, and reports of trouble on set have plagued the film. Original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired due to “creative differences,” before Ron Howard stepped in to helm the film.
Star Wars fans are hard to please, and it’s tough to predict how this movie will do. The Last Jedi earned a 91 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, but only a 47 percent from fans.
This trailer indicates that we will be once again be taken on an journey in a galaxy far, far away, for an original adventure with some familiar faces..
