Solo mission is Han fans’ treat
THE origins movie of Star Wars character Han Solo has a backstory as troubled as its world- weary hero. The production was almost complete when its star Alden Ehrenreich was obliged to take emergency acting lessons and original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were sacked and replaced with veteran Ron Howard. But there is no sign of the film’s fraught history in this solid spin- off.
However, whether you enjoy Howard’s trip to a galaxy far, far away will depend on what you want from a Star Wars adventure.
If you’re after slick action scenes, spectacular special effects and exhaustive explanations for every reference to a key character’s past, this is the blockbuster you’ve been looking for.
But if you enjoyed the way Rian Johnson played fast and loose with the franchise’s mythology in The Last Jedi, you might feel a little underwhelmed by The Da Vinci Code director’s rather unadventurous approach.
Solo opens on the shipbuilding planet of Corellia where Han is running scams for his Fagin- like boss, a giant space grub called Lady Proxima.
He manages to flee her clutches in a well- staged if rather familiar flying car chase but is forced to leave behind fellow orphan and sweetheart Qi’ra ( Emilia Clarke).
When we jump forward three years, he is now an Empire infantry grunt, dodging laser fire in a muddy trench and dreaming of a reunion with Qi’ra.
He sees a way out when he befriends a Wookiee called Chewbacca ( Joonas Suotamo) and talks his way into a gang of outlaws led by the pistol- twirling Beckett ( Woody Harrelson).
Here the origins movie begins to morph into a cowboy heist movie. After a thrilling train robbery goes awry, the outlaws find themselves in hock to Paul Bettany’s mobster who to Han’s surprise turns up with the now not- so- innocent Qi’ra on his arm.
SHE OFFERS some help as Han comes up with a daring plan to clear their debt. They win a spaceship in a card game with gambler Lando Calrissian ( a charismatic Donald Glover) and use it to pull off a near- impossible heist on the mining planet of Kessel.
It is arguably impressive how the script, written by father- and- son team Jon and Lawrence Kasdan, expands Solo’s backstory. By the end we know how Han and Chewbacca became pals and how Han got his spaceship, his blaster and even his surname. But did we really want to see every mystery about Harrison Ford’s hard- boiled hero stripped away?
Ehrenreich’s performance serves the plot well enough. He is all goofy charm and bouncy enthusiasm so we know something will happen to turn him into the grumpy cynic we met in the first Star Wars film.
But a more adventurous film might have delivered a few more surprises.
There is no Jar Jar Binks or Hayden Christensen so this is light years away from being the worst Star Wars film. But it does feel like the most unnecessary.
EDIE ( Cert 12A, 101mins)
LIKE Finding Your Feet, Quartet and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Edie is a British drama about a pensioner who finds a new lease of life. Edie ( Sheila Hancock) refuses to go quietly when her controlling husband dies and her daughter packs her off to a retirement home. She runs away to fulfil an ambition: to climb Mount Suilven in the Highlands.
Luckily when she arrives at Inverness train station, the first person she bumps into is big- hearted camping shop owner and experienced climber Jonny ( Kevin Guthrie). After some persuasion he agrees to prepare her for the expedition. The dialogue can be heavy- handed and the banter weak but a sprightly performance from its 85- year- old star ensures it peaks with a touching finale.
THE BREADWINNER ( Cert 12A, 93mins)
IRELAND’S Cartoon Saloon has already received two Oscar nominations for The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea and this gritty animation about life under the Taliban deserves to make it a hat- trick.
It is based on Deborah Ellis’s award- winning young adult novel and tells the compelling story of a resourceful 11- year- old Afghan girl called Parvana. After her father is imprisoned she cuts her hair short and dresses as a boy so she can provide for her mother and two siblings.
Visually the film is hugely impressive. For the main narrative, director Nora Twomey employs the hand- drawn animation used to such poetic effect by the studio’s previous Oscar- nominated films.
But whenever Parvana seeks refuge in storytelling, we switch to a more folksy cut- out style of traditional puppet theatre.
The Breadwinner is clever, beautiful and extremely powerful but parents should take note of the 12A rating. If your children are especially sensitive, this will make for a very challenging trip to the cinema.
THE LITTLE VAMPIRE ( Cert U, 82mins)
IF YOUR children can’t wait for July and Adam Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania 3, this clunky animation might fill a hole. It is based on the books of Angela Sommer- Bodenburg and tells the story of an American boy who makes an unusual friend while holidaying with his parents in the Black Forest.
Shortly after noting the strange garlic obsession of their German hosts, Tony Thompson ( voiced by Amy Saville) gets a flying visit from Rudolph ( Rasmus Hardiker), a vampire whose 300th celebration of his 13th birthday was interrupted by a vampire hunter ( Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter).
The dialogue is flat and the animation is workmanlike but it is quirky and pacy enough to keep younger children quiet.
SHOW DOGS
( Cert PG, 92 mins) MISS Congeniality gets a decidedly hairy makeover in a barking family comedy. A macho rottweiler police dog ( voiced by rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) is forced to partner up with human FBI agent Frank ( Will Arnett) and go undercover at a Las Vegas dog show used as a front for trafficking exotic animals.
This is not director Raja Gosnell’s first dog show. After two live- action Scooby- Doo films and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, he knows that slapstick and rude jokes are the easiest ways to get children to roll over.
Parents might find themselves whimpering to be let off the leash until a French dog called Philippe flounces on to the stage. Stanley Tucci’s wonderfully camp voice performance should make adults sit up and stay.