"Solo" Short Review

So, I just came back to watch "Solo" in theater and i quite liked it a lot. The good thing is that it was EXACTLY how i thought it would be. Not in terms of story because i didn't knew the story, but in terms of quality or "size" of the movie. It doesn't have a "galactic" size like a Star Wars movie, and it don't have either this kind of Shakespearian / Freudian dimension that we can find in the Star Wars trilogies. So, if you don't expect anything like this you shouldn't be disappointed.

Basically, "Solo" is a "heist" movie in a galaxy far far away. Alden Ehrenreich is very good in my opinion. He don't play Han Solo like Harrison Ford which would have been something impossible to do, and actually he look sometime closer to a young Jack Nicholson than a young Harrison Ford. If Jack Nicholson was a character he would be perfect to play him young ( without the craziness of Jack ). The rest of the cast - Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton and Paul Bettany - yes, the same Paul Bettany who plays "Vision" in The Avengers movies - are all doing a great job, with may be a special mention to Donald Glover who plays a sympathetic - and from what i've read "pansexual " - Lando Calrissian. And yes, you'll have Storm Troopers, Tie Fighters and even a Star Destroyer but, again, don't expect epic battles like in Star Wars movies as it's not the place here. 


Something else, though, surprised me, and it's the choice of photography: in 80% of the scenes, the actors are filmed at counterlight. You can see them, even if sometime it's "limit" or you see their silhouette, but it's a very odd choice of photography, specially for an American movie as usually, as a good friend of mine who is one of the best editor in France once told me, "Americans light everything" on a set.

At the end, this "Solo" movie - in which you'll also learn how Han met Chewbacca and why his name is "Solo" - should be a good surprise as i think most of you don't expect something awesome of it. And i think that Disney don't expect a huge hit either, that's probably the reason why they've been soft on the marketing and didn't spent a huge amount of money in publicity. The movie will certainly not make $1Billion at the box office but i wouldn't be surprised if it reach the $500M mark eventually as the "mouth to ear" reports are generally good and i even suspect Disney to bet on this to bring people in theaters who wouldn't have gone necessarily to watch it. And if you need another good reason to go watch "Solo", let's say that there is a famous Star Wars villain which appears in it - and i won't tell you which one! - which leaves a big open door at the end for a sequel to "Solo" if they wish to do one, and personally i'll be happy if there is one.

Pictures: copyright Disney - Lucasfilm

New Spoilers Filled Details From Star Wars: Episode VII Second Draft Script

The always well informed Latino-Review website has some new spoilers filled details about Star Wars 7, and these are supposed to come from the second draft of the script. They have been leaked out from someone named Mizzlewump who claims to have read this SW7 second draft. Although you must consider what is below as rumors for now, the reason why Latino-Review decided to post it now is because some of the details have been reported by several other news outlets, which led them to believe that there was some truth behind it.

Some of the info here are massive SPOILERS so as usual read all this at your own risk!

And now here's "Mizzlewump's" list of spoiler filled information!

- Leia is made leader of the Republic after her predecessor's death

- Han is a retired veteran of the Republic fleet

- Luke hasn't been seen in nearly 30 years

- the lead character is Han and Leia's daughter

- the other lead is the child of Lando Calrissian, and either a male or female depending on who is cast

- the other lead is a Stormtrooper, also either a male or female depending on who is cast

- dialogue for these two characters is very rough in the second draft

- Luke has no known offspring

- The Empire still exists in the form of a number of loyal galaxies and are in a state of cold war with the Republic

- The Empire is simply referred to as the "Empire," and the Republic is referred to formally only once, as the "Galactic Republic;" no "New" anywhere

- There are no Jedi whatsoever, and people still speak as if they are extinct, with Luke being "the last of his kind"

- The main antagonists are an older student of the Emperor, and his apprentice

- The apprentice takes control of the power dynamic between the two pretty quickly...

- The Republic are excavating ruins on a neutral world for a weapon; the world factors into tense negotiations the Empire have had with the Republic, and is referred to as the "Sith Homeworld"

- Loredump: In the script, the Sith are a couple thousand years old, founded by an ancestor of Palpatine called Ruin; the apprentice in this film also goes by that name

-The ruins within the Sith Homeworld are a control station; the planet itself is the weapon

- Luke saves the day at the end, but in a bad way; he has changed."

As for the casting there's a strong possibility that Lando's kid could be played by Lupita Nyong'o. We've heard before that Daisy Ridley is playing the daughter of Han and Leia, and that John Boyega is rumored to be playing the Stormtrooper. I wouldn't be surprised if Adam Driver was the one playing the Emperor's older student and that Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie could be his apprentice.

Star Wars 7 Update : Main Villain Artwork, Han Solo Rumors, Concept-Arts, and more

I've got new Star Wars: Episode VII infos for you! Last week was leaked information about who the villains in the story would be and Indie Revolver now has a piece of concept art featuring the main villain. No need to say there are spoilers ahead so if you don't want to see the artwork or learn more about him, then jump to the next post!

So,a s we learned last week SW7 main villain is supposed to be a Sith Inquisitor, and the site describes him as being "tall and thin and terrifyingly creepy, with glowing red eyes to match his red lightsaber. He also got some robotic upgrades, like Vader – but no mask. The cybernetic bits weave in and out of him. He’s got a human upper lip, a steel jaw… and the robotic hand that J.J. Abrams posted an image of."

In SW7 we’ll get a background of the Inquisistor character with some flashbacks that will include a young Princess Leia and Darth Vader’s involvement with the Sith during his prime. Apparently, this Inquisitor has a fascination with Vader, and as you will see, in the concept art below he's looking at Vader's shattered helmet.

The Inquisitor sure will be a terrifying-looking character, and i can't wait to see him in real!


Now, about Han Solo. We've learned last week that Han Solo and Chewbacca no longer have the Millennium Falcon and that it's possibly being piloted now by Oscar Issac's character. Apparently, the two lost it while gambling. According to Indie Revolver, Han and Chewie are actually piloting a freakin' Super Star Destroyer in Episode VII!

"Han and Chewie are piloting a Super Star Destroyer….I believe the Falcon is in the hands of Oscar Isaac’s character, who is very much the Lando Calrissian of this movie – all the way down to wearing a cape. There are other familiar spaceships in this movie, including three variations on TIE Fighters. There’s the classic design, the TIE Interceptor and a new generation TIE Bomber – the pods on these are stacked, not side-by-side."

And Indie Revolver also mentions something that will get fans excited:
"Back to Han – you will get to see him use a lightsaber once again."

Okay, that news may look a bit hard to swallow but after all, 30 years later, why would they still piloting a Millennium Falcon?

Now, Indie Revolver also have some concept arts giving us a glimpse of what Harrison Ford may look like as Han Solo in Star Wars 7. And on these he's sporting some Hoth and Endor gear. Which doesn't mean they will return to those planets in the story, and also that these outfits will be used in the movie anyway. They always do tons of artworks for a film like this, so he might wear something totally different. 

I remind you that so far all these are just rumors coming from a site that seems to have a lot of information on Star Wars 7 so it's up to you to believe any of this - or not. 

Artwork: copyright Lucasfilm, Lyndon Berresford