Naurya
Joined Oct 2004
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Naurya's rating
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Naurya's rating
After the huge disappointment that was "The Last Jedi", I'm really glad to say that "Solo" is once again a Star Wars movie that captures the spirit of Star Wars! It doesn't try to "kill the past", but shows a decent amount of respect for its original characters.
Alden Ehrenreich does a good job as Han Solo, though - of course - he is no Harrison Ford. But it doesn't take long until you accept him as a younger Han Solo. Donald Glover, however, is brilliant as Lando Calrissian and truly embodies the smooth playboy with his extravagant clothing style. I loved every second he was on screen. Woody Harrelson was also great as Han's mentor - a role very similar to the one he played in "The Hunger Games". The only cast member who wasn't able to convince entirely was Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra, though I don't know if it's her fault or the script's fault. Too much about her character was left in the dark and even in the end I never understood her goals or motivations.
The movie is an action-packed adventure and it never gets boring. However, sometimes the action gets in the way of the character development. As an audience, we have too little time to get to know the new characters in the beginning, which makes it difficult to sympathize with them during action scenes.
The established characters, on the other hand, are all beautifully portrayed and there are some great Star Wars moments in this movie that fans have imagined since back in 1977. Some might call it fan service, but these scenes are never over the top or in-your-face, but well woven into the story.
The humor is also dead-on! I laughed a lot during the screening and I can't remember a single joke that didn't work. Most importantly, there is no self-referential humor and people also don't act out of character just for the sake of a joke (as was the case in "The Last Jedi"). I especially enjoyed the numerous instances where Han tries to talk himself out of dire situations by making ludicrous claims or excuses. Typically Han!
Though "Solo" surely isn't a revelation and can't make up for the mess that is the sequel trilogy, the movie has given me hope again that Lucasfilm might be heading into the right direction in the future. The atmosphere in "Solo" just felt right, as did the characters. The "Star Wars feeling" has returned!
Alden Ehrenreich does a good job as Han Solo, though - of course - he is no Harrison Ford. But it doesn't take long until you accept him as a younger Han Solo. Donald Glover, however, is brilliant as Lando Calrissian and truly embodies the smooth playboy with his extravagant clothing style. I loved every second he was on screen. Woody Harrelson was also great as Han's mentor - a role very similar to the one he played in "The Hunger Games". The only cast member who wasn't able to convince entirely was Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra, though I don't know if it's her fault or the script's fault. Too much about her character was left in the dark and even in the end I never understood her goals or motivations.
The movie is an action-packed adventure and it never gets boring. However, sometimes the action gets in the way of the character development. As an audience, we have too little time to get to know the new characters in the beginning, which makes it difficult to sympathize with them during action scenes.
The established characters, on the other hand, are all beautifully portrayed and there are some great Star Wars moments in this movie that fans have imagined since back in 1977. Some might call it fan service, but these scenes are never over the top or in-your-face, but well woven into the story.
The humor is also dead-on! I laughed a lot during the screening and I can't remember a single joke that didn't work. Most importantly, there is no self-referential humor and people also don't act out of character just for the sake of a joke (as was the case in "The Last Jedi"). I especially enjoyed the numerous instances where Han tries to talk himself out of dire situations by making ludicrous claims or excuses. Typically Han!
Though "Solo" surely isn't a revelation and can't make up for the mess that is the sequel trilogy, the movie has given me hope again that Lucasfilm might be heading into the right direction in the future. The atmosphere in "Solo" just felt right, as did the characters. The "Star Wars feeling" has returned!
After having seen HP6, I honestly didn't have great expectations in this one. I guessed it would be darker and scarier, as every HP movie has been darker and scarier than its predecessor. But HP6 was such a patchwork of scenes that didn't give you the feeling of a coherent work - I was afraid the even more complex story line of HP7 would make an even less coherent movie. However, I must say it was definitely a wise decision to split the 7th book into 2 movies. HP7 can take time to explain and introduce all the characters that are necessary to the plot.
I love the way Voldemort and the Death Eaters are portrayed in this movie. They are no longer just anonymous caped figures. You can see them interacting with each other, discussing and well... being human. Well, I'm always a big fan of the blurring of these clearcut good/evil categories in Fantasy.
As the book is split into 2 parts, all of a sudden, there's also time for little embellishments I hadn't realized I had missed in the earlier movies! For example, I loved the scene so much where the feather floated through the air when the fairy tale of the Three Brothers was being told. Also the drawing style that was used during the story was really amazing. This HP movie was the first of all that finally gave me the same feeling as Lord of the Rings did: Boy, this is not just some guys slavishly adapting a book into a movie, but they're actually autonomous artists and they have ideas of their own! And I don't mean they changed the whole plot (I wouldn't like that)! But (mostly visually) they did more than just bring across what's in the book.
This also expresses itself in the decision not to include the childish Harry Potter musical theme (at least I didn't hear it, correct me if I'm wrong) from the first movie that sounds like "Wow, everything's so magical here!" That tune was fine for the first movie, but as Harry got older and the movies got darker, it kind of felt like they had to force this theme into every movie several times even though it didn't really fit any more. Now the soundtrack, too, has finally grown up. And I loved it! Last but not least, the acting was brilliant! The tense atmosphere between Harry, Ron and Hermione really came across. Also with all the doppelgänger scenes, you always still saw from their movements and behaviour which character was which though they were in disguise in a different body.
All in all, as the title says, this is a excellent grown-up movie and I can recommend it to everyone - except kids! If you have little kids, please don't take them. This movie has far too many scary scenes and little comic relief! Plus, the plot is quit complex including lots and lots of minor characters. It's really no longer a movie targeted at kids, even though it's still labelled "Harry Potter".
I love the way Voldemort and the Death Eaters are portrayed in this movie. They are no longer just anonymous caped figures. You can see them interacting with each other, discussing and well... being human. Well, I'm always a big fan of the blurring of these clearcut good/evil categories in Fantasy.
As the book is split into 2 parts, all of a sudden, there's also time for little embellishments I hadn't realized I had missed in the earlier movies! For example, I loved the scene so much where the feather floated through the air when the fairy tale of the Three Brothers was being told. Also the drawing style that was used during the story was really amazing. This HP movie was the first of all that finally gave me the same feeling as Lord of the Rings did: Boy, this is not just some guys slavishly adapting a book into a movie, but they're actually autonomous artists and they have ideas of their own! And I don't mean they changed the whole plot (I wouldn't like that)! But (mostly visually) they did more than just bring across what's in the book.
This also expresses itself in the decision not to include the childish Harry Potter musical theme (at least I didn't hear it, correct me if I'm wrong) from the first movie that sounds like "Wow, everything's so magical here!" That tune was fine for the first movie, but as Harry got older and the movies got darker, it kind of felt like they had to force this theme into every movie several times even though it didn't really fit any more. Now the soundtrack, too, has finally grown up. And I loved it! Last but not least, the acting was brilliant! The tense atmosphere between Harry, Ron and Hermione really came across. Also with all the doppelgänger scenes, you always still saw from their movements and behaviour which character was which though they were in disguise in a different body.
All in all, as the title says, this is a excellent grown-up movie and I can recommend it to everyone - except kids! If you have little kids, please don't take them. This movie has far too many scary scenes and little comic relief! Plus, the plot is quit complex including lots and lots of minor characters. It's really no longer a movie targeted at kids, even though it's still labelled "Harry Potter".