Solo: a Star Wars Story

Expect the unexpected!

After the disastrous premiere of  The Last Jedi last year, and after all the fake postive reviews made by paid critics from big websites (too big to mention here) Rian "Jar Jar" Johnson created the most divisive Star Wars film ever made. Claiming his "daring vision" would expand the SW universe like you've never seen before, he spent the whole year after the premiere explaining every single thing he did, while on the other hand Mark Hamill apparently regreted himself for saying publicly how much he disliked the new take on Luke Skywalker (we all hated it Mark, don't worry!). In addition, The Last Jedi is the lowest ranked SW films by viewers at Rotten Tomatoes with a 46% (yeah baby! let the truth be heard across the internet!) While today's entry, that has only been out for 4 days, is already a solid 60% that I'm sure it will grow as days go by. 

Solo, a Star Wars Story, is kind of a prequel in a sense it tells how Han Solo got to be the Han Solo we all grew up with in the sacred original Star Wars trilogy. Directed by experienced B Movie  maker Mr. Ron Howard, the film has everything you need to enjoy a film from start to finish. Besides, it has all the Star Wars humor piece-of-shit-Johson failed to add to his "groundbreaking ball swallowing episode VIII". So right after the TLJ effect, people even started to talk about "Star Wars fatigue". A term, I even found myself agreeing with after all the incisively aggressive Disney marketing campaign to promote their new characters as equally interesting characters as the originals. Fuck no they aren't!

Larger than life friendship.

Lando Calrissian, the gambler!

However, Seeing that millions of people were sick and tired of the latest in the SW universe, it is only natural to think that a new side quest/side story would feel strictly unnecessary. Did we really need to see who stole the Death Star's plans in Rogue One? Maybe, maybe not. I for one, think that what made SW great, was precisely that: the curtain of mystery that not only surrounded most of the main characters, but also interesting sub plots and subtle appearances of background characters that were actually as interesting as the leads (Boba Fett, anyone?)

The day Solo premiered I checked at our local theater that there were only 25 seats sold! Which kinda led me into thinking this film would be a train wreck. Later, once I actually went to the movies with me wife, we found the theater to be almost empty, as if they were about to call it a day. Moreover, and to our sad surprise it was only us and around 10 people who actually showed up once the film began to roll. Luckily, this was a real Star Wars movie, one with the heart and spirit the original trilogy had, so in a way those who were there, were the lucky ones!

Dryden Vos, a mean motherfucker.

The mysterious Enfys Nest.

Obviously, Solo, expands its universe with an interesting selection of characters that not only look cool but that also are really relevant to the development of the main plot, sub plots and other shockingly surprising reveals the film feeds us off with every hour. The new additions are Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), Han Solo's former girlfriend, Beckett (Woody Harrelson), a professional smuggler and double crosser from which Solo gets his now world famous blaster and apparently a lot more. Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), the mob boss who runs not only Beckett's life but also a powerful contraband company that seems to be working for the empire. Enfys Nest (Erin Kellyman), Beckett's rival and last but not least L3-37 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Lando's companion droid with a mind of her own. 

Plotwise, Solo is pretty straight forward. Han Solo quits working for the empire once he realizes he's on the wrong battlefield. As soon as he escapes, he meets Beckett's pose and gets a job as a pilot and smuggler with the one character we all know so much: Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). Their first assignment, seems pretty simple: steal a precious energy source from the empire to get a load of cash after delivering it to Dryden Vos. Obviously, things go south pretty quickly, and the smuggler team has to retry their mission in order to make it out alive. 

I need to get me a fast ship.

Long time no see Han!

Solo is a rollercoaster ride full of fan service, unexpected SW references, and a incredibly well staged set of plot twists that will reassure our faith in the SW universe. While the plot may seem a bit too simplistic, it's good enough to develop the many surprises and jokes the film comes packed with. For instance, L3-37 leads a unique war of her own on demanding rights for droids, and all of her scenes are done graciously in the likes of every SW joke you've seen in the classic films. In fact, most of the funniest jokes come from the many creatures and droids our heroes find in their way to survival. The jokes look and feel so natural, that you will gladly thank yourself for having bought the tickets to what I'd like to call the "latest hidden gem" in the SW franchise. 

Solo marks Lawrence Kasdan's fourth and final time working as a writer on the "Star Wars" film franchise. He was also a screenwriter for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).  

Solo: A Star Wars Story takes place approximately 10 years prior to the events of Star Wars : A New Hope and 7 years before the Star Wars: Rebels TV series. Chewbacca and Leia Organa both made appearances in the Rebels series, but it is unknown who Chewbacca was allied with. Lando Calrissian also appeared and was voiced by Billy Dee Williams. 

Bad guys wear capes.

Run Han, run!

And now more spoiler-free cool trivia about Solo, A Star Wars Story:

-Dryden Vos has a set of Mandalorian Battle Armor in his collection on his yacht. This is the same style of armor made famous by bounty hunter Boba Fett.  

-During the train heist Val mentions the character Bossk(a personal favorite o'mine), who is one of the bounty hunters that is shown in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. 

-While posing as slave traders, Beckett (Woody Harrelson) wears the same helmet and uniform that Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) wore while posing as a bodyguard for Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi (1983). 

-Just before attempting a very risky maneuver in the Millennium Falcon, Han says "I have a really good feeling about this." In previous 'Star Wars' films, characters (including Han) have said the exact opposite "I have a bad feeling about this." 

-The theme of the Imperial March can be heard playing on the recruitment film featured at the beginning of the film before Han signs up to the Empire.  

-With this film, Warwick Davis has been involved in 10 Star Wars related projects starting with Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). 

-The Golden Idol (Fertility Idol) from the opening scene of Raiders Of The Lost Ark can be seen sitting on a table in the meeting room of Paul Bettany's character Dryden Vos. Harrison Ford who originally played Han Solo also played Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Director Ron Howard confirmed this Easter egg on Twitter. 

- In the mine elevator on Kessell, Chewbacca tears a guard's arms out of his sockets. This refers to a line spoken by Han in the original 'Star Wars.' 

It's not wise to upset a wookie.

Sorry, seat taken.

Overall, Solo is an unexpectedly good addition to the now divisive SW universe. The film delivers two hours of entertainment based solely on the premise of respecting the franchise, their fans and not going over its head with "groundbreaking twists". Solo actually learned a lot from the failure of TLJ and decided to play it safe but with many interesting yet, subtle twists that will have you cumming several times by the end of the film. 

Here's the movie trailer collection:

Teaser trailer:

Official Trailer:

Behind the scenes with the cast:

Deadpool 2

DP 2, not cumming alone.

It's hard to believe this humble movies blog opened its doors 10 years ago. It's hard to believe people are still visiting it, while having thousands of better more professional options to go to whenever they need a qualified opinion on whether the film is worth watching or worth skipping. Anyway, I'm glad you're still here after all these years! We've reached the decade milestone! And what better way to celebrate it with the most exploitation superhero film there is to see in 2018!

Deadpool 2, AKA DP 2 (raunchy you!) Far exceeds its expectations and it's not just an excellent sequel to the original but, also a great example of film making done with the heart. The character itself, is probably one of the few superheroes/antiheroes accurately depicted on the big screen. With Wade Wilson, the ideas are limitless, and writers, producers and directors  clearly know why the comic book anti-hero has become a cult character ever since its introduction in the early 90's.

The new X-Men trainee.

Teenage angst.

First of all, and just like in the previous film, DP2 is a work purely based on respecting the fans, therefore the character. Unlike 90% of the MCU characters, here we don't need any of the PG rater bullshit and childish stories softened to appeal to a bigger market (and the retarded fans of the MCU, sorry, not sorry). In fact, I'd say DP2 feels like an independent film about a franchise character. Moreover, Deadpool 2 is the movie for those who were growing tired of superhero films, as the sequel makes fun of everything comic book related, specially the "Lazy writing" joke Wade keeps on tossing in our faces throughout the film. In addition, if you're a true comic book reader, you'll find the sequel comes packed with lots of X-Men related jokes, not just the predictable "DC V/S Marvel" stupid feud and criticism towards other MCU franchises.

When it comes to bringing the laughs, I think Deadpool 2 is just as funny as the original entry. There's even more meta jokes, the same gleefully dirty spirit carries over and some unexpected payoffs left me cackling. They build upon some of the previous memorable bits (I admire Ryan for being so willing to relentlessly skewer his filmography) without it going stale. Luckily, they didn't ruin the movie by putting all the funny bits in the trailer and there's plenty to enjoy. They weren't afraid to push the envelope with the humour and stick around past the finale for a truly epic bit that rolls during the credits.

Friend or foe?

Another metal arm?

We've got all your favourite players back from Deadpool and I want to credit the writers for giving the opportunity for the characters to grow. Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is his typical wise-cracking self but he's found happiness and the change in his relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) has really impacted his outlook. Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) return as X-Men members and while they're familiar, they're attitude does change towards Deadpool's antics. We also get back Dopinder (Karan Soni), Weasel (T.J. Miller) and Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) as the rest of Wade's crew and they all bring something new or hilarious to the film. I also really liked the new members of the cast; Cable (Josh Brolin) and Domino (Zazie Beetz) lived up to the hype. Cable has more depth than I expected and a highlight of Deadpool 2 was how they worked in Domino's ability into the action. They were so creative in how her abilities changed the way the action flowed. I also really liked the character of Russell (Julian Dennison) and how they used him in the movie. He becomes the driving force of the plot and they shape his character in a way that finds a nice balance between too soft and too arrogant. If I had any complaints, Eddie Marsan's character is one of the weakest villains I've seen in the genre, he has little dimension and his screen time is limited. I also preferred the treatment of a few of the original characters in the initial installment (Negasonic and Blind Al were stronger in the first movie). Keep your eyes open for a couple of surprise appearances by a few famous faces in the X-Men lore. However, the surprise villain, is a refreshing unexpected addition that will have you laughing by the time he faces his final combat. 

Director David Leitch is well known for his work in stunts and co-ordinating memorable action set pieces. This has carried over into his directorial efforts, I had a general knowledge of this going in, so I was expecting big things. Again, this movie rose to the task. It equals the original and, in some ways, surpasses it. I've already mentioned Domino, Colossus has a standout fight in the finale of the movie, the direction the movie decided to go with the initial X-Force mission was very surprising and I also liked Cable and Wade's first fight in the prison. The movie doesn't have a signature scene like the 12 bullets opening in Deadpool but there was never a moment that I was bored when the severed limbs were flying. Leitch and his team definitely got the job done and they balanced the humour and the thrills superbly. 

Time for new recruits.

The most formidable character of the film.

Ryan Reynolds followed up his signature turn as the foul-mouthed mercenary with an equally impressive performance. He's joined Hugh Jackman and Robert Downey Jr. as the benchmark of acting within the genre and I question if anyone else could even come close to him playing this character. Morena Baccarin still has great chemistry with Reynolds and their relationship remains as sweet as it did before. Brolin is appropriately cast as Cable, he lived up to high expectations and was appropriately gruff. Zazie Beetz is great as Domino, her casting was met with a lot of criticism but she's funny and I wish we had spent more time with her. Karan Soni carried over his charm from Deadpool as did Brianna Hildebrand. Julian Dennison did a solid job as Russell, I hadn't seen his previous work, but I can understand why so many people were excited to see him. Terry Crews, Bill Skarsgard, Lewis Tan and Rob Delaney were all good as the new X-Force members. Delaney was the standout as Peter. I also liked Stefan Kapicic and Leslie Uggams in their respective supporting parts.

One of the more surprisingly successful parts of the original Deadpool movie was the love story between Wade and Vanessa. It was surprisingly effective, and I dug the direction they took with it. Deadpool 2 is a story about family and while it still worked, it didn't tug at my heartstrings like the emotional core of the first one did. This isn't the fault of the actors or even the writers, it just didn't have the same impact.

Yes, Shatter Star is here too!

Cue to music!

In my opinion, this is a great sequel. It delivers a potent mix of both action and comedy. I was impressed that they refused to rest on the laurels of the original adventure and tried to do something new with it. If you found the first one too crude, too violent or too meta, I don't think this one will work for you. Its a movie that stands on its own, but you get the same creative expression as you did in the first one. I wouldn't say this is better than Deadpool, but it is on that same level for me. 

If you're looking for a "fuck you in the fucking ass, motherfucker" type of movie, say no more, Deadpool 2 hides some of the most clever critics ever made to a fast growing industry that forgot its true fan a long time ago (fuck you Disney!), and became a shameless cashgrab derivative money making machine. Of course, only few people will find out the nuances this great film is packed with.

That is all for today, and as Deadpool would say, "fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Here's the movie trailer:

Trailer #1: