Ehrenreich has an almost insurmountable task in playing one of the most iconic and beloved characters in American cinema and he does a decent job. He doesn't have the magnetism of Harrison Ford but he does have charm. His confidence comes and goes but its not necessarily clear if that is the actor or the character so it works. We are seeing him as he becomes Han Solo, not fully formed, so the flashes of insecurity, recklessness, and incompetence work. Clarke is serviceable but a bit lost, her character itself and the motivations are muddled to the point of substantial confusion. Harrelson is startlingly flat, whether he was not invested or the fault lies with direction or the script the performance is dull and forgettable. Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian fares significantly better. He exudes confidence and there's a feeling of not only authenticity but real relish. He puts in the most contagious performance save for his co-pilot L3-37 voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge who steals every scene she's in. Thandie Newton, one of the greatest actors of our time, is woefully underutilized to the point it is somewhat baffling that she was cast in the first place.
Visually appealing, excellent creature design, with an effective if forgettable score the movie has some fundamental structural and pacing problems. There is too much going on, protracted action sequences set up with little to no reason or emotional meaning. The plot jumps time and space so frequently it has narrative ADD. The actual human moments are few and far between and as a result a lot of the action has no weight. Whether this is due to issues with the script or because of the, much publicized, change in directors it makes for an entertaining if uneven and ultimately skeletal experience.
Rent It.
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