Month: May 2018

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!), Woody Harrelson (Zombieland), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Donald Glover (Community), Thandie Newton (Westworld), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Joonas Suotamo (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Paul Bettany (Avengers: Infinity War)

Director: Ron Howard (Rush)

Writers: Jonathan Kasdan (In the Land of Women) & Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back)

Runtime: 2 hour 15 minutes

Release Date: 24 May (UK), 25 May (US)

Up front: this movie does not need to exist. Origin films, especially for characters who work precisely because we don’t know that much about them, are inherently flawed from the get-go, especially so in the Star Wars universe where the fact it feels lived in is negated if we know where all the scratches and grooves came from. So from even the mere concept stage, Solo: A Star Wars Story shouldn’t be a good movie, and that’s what had me far more worried than all of the behind-the-scenes trouble with the change in directors. But somehow, against all odds, it is good. Actually, it’s really good. Funny that.

Getting the bad out of the way, the worst parts of Solo are the parts you’d expect to be bad: all the callbacks and unnecessary explanations for innocuous details about Han Solo. Some of the more character-based elements do provide some fun and illuminating depths, like the beginnings of his relationships with Chewbacca and Lando, but did anybody really need to know where Han got his gun? I didn’t think so. Solo is at its worst when it is actively trying to be a prequel, as most prequels are. However, when the film puts that aside and is just its own thing, it improves exponentially. The film gets off to a rough start with some cringe-worthy character exposition and wonky pacing, but by the time Han is off on his adventure all the fat has been dropped and the film moves at a solid clip from there. The story balances a lot of genres from mafia movie to heist flick to western, but they all blend together fairly seamlessly. What gives Solo an extra kick is the hidden depths to its story and characters; themes of trust, optimism vs. pessimism, and the blurry morality of crime are constantly discussed. Heck, there’s even something of a subplot about the autonomy and discrimination of droids in the Star Wars universe! None of it is exactly as deep as some of the stuff The Last Jedi discussed, but its those little details that give Solo something more to say than just “this is why Han is Han”.

Harrison Ford is Han Solo and forever will be but, if anyone is worthy enough to captain the Falcon in his stead, Alden Ehrenreich gives it his best shot. He avoids outright imitating Ford, giving the character a more buoyant outlook and affect, but he definitely captures the confidence and conceitedness that define the character. Woody Harrelson does what he does best and blends surprisingly well into the Star Wars universe as Solo’s mentor Beckett, whilst Emilia Clarke brings a tragic and fascinating femme fatale edge to Qi’ra. Joonas Suotamo has been doing great standing in for Peter Mayhew on the sequel trilogy so far, and now given full reign of Chewbacca here he delivers a physically impressive performance worthy of the legendary Wookie. There’s also some great smaller turns from the likes of Thandie Newton and Jon Favreau as Beckett’s crew, as well as a few surprising faces I won’t dare spoil. The only real sour note is Paul Bettany, who is interesting as the film’s gangster antagonist Dryden Vos, but his screen time is unfortunately cut short which diminishes him greatly as a threat. However, the real MVPs of the movie are Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3-37 respectively. Glover absolutely captures the suave magic of Billy Dee Williams’ performance but gives it a youthful edge that makes the character feel fresh again, whilst Waller-Bridge brings an interesting new take on the droid sidekick that’ll have you laughing, cheering, and perhaps even shed a tear. I know we don’t need more origin films, but if they ever do one about these two, I’m totally in just so I can see more of them interacting.

From the first frame, it’s clear that Solo is a Star Wars movie but it still brings its own distinctive twists to the aesthetics. The cinematography certainly sets it apart, with Bradford Young giving the film a distinct palette and wonderful camerawork that balances classic and modern filmmaking whenever the mood calls for one or the other. The design work from the sets to the costumes to the make-up is all top-notch as expected, and the pre-rustbucket Millennium Falcon is an especially nice touch. The visual effects work is fantastic, with CG characters like L3 and Favreau’s Rio Durant blending effortlessly in with the live-action elements, and John Powell’s compositions avoid the mistakes made by Michael Giacchino on Rogue One by being undoubtedly a Star Wars score whilst still being distinctive and memorable.

Solo never does make the case that it needs to exist but, in terms of quality of execution, it’s possibly the best movie one could hope for given the brief it has to fulfil. It accomplishes the base level of being an entertaining romp through the Star Wars universe, but sweetens the deal with some memorable new characters, great performances, and a surprising amount of profundity in its underlying themes. Your mileage may vary, but for me what this film got right was more than enough to outweigh the hereditary faults of the concept itself. I encourage Lucasfilm to expand their horizons with the spin-offs more rather than just making more origin stories, but if they’re going to do them anyway, Solo stands as a solid example of how to do them right.

FINAL VERDICT: 8.5/10

Starring: Ryan Reynolds (The Hitman’s Bodyguard), Josh Brolin (Sicario), Morena Baccarin (Serenity), Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), TJ Miller (Ready Player One), Brianna Hildebrand (Tragedy Girls)

Director: David Leitch (Atomic Blonde) 

Writers: Rhett Rheese & Paul Wernick (Zombieland) & Ryan Reynolds

Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes

Release Date: 15 May (UK), 18 May (US)

It’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago, 20^th Century Fox wasn’t even willing to make Deadpool. But one leaked test video and a million screeching fans later, it became not only one of the most successful R-rated films of all time but more successful than any of its X-Men cousins. With Deadpool 2, the training wheels have been taken off but the infamous Merc with a Mouth had an even more difficult task ahead of itself: blow our minds all over again…with a magic trick we’ve already seen. The final result is a film that matches it predecessor consistently, even exceeding it in certain areas, but probably won’t set the world on fire or anything.

In comparison to other recent comic book sequels, Deadpool 2 most resembles Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Both are attempting to recapture the same sense of fun and quirkiness that defined their predecessors but, for better or worse, ultimately put most of their efforts into upping the emotional bar over spectacle or humour. That’s not to say that Deadpool 2 isn’t a hilarious action-packed ride. This movie jumps from zero to sixty within the first three minutes and stays there throughout the brisk two hours it has to tell its story, packing the proceedings with set pieces and comedy routines galore. However, where the film falters is in how it tells its story. Whereas the first film was a relatively simply revenge/love story made unique by its non-linear structure and self-deprecating humour, the sequel aims a little higher and doesn’t quite stick the landing. Saying much more would spoil it, but to summarise I’d say Deadpool 2’s main failure is that doesn’t reconcile its irreverent core with its emotional intentions quite as well.

Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool and he is as obnoxious and in-your-face here as he was in the first whilst still somehow remaining relatable and endearing. Even if the film itself struggles to balance tone, Reynolds himself does and delivers a phenomenal performance that develops the character in fascinating ways. Josh Brolin is perfectly cast as Cable and bounces his gruff demeanour off of Reynolds’ antics to consistently comical effect, whilst Zazie Beetz is effortlessly cool and charming as the perpetually fortunate Domino; they practically deserve movies of their own. Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa has a smaller but just-as-vital role here, once again acting as Wade Wilson’s moral compass, whilst returning supporting players like Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand and Stefan Kapicic continue to bring the laughs as their respective characters. The only recurring actor to feel undercooked is TJ Miller’s Weasel, with the character given little to do and not much funny to say. Given his lack of importance and Miller’s recent…um, “public difficulties”…I wonder why he was kept around at all. The film’s new MVP is easily Julian Dennison as the fiery teen Russell who, whilst essentially playing his Hunt for the Wilderpeople character again, adds both a new layer of comedy and emotional depth to the film and is arguably a better foil to Deadpool than Cable even is. The film’s main character weakness is (and I’ll avoid saying exactly who they are) its villains, who feel a little too generic and undercooked especially when compared to the simple but effective adversaries of the first film. They serve their purpose, and one of them is a really fun surprise at first, but they lack a sense of personality or an element of subversion that would have really set them apart.

As opposed to original director Tim Miller, who relied much more on his VFX expertise to deliver the action, David Leitch’s experience with stuntwork on the likes of John Wick and Atomic Blonde leads to Deadpool 2 being a more practical affair than its predecessor. There’s still a ton of CGI and it’s all done on par with the average superhero blockbuster, but the fight choreography here is far more visceral and tangible this time around, and not just because the gore factor has been turned up to eleven too. There are some great standout action sequences to behold here that are often just as funny as they are entertaining, and they are all shot and cut sharply and without incoherence. Tyler Bates’ score for the sequel is not as memorable as Junkie XL’s tunes for the first, but the film’s soundtrack choices more than pick up the slack.

If you liked Deadpool, you will also more likely than not like Deadpool 2. It is just as inherently funny and entertaining as the first, and I could certainly see some declaring it to be superior to the original. From my perspective, I don’t think there’s much else they could have thrown in to make this a better movie, so I can’t exactly say they didn’t try or failed in any spectacular way. Deadpool 2 is just another sequel to a nearly perfect movie that can’t help but feel like a letdown in some ways. It’s a movie that delivers everything it promises, but doesn’t offer that same sense of surprise that only the first film could ever pull off. Then again, if they did anything too radically different, it wouldn’t be Deadpool anymore. If you’re already interested, you’re going to have a great time, almost guaranteed. I just personally don’t see this one having the staying power or the pop culture impact the first one did.

FINAL VERDICT: 8.5/10