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Shocking Moment in Solo!
Jun. 4th, 2018 04:31 pmSo, Solo does reveal one thing that has shocking ramifications for the Star Wars universe as a whole, and one character in particular. You know what I'm talking about:
( Spoilers, of a sort )
( Spoilers, of a sort )
Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story
Jun. 2nd, 2018 10:28 pmIt feels very appropriate to me that Solo features so many references to the old EU; from Teras Kasi to the Maw to Caridia. And not just because the old continuty featured two separate series of pre-trilogy Han Solo adventures, but because this feels like the point where Disney Star Wars starts following the path of the old EU.
I started reading the old novels fairly early; when I started on Heir to the Empire, the Jedi Academy trilogy was still new. At the time, there was a lot of hype about these being the official continuation of the story, that these weren't just going to be one-off adventures, but a real attempt at creating a series of books that would be equal to the original films.
And, for all its flaws, the Jedi Academy trilogy did aim big. It's got Luke starting up a new Jedi order, while Leia is appointed head of state of the New Republic. It was flawed in so many ways, but it wasn't forgettable or trivial.
But then... well, things rapidly seemed to go downhill from there. If you wanted to keep up with the big picture, you weren't missing anything if you skipped books like The Crystal Star or The New Rebellion. It very quickly stopped being about big events or epic storytelling, and just became content to have villains of the week with the status quo being restored at the end of each story, and the focus on continuity became less about building an overarching narrative and more about Easter eggs, little references to other books and media existing for no real reason other than to make it seem like everything tied together. It could be a lot of fun, but it very quickly became sort of routine.
And that's what Solo feels like. It's the first time we've had a Star Wars movie that wasn't trying to be An Event. It's content to just be a little story that fills in some gaps in exactly the way you expected them to be filled, with no real ambitions beyond that. Han gets in debt to gangsters. Chewie rips people's arms off. Lando plays a lot of space-poker and wears a lot of capes. The new characters all get little arcs that all get nicely wrapped up by the end of the movie, everything put back in the box the way it was when the film started.
(No, that's not fair; there's a couple of characters with intriguing storylines that could be expanded. Bets on any of them ever appearing again, though?)
There's a quick cameo that serves only to confuse those that didn't watch all the spin-offs and ancillary materials, but doesn't really add anything except to make those that did understand it go “Aha, I know what's going on because I saw the spin-offs!”
I mean, it's fine. It's a fine movie, there's no sign of the behind the scenes problems it suffered through. It's got nice visuals, a nice soundtrack – when it's not cribbing from John Williams directly – some cute moments. But in the end, it's generic Star Wars product. If you want to see Han Solo do Han Solo things, this is the movie for you. If you're fine with having the Kessel Run or how Han won the Falcon remain unexplained, you can skip it. It's a film that's pretty humble in its ambitions, and it shows.
I started reading the old novels fairly early; when I started on Heir to the Empire, the Jedi Academy trilogy was still new. At the time, there was a lot of hype about these being the official continuation of the story, that these weren't just going to be one-off adventures, but a real attempt at creating a series of books that would be equal to the original films.
And, for all its flaws, the Jedi Academy trilogy did aim big. It's got Luke starting up a new Jedi order, while Leia is appointed head of state of the New Republic. It was flawed in so many ways, but it wasn't forgettable or trivial.
But then... well, things rapidly seemed to go downhill from there. If you wanted to keep up with the big picture, you weren't missing anything if you skipped books like The Crystal Star or The New Rebellion. It very quickly stopped being about big events or epic storytelling, and just became content to have villains of the week with the status quo being restored at the end of each story, and the focus on continuity became less about building an overarching narrative and more about Easter eggs, little references to other books and media existing for no real reason other than to make it seem like everything tied together. It could be a lot of fun, but it very quickly became sort of routine.
And that's what Solo feels like. It's the first time we've had a Star Wars movie that wasn't trying to be An Event. It's content to just be a little story that fills in some gaps in exactly the way you expected them to be filled, with no real ambitions beyond that. Han gets in debt to gangsters. Chewie rips people's arms off. Lando plays a lot of space-poker and wears a lot of capes. The new characters all get little arcs that all get nicely wrapped up by the end of the movie, everything put back in the box the way it was when the film started.
(No, that's not fair; there's a couple of characters with intriguing storylines that could be expanded. Bets on any of them ever appearing again, though?)
There's a quick cameo that serves only to confuse those that didn't watch all the spin-offs and ancillary materials, but doesn't really add anything except to make those that did understand it go “Aha, I know what's going on because I saw the spin-offs!”
I mean, it's fine. It's a fine movie, there's no sign of the behind the scenes problems it suffered through. It's got nice visuals, a nice soundtrack – when it's not cribbing from John Williams directly – some cute moments. But in the end, it's generic Star Wars product. If you want to see Han Solo do Han Solo things, this is the movie for you. If you're fine with having the Kessel Run or how Han won the Falcon remain unexplained, you can skip it. It's a film that's pretty humble in its ambitions, and it shows.
No Gun of Command... Yet
May. 30th, 2018 07:57 pmYou know, if you'd told me back in the '90s that someday, there'd be an official Star Wars movie that name-checked a planet from The Courtship of Princess Leia, of all things, I don't think I would have believed you.
There Are Four Dice
Apr. 12th, 2018 05:10 pmSo, seriously, why is Disney so convinced that the Millennium Falcon's dice will evoke such an incredible sense of nostalgia that they want to make them the focal point of entire scenes in multiple films?
I mean, this is a background detail so insignificant that even the old eu never bothered elaborating on its significance. They're barely visible in the one original film they're even in.
Like, is this the next step in nostalgia? That instead of bringing back things we fondly remember, companies are going to bring back things we didn't remember in the first place, and pretend we fondly remember them?
I mean, this is a background detail so insignificant that even the old eu never bothered elaborating on its significance. They're barely visible in the one original film they're even in.
Like, is this the next step in nostalgia? That instead of bringing back things we fondly remember, companies are going to bring back things we didn't remember in the first place, and pretend we fondly remember them?
Big Game Hunters
Feb. 24th, 2018 09:32 pmDiscussing the Solo trailer, and of course two questions came up. One, what the hell did Han and Chewie do to the Falcon's interior? And two, what does Han actually smuggle?
As it turns out, the answer to both of them is obvious. We've only seen Han actually smuggling cargo once, in The Force Awakens, and he was smuggling wild animals.
And now, all the pieces fall into place!
The Falcon's a rat's nest by the time of A New Hope because normally Han and Chewie are keeping animals there.
The Mynocks in Empire Strikes Back are presumably a cargo Han forgot to unload; he doesn't seem at all surprised to find random animals attached to his ship in deep space.
Jabba's a regular customer. Between pets, monsters, and lunch, he's always looking for new exotic creatures.
The Sarlacc, then, was presumably the cargo Han dumped at the first sign of an imperial patrol. He just dumped it in the desert somewhere. Jabba wasn't happy, and once he finally found it, he thought it'd be nicely ironic to use it to execute Han.
The Porgs nesting in the Falcon in The Last Jedi are kind of bittersweet for Chewie to see; it reminds him of the good old days, when there were always half a dozen critters nesting somewhere on the ship.
Tell me it doesn't all add up!
As it turns out, the answer to both of them is obvious. We've only seen Han actually smuggling cargo once, in The Force Awakens, and he was smuggling wild animals.
And now, all the pieces fall into place!
The Falcon's a rat's nest by the time of A New Hope because normally Han and Chewie are keeping animals there.
The Mynocks in Empire Strikes Back are presumably a cargo Han forgot to unload; he doesn't seem at all surprised to find random animals attached to his ship in deep space.
Jabba's a regular customer. Between pets, monsters, and lunch, he's always looking for new exotic creatures.
The Sarlacc, then, was presumably the cargo Han dumped at the first sign of an imperial patrol. He just dumped it in the desert somewhere. Jabba wasn't happy, and once he finally found it, he thought it'd be nicely ironic to use it to execute Han.
The Porgs nesting in the Falcon in The Last Jedi are kind of bittersweet for Chewie to see; it reminds him of the good old days, when there were always half a dozen critters nesting somewhere on the ship.
Tell me it doesn't all add up!
