Over time, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK has been championed by some critics and fans as the best STAR WARS film of the original trilogy. For CRAZYFILMGUY, nothing will ever replace the euphoria and joy when I saw STAR WARS. But as I've grown older and revisited the three films, I can see why THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK has grown in popularity. EMPIRE has bigger battles and set pieces. EMPIRE introduces us to new characters in the STAR WARS universe like Jedi Master Yoda, scoundrel Lando Calrissian, and bounty hunter Boba Fett. Creator George Lucas turned the directing reins over to Irvin Kershner (THE EYES OF LAURA MARS) while remaining completely involved as producer. And EMPIRE gives much more screen time to one of my favorite characters in the STAR WARS universe Han Solo played by one of my favorite actors Harrison Ford.
Han Solo was a supporting character in STAR WARS. As played by Harrison Ford, Solo nearly stole the film from Luke Skywalker as the wisecracking mercenary pilot (along with his furry sidekick Chewbacca) of the Millennium Falcon. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK expands on the Han/Leia relationship barely touched on in STAR WARS. It plays up the developing brotherly bond between Luke and Han. It has fun with Han's coolness under pressure or when one of his plans fails to work. And THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK introduces us to one of Han Solo's so-called friends, the suave but mysterious Lando Calrissian played by Billy Dee Williams.
Following in the footsteps of ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016), we now have SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018) directed by Ron Howard (A BEAUTIFUL MIND) that provides Han Solo's back story and how young Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) first crossed paths with Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and the Millennium Falcon. Interestingly, both THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and SOLO were co-written by the legendary writer/director Lawrence Kasdan. Kasdan co-wrote EMPIRE with Howard Hawks' favorite screenwriter Leigh Brackett (based on a story by George Lucas) and he co-wrote SOLO with his son Jake Kasdan. A year after THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was released, Kasdan would write Steven Spielberg's RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981). Now Indiana Jones and Han Solo are different characters but both were played perfectly by Harrison Ford. Kasdan may have seen what Ford could do with a character like Han Solo when creating Indiana Jones for RAIDERS. I think George Lucas saw the potential too.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK jumps right into the midst of the rebellion, barely resembling STAR WARS except for its characters. Instead of the arid landscapes of Tattooine in STAR WARS, the film opens on the isolated icy planet of Hoth. Imperial troops have pushed the Alliance to the fringes of the galaxy. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) are all part of the freedom fighters or Rebels. On a routine patrol outside their base, Luke is attacked by a snow monster known as a Wompa. When Luke doesn't return, Han rides out into a blizzard to find his friend. Han locates Luke who escaped the snow creature by using the Force. But remote space probes sent by Darth Vader (David Prowse) locate the rebel base. As Han and Leia prepare to evacuate the base, Luke and his team begin an aerial assault on giant Imperial Walkers (think space tanks).
The rebels manage to push several transports through the Empire blockade. Han, Leia, and Chewbacca follow last in the Millennium Falcon. Luke and the rebel fighters hassle the Walkers. But Luke has a vision from the departed Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) to go seek a Jedi Knight known as Yoda on the planet of Dagobah. Luke and R2D2 (Kenny Baker) deviate from the escape plan and venture out to locateYoda. Unable to shake Vader and the Imperial Tie Fighters, Han hides in a dangerous asteroid field. Luke lands on the swampy, primeval Dagobah. He finds a small, old green creature who turns out to be Yoda (Frank Oz). After some resistance, Yoda begins training Luke in the ways of the Jedi and harnessing the Force for good.
Darth Vader is summoned by the Emperor (Clive Revill) who alerts Vader about a disturbance in the Force. He warns Vader to be weary about Luke. Vader pledges to turn Luke to the dark side when he captures him. Vader hires a group of bounty hunters including fan favorite Boba Fett to find Han Solo. Imperial forces drop sonic charges onto the asteroid Han and Leia are hiding on. Han and Leia discover they're hiding inside a large eel like creature. The Millennium Falcon barely escapes from its jaws. Han decides to head to Vespin and a floating mining colony called Cloud City where an old "friend" of his named Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) seems to be running the place. Han hopes for safe haven with Lando. Luke discovers he can sense things in the future. He senses Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C3PO (Anthony Daniels) may be in trouble. Yoda warns Luke he's not ready to use his skills yet but Luke takes his X-Wing Fighter and droid and plots a course for Cloud City.
Han, Leia, and the gang are greeted by Lando who seems accommodating enough. But then CP3O disappears. Lando takes them into a dining room where Vader and his stormtroopers await. Lando tells Han Vader arrived just before the Millennium Falcon. Vader plans on using Han and his friends to lure Luke to him. Vader gives Han to the bounty hunter Boba Fett who puts Han in carbon freeze to take back to the gangster Jabba the Hut. Luke arrives and squares off with Vader in a light saber duel. Lando breaks Leia and Chewbacca out of their detention. The three of them manage to rescue Luke before he falls off the floating colony after failing to defeat Vader. Fans and critics alike cried foul regarding the unresolved cliffhanger.
Never before had a film like THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ended so abruptly and without a satisfying conclusion. But let's remember. The STAR WARS series was a trilogy. EMPIRE was EPISODE V (or Part II in the trilogy). THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is like a Saturday morning serial. EMPIRE was meant to be the bridge between STAR WARS to the third installment THE RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983). But what a bridge. With a bigger budget, Lucas and his team were more emboldened to expand the plot, the characters, and the STAR WARS universe in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. We learn more about the mystical Force and that Luke may possess it. We meet our first Jedi Knight since Obi-Wan Kenobi in the diminutive pointy eared Yoda. And, we learn there may be more to the Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader relationship than just colorful light sabers. No spoilers here but when Luke faces down a Darth Vader apparition on Dagobah and seemingly beheads it, Vader's helmet explodes revealing Luke's image inside looking back at the real Luke. What does it all mean? EMPIRE'S duel between Luke and Vader will explain all.
The best part of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK for me was Han Solo's larger role and expanding on the relationship between Han and Leia. Luke Skywalker's story is the soul of the STAR WARS trilogy but Han Solo has the cool Wookie sidekick, the gnarly space ship the Millennium Falcon, and that devil may care grin that can disguise danger or win a girl's heart like Leia's. In a way, Han and Leia are one of those couples in a Howard Hawks screwball comedy like BRINGING UP BABY (1938) or HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) trading insults with one another as they fall in love. That might explain why co-writer Leigh Brackett worked on the film. She co-wrote some of Hawks best films with bickering couples in love.
STAR WARS was knocked a bit for lacking in racial diversity when it was released. James Earl Jones was the only African-American actor in STAR WARS and it was only his voice as Darth Vader (British actor David Prowse wore the suit). So Lucas gives us our first visible black character with smuggler Lando Calrissian played by Billy Dee Williams in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. I wasn't a big fan of Lando Calrissian (or Billy Dee Williams) when I first saw the film but Lando has grown on me over the years. It's fun to have another roguish character to play off Han Solo. Lando is more urbane than Han's blustery style. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK gives us tantalizing tidbits about Han and Lando's backstory. Lando claims the Millennium Falcon is his ship. So how did Han wrench it away from him? Lando's portrayed as a traitor soon after we meet him but we learn that he's not part of the Empire. In a way, he's an intergalactic Humphrey Bogart from CASABLANCA. "I stick my neck out for no one," Bogart's Rick Blaine would tell the French police officer Renault and the Nazis. Lando appears to follow that same mantra but he will end up rescuing Leia and Chewbacca in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Lando returns in the third film THE RETURN OF THE JEDI to bail out his old friend Han Solo from Jabba the Hut's palace.
After THE RETURN OF THE JEDI, we never saw the further exploits of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. Yes, they lived on in STAR WARS comic books and novels but when George Lucas returned with THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999), ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002), and THE REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005), those films preceded the original trilogy. Han and Lando didn't even exist. Finally, in 2015, Han Solo, Luke, and Leia appeared in THE FORCE AWAKENS but as their current older selves (no Lando Calrissian). We learn Han did marry Leia and they had a son Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Chewbacca is still hanging with his pilot/smuggler friend. And Luke Skywalker had become Obi-Wan like, hiding out on a monastic island. I had my Han Solo fix but no flashbacks to his past.
Until news arrived that there was finally going to be a new Han Solo film about his early years. Two up and coming young directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (LEGO: THE MOVIE) were going to direct with a script by THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK co-writer Lawrence Kasdan. All seemed right in the STAR WARS universe. Until directors Lord and Miller were fired three quarters of the way through the filming of SOLO. Director Ron Howard (APOLLO 13) was brought in to replace them. Reportedly, Howard reshot most of the film. Howard starred in the George Lucas film AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) and would later direct WILLOW (1988) which Lucas would produce. Could Howard salvage SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY?
The answer is yes. We first meet young Han on the grimy, gray streets of planet Corellia (he's an orphan and doesn't have a last name yet). Han and his first love Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) are trying to escape the planet and the clutches of the worm-like slaver Lady Proxima (Linda Hunt) who runs the streets. Han dreams of becoming a pilot. Han and Qi'ra bribe their way onto a transport leaving Corellia but Proxima's goons snatch Qi'ra away at the last moment. Han enlists with the Empire (where he's given his last name Solo by the recruiting officer) so he can become a pilot but he's quickly kicked out of the academy. Han's forced to serve with the ground forces. Han stumbles across a group of rogue marauders led by Beckett (Woody Harrelson), Val (Thandie Newton), and Rio Durant (voiced by Jon Favreau). They want to steal an Imperial ship so they can use it to hijack a monorail transporting coaxium fuel. It's exactly the group of people Han wants to be associated with.
The monorail train is transporting the coaxium through a dangerous mountain pass. Beckett, Han, and the gang hijack the train but they're interrupted by a group of space pirates led by Enfys Nest (Erin Kellyman) and her Cloud Riders. Rio is mortally wounded in the attack. Han takes over flying the ship, rescuing Beckett but ultimately losing the precious fuel. Han and Beckett return empty handed to the space yacht of Beckett's boss, the red eyed gangster Dryden Vos (Paul Beckett), part of the Crimson Dawn Crime Syndicate. Working for Vos as his lieutenant is Han's old flame Qi'ra. Vos wishes to kill Beckett but Han convinces Vos they can steal unrefined coaxium from the mines on Kessel. He just needs another ship. Vos agrees with the plan but insists Qi'ra tag along.
Han seeks out the smuggler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). He hopes to win Lando's ship the Millennium Falcon in a card game. Lando cheats and keeps the Falcon but agrees to fly Han, Chewbacca, Beckett, and Qi'ra to Kessel for a cut of the profits. On Kessel, they find the coaxium but Lando's droid pilot L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) starts a riot. L3-37 is damaged and Lando injured. Han flies the Falcon past an Imperial blockade, heading for a planet called Savareen to process the coaxium. Once again, the pirate Enfys shows up to grab the fuel. Instead of aiding Han, Lando takes off with the Falcon leaving Han to face Enfys alone. Only Enfys and her team are rebels fighting the crime syndicate and the Empire. Enfys just wants to keep the coaxium out of their hands. She wants Han to join their cause.
The third act of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY is a series of double and triple crosses between Han, Vos, Beckett, Lando and Qi'ra. In a way, SOLO is a western, gangster film, and film noir all rolled into a space fantasy. Han will face off with Beckett like two gunslingers. Qi'ra will have her revenge on kingpin Vos but we learn she's working for another familiar STAR WARS villain (no spoiler here!). Han helps Enfys and her Cloud Riders keep the coaxium from the Syndicate and the Empire. Han and Chewbacca return to gamble with Lando for the Millennium Falcon again. Only this time, they're ready for Lando's sleight of hand.
Overall, CRAZYFILMGUY found SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY an enjoyable summer adventure with engaging characters and some decent action sequences. SOLO provides details on Han Solo's back story hinted at throughout the original STAR WARS films: how did Han meet Chewbacca? How did Han come to own Lando Calrissian's ship the Millennium Falcon? How did Han make the Kessel run in 12 parsecs? My favorite reveal is how Han and Chewbacca met. I expected them to meet in a space bar, arm wrestling or challenging each other to shots of some exotic beverage. SOLO reveals that Han is thrown into a fight pit after he's accused of desertion. Believing he's about to fight a ferocious, man eating monster (a homage to Luke Skywalker fighting Rancor in THE RETURN OF THE JEDI), a filthy, muddy Chewbacca emerges from a cave to battle him. Han speaks Wookie and convinces Chewbacca to escape with him. It's a funny scene, not what I expected for the origin of their relationship.
Unfortunately, we may never have a chance to see more of young Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. A STAR WARS hangover may have finally hit audiences. Although SOLO made over $350 million dollars worldwide, it cost $300 million dollars to make, mostly due to the extensive reshoots when director Howard replaced Lord and Miller. Some wondered did SOLO come out too soon after STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017) which was received with mixed reviews by critics and audiences alike. When I was kid, the STAR WARS films came out about two years apart and each one was an event. SOLO was released five months after THE LAST JEDI. Did the STAR WARS filmmakers and studio get greedy? Should they have waited a few more months? The answer is possibly yes. For me, I was ready and eager to see the SOLO movie about my favorite character in the STAR WARS universe.
There were questions about the casting. Was Alden Ehrenreich the right choice as young Han Solo? I liked the choice. Catch Ehrenreich in the Coen Brothers HAIL CAESAR! (2016) and he handles deadpan comedy very well as the naïve Western movie star Hobie Doyle. I think anyone who has to follow in the footsteps of Harrison Ford has big shoes to fill. Ehrenreich has the cocky grin and the sly sense of humor to pull off his interpretation of a young Han. He won't make us forget Harrison Ford but he's fine as the younger version of Solo.
The supporting cast is good with recognizable faces but SOLO seems to be missing a little pizazz with its casting choices. Woody Harrelson as Beckett and Paul Bettany as Dryden Vos are solid but not flashy. Beckett is the father figure for the orphan Solo. Beckett's larcenous code will stay with Han Solo in future STAR WARS films although Solo will mature into a better person than Beckett. Bettany as crime boss Vos won't make us forget the slug like gangster Jabba the Hut from STAR WARS but he does have blood leak from his eyes when he's angry. Bettany has become accustomed to appearing in blockbuster films serving as the robot voice Jarvis in the IRON MAN films and more recently the android superhero Vision in THE AVENGERS:INFINITY WAR (2017).
Emilia Clarke (GAME OF THRONES) is seductive as Han's mysterious girlfriend Qi'ra but even she didn't entirely knock my socks off (and I'm a huge Clarke fan). The two supporting actors who stand out in SOLO are Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Lando's sarcastic droid pilot L3-37 and Donald Glover as pilot/gambler Lando Calrissian. The STAR WARS filmmakers have done a superb job giving their robots and droids personalities whether it's C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) in STAR WARS or more recently K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) in ROGUE ONE. L3-37 is the latest STAR WARS droid with a feminist twist. She nearly steals SOLO in her brief appearance.
Like a lot of the characters in SOLO (like L3-37 or Beckett's crime partner Val), I would have liked to have had more scenes with Lando Calrissian. Glover plays Lando as a cool cat in the galaxy. Like Beckett, Lando's gambling personality and thieving nature will influence Han later on in his adventures. But I wanted more of Lando. Lando was barely in the original STAR WARS films so I was hoping to learn more about him in SOLO. I guess I'll have to wait for the SOLO sequel. If there is one. Joonas Suotamo who first played Chewbacca in STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI returns for SOLO. SOLO gives Chewbacca much more screen time than THE LAST JEDI did and Chewy's scenes with Solo are some of the funniest in the film. Suotamo took over wearing the hot, sweaty Chewbacca suit from Peter Mayhew who wrapped up playing the Wookie in THE FORCE AWAKENS.
Han Solo may be my favorite character in the STAR WARS saga because he's blue collar. He comes from humble roots (orphaned at a young age and fighting to survive on the streets of Corellia). Solo's got a chip on his shoulder against authority (the Empire) or anyone who doubts him (Beckett and his crew in SOLO). When he first encounters another type of authority (royalty) in the guise of Princess Leia in STAR WARS, Solo's not impressed. In THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, he mocks her, calling Leia "her worship." But deep down, Solo is impressed with Leia and her feistiness and resolve. Leia may remind Han of his first true love, Qi'ra.
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY should satisfy fans like CrazyFilmGuy who have been craving to know about the Han Solo that we grew up and loved in the original STAR WARS trilogy including THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Solo's backstory may go some directions that no one would have imagined but that's the reality of an origin story. Whether we get to see more of Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and Qi'ra remains to be seen. For now, we'll always have THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and SOLO to help fill our Han Solo fix.
