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The Preview Reel: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Scott Davis
The Preview Reel

Welcome to this week’s “Preview Reel” column, in which we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Deadpool 2 killed it at the box office last weekend, dethroning the mighty Avengers: Infinity War with an impressive $125 million debut. The merc-with-a-mouth will have his work cut out for him this weekend though as a new Star Wars film debuts in the form of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The internet is always excited for a Star Wars movie, right? Let’s break it down.

 

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

What we are excited about: Say what you will about what Disney has done with the Star Wars franchise, but this writer thinks they have done a great job. From re-igniting the dormant franchise and inspiring a new generation with Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), to gleefully playing with nostalgia in a unique way in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2017), to taking the franchise to bold and exciting places in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars is in safe hands with Kathleen Kennedy at the helm. That might be a “hot take” seeing that the internet and fanboys have turned on the Lucasfilm president, but the way she was able to “awaken” the general public’s interest in Star Wars after a decade away from theaters (yes, we’re consciously ignoring the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2008), has been impressive. There hasn’t been any real evidence to doubt their plan (unless you were not a fan of The Last Jedi) so we’re hoping they keep that same vision and passion going with Solo. A bonus will undoubtedly be the insanely talented cast made up of Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, and Alden Ehrenreich as the beloved smuggler.

What we are worried about: Lucasfilm faces their biggest challenge since The Force Awakens with Solo: A Star Wars Story because of its production trouble and people’s love for the character. Things could turn ugly quickly for this movie, and some might argue they already have. When the film was announced, Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie [2014] and the 21 Jump Street movies [2012, 2014]) were attached to direct. Their style did not match with Kennedy’s, so the duo was replaced by Ron Howard. In under a year, Howard turned the troubled production around, and the film is remarkably still hitting its planned release date. Much of the internet is worried as to why there has been so much trouble behind the scenes and if that will affect the film in a negative way. The trailers have been somewhat subpar, and the film does seem to have a “rushed” feel to it. There is some genuine worry as to how this is all going to come together and if the film will do justice to the beloved character.

The Buzz: Despite making over $1.3 billion and debuting to glowing reviews, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has somewhat killed Disney’s momentum with the franchise. Don’t get us wrong, The Last Jedi was an undeniably huge movie (the biggest of 2017 in fact) and many find the movie to be among the best of the series (this writer included), but many fans were turned off or even angered by the turns the film took. Much like the ongoing debate on whether there is such thing as “superhero” fatigue, many are wondering if there is a “Star Wars” fatigue” is settling in. This is the fourth movie to bare the moniker in three years and the second in six months—which could be a bit much for a franchise that fans are accustomed to waiting decades between installments for. There is a potential burnout factor at work here, and it could affect Solo’s long-term box-office returns. There is still a sizeable amount of buzz regarding the “Star Wars” brand, and while it is undeniably lower this time around than it was for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, it feels right about in line with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film does have mostly positive reviews as of this writing (71% on RottenTomatoes, 64 on MetaCritic), but those numbers are the lowest of the recent films. We think that might hurt in the long run, but we’re still anticipating a $150 million holiday weekend opening.

Final Thoughts: You’re either on board with this movie or you’re not. For us, it’s a new Star Wars movie so, of course, we’re seeing it in a theater.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.
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