Because we now live in a world where every year will now include a Star Wars movie, 2018’s offering is going to be the Han Solo prequel and you most likely know this because it’s generally something that most people know by now. Also known is that there is a great deal of skepticism regarding this movie and there is already a crowd forming down by the front gate to lambaste it and criticize it and straight up curse it’s existence.

We live in glorious times.

On Sunday, the second full length trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story was released, about a month after the first one was released and two months before the film itself will be released. Takeaways from this new trailer range from “This movie should be about Chewbacca” to “This movie should be about Lando” to “Dear God this is going to be terrible.” So you know, pretty standard.

Most of the beef out there is directed towards the movie’s star, young Han Solo himself, Alden Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich, who is unfortunately known as a bad actor in Hail, Caeser, reportedly beat out dudes like Dave Franco, Miles Teller and Baby Driver‘s Ansel Elgort to get the role of Solo. No one seemed happy with this decision and that unhappiness was only amplified by rumors of Ehrenreich needing an acting coach to become more Harrison Fordish. The young fella also didn’t exactly give off Harrison Fordish vibes in the initial teaser and that first trailer.

I mean long story short, Alden Ehrenreich ain’t Harrison Ford, will never be Harrison Ford and can’t ever be Harrison Ford, which is problematic I guess because he’s playing a young Harrison Ford…I mean, Han Solo.

Yeah, details, huh?

I would like to start by saying that the truth is that no one would be happy with whoever they cast as Han Solo. It’s true. Dave Franco? Come on now. Teller? No way man. Elgort? Han Solo doesn’t effin’ dance. Casting someone to play Solo was a lose/lose situation, something the folks at Disney and Lucasfilm had to have known going in. Or maybe they didn’t. Could have been tough to see straight looking through all that sweet, sweet cash they’ve been raking in lately. But either way, they picked Ehrenreich for a reason and for the most part, the people that picked him – this is what they do. They cast movies. You don’t do that, I don’t do that. We talk about it, but I for one talk about a lot of things I wouldn’t actually be good at. It’s just a fact, man. Fans are generally idiots, but lovable idiots. Love gets in the way of our ability to think of things rationally. We love something and think we know it better than anyone. So let’s set aside that love and for a second, at least leave some room to consider that someone out there might have a better idea of who might make a better Han Solo than we would.

And yeah, it’s Han Solo. It’s not Harrison Ford.

Perhaps, and let us just imagine for a second, that in this origin story, Han Solo is a different person. He hasn’t become the cocky upstart that Ford played and as a result, this incarnation of Solo wouldn’t be one Ford could play. Maybe to play this version of Solo, an actor who had a lighter touch, maybe a little less confidence was needed? So along those lines, maybe someone like Ehrenreich was then perfect to play a young Han Solo.

Yeah, crazy, huh?

Of course, the acting coach stories do put a damper on this theory some and I can acknowledge that. But I can also stand by what I said because nothing makes sense in the world anymore. It should also be noted that an acting coach wasn’t enlisted specifically because Ehrenreich wasn’t getting the Ford vibe down, but because the directors (the first ones, not the final one, something that is troubling in it’s own right,) weren’t happy with the performance they were getting. That’s pretty vague and could mean a lot of things, not just that Ehrenreich was capturing the essence of Han Solo created by Ford.

Maybe the dude just kind of sucked a little?

Nothing we’ve seen from either of the trailers really suggests that Ehrenreich will be terrible. If I were a gambling man, I’d drop some money down on “He’ll be fine, but totally out-shined by Donald Glover’s Lando, which is something we are all expecting.” I wouldn’t even really read too much into the limited screen time Ehrenreich is getting in the trailers as a sign of how good or bad he may be. This movie has a surprisingly deep cast, it has people you want to show off to your guests. A reading of the trailers could be done in a way that you just want to show off your fancy kicks as much as possible in two minutes and change.

There is a good chance that in this new era of endless Star Wars movies, Solo could be the first “flop.” But I think it could have less to do with Solo and more to do with outside factors, mainly Avengers: Infinity War, which comes out a month earlier. That movie is going to suck up a lot of oxygen and when it’s done with us, there won’t be a lot left for the promotion of Solo. That coupled with all the bad vibes circling it are going to really create an uphill battle for it. It’ll still make bank, but not the kind of bank Star Wars brass are used too.

Until then though, I think we need to re-calibrate things and focus on the positives.

This trailer looks pretty dope, both visually and interestingly in that heist movies are 9 times out of 10, good. You tell me that you’re getting a team together, I’m game. I especially enjoy the music playing during the first thirty seconds or so and I’m all in on the train sequence. Woody is there, that’s always a good thing, and so is Daenerys, that’s always a great thing. Plus, Donald Glover’s Lando looks like he’s having a great effin’ time.

There’s a little bit of a Chewy origin story tucked in there as well and that’s a bonus. Plus there’s some boots on the ground action, which for me at least, was part of the appeal of Rogue One and a direction I hope at least one of these new Star Wars projects veers towards. Let’s take it to the streets folks!

I’m in on Solo. I don’t care about the dude playing Han Solo and I’m not sick of Star Wars movies yet, even though I can admit that some of the appeal of new Star Wars movies has started to wear off a little. I was never asking for a Han origin story, but if we’re getting one, giddy up.

Just remember, as far as anything pertaining to Star Wars goes, it can’t be as bad as that second trilogy was. Clear that exceptionally low bar and you’re in good shape.

Categories: Movies

Tags: Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars