Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
Yeah, sorry, the radio guys don't let me do much detail. Here are the notes I took with me to the radio interview:

This was a really troubled production… Ron Howard took over and the lead actor, Alden Ehrenreich, was so bad they had to give him acting lessons and reshoot some scenes. So, my expectations were low. Plus, the Star Wars universe has had its share of misses – Attack of the Clones, The Phantom Meance, Return of the Jedi doesn’t exactly hold up. So, I went in with fairly low expectations... but this is a Star Wars film and all the recent Star Wars movies have been pretty solid. I would say it barely met my expectations, but didn’t really exceed them.

This is basically a caper film, the team of lovable bandits have to steal a priceless cache of hyperdrive fuel for a ruthless mobster who will kill them if they fail. But, for a caper movie ti does not spell out the capers all that well and the execution of the robberies isn't clever or special. I don't know if Oceans 11 and other films like that have spoiled this for us, but the caper part of the plot is very dull and rudimentary.

There was plenty of action and a decent number of humorous moments – most of which are already in the trailers. You can tell what Lord and Miller were going for and it was not a bad idea, it just probably wasn't a true Star Wars movie which was a problem.

The film really tries to provide a lot lot lot of fan service. In fact, I think that's the only reason they made this movie because that is all this is. We have to see all these legendary moments in Han Solo’s life – when he met and became friends with Chewbacca, when he won the Millennium Falcon in a game of intergalactic poker, how he became a smuggler, when he made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs. But the film doesn’t do a good job of weaving all of this into a cohesive plot. Lots of stuff happens because the movie needs to make it happen to fit our notion of who Han Solo and the other characters are, not because it feels natural or makes sense in this story.

Alden Ehrenreich is borderline awful… he constantly smirks and acts absurdly overconfident. It is like the only thing he can do. He rarely displays an honest emotion. I get that Han is confident, but this version of Han borders on stupid. It turned me off. Lando (Donald Glover) isn't in the film all that much and I never really got much of a handle on him. Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) has confusing motivations. I'm still not sure what we are supposed to think of her character in the end. Same with Woddy Harrelson's Beckett. The characters are all just there... I never felt like we got a good understanding of their motivations or personality. None of the characters are as memorable or interesting as several characters in Rogue One.



In many respects, this is a classic Ron Howard film – competent and not a disaster, but not at all edgy or noteworthy. You smile some, you are thrilled some, but you also scratch your head wondering what is going on at times and you never, ever become immersed in what is on screen. You watch, but you don’t feel much of anything. I yawned several times in the first third of the movie.

I know Star Wars fans will see it and they won’t hate it. But, if you missed it, you would not be missing anything essential. In fact, for as much as they wanted to provide fan service, I think they did a lousy job of really being true to who Han Solo is. Remember that in Star Wars, and even at the beginning of Empire, his name is Solo for a reason – he’s out for #1. So, this movie either needs to show him as that kind of character or explain why he becomes that kind of character… but it doesn’t. Instead, he’s constantly worried about others and wants to help folks who are fighting for what is right and honorable. That’s not the Han Solo we know! That is what he eventually becomes in Empire or Jedi, but that is not where he starts his journey. This movie wants him to be a hero, but Han Solo is not a do the right thing kind of guy. We love him despite his faults, but this movie won't let his faults come to the surface because they want to play it safe and not take risks. As a result, the film is like a piece of white toast... it isn't good, it isn't bad, it is just there. If you are hungry, it makes you not hungry but you don't enjoy the experience of eating.

-Jason "in the pantheon of Star Wars films, it isn't as bad as Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones. It may be a little bit better than Revenge of the Sith, but doesn't reach Return of the Jedi or any of the more recent films, IMO" Evans
Now that folks are seeing it, I want to know what others think. Was I too harsh?