Solo: A Star Wars Story-An Overzealous Journey

Photo of Solo: A Star Wars Story poster taken at AMC Garden State Plaza. Courtesy of William Edward Beavers, V 

Ron Howard's direction of Solo: A Star Wars Story was filled with raw power and adventure at every turn. Combining top-notch acting performances with the media franchise's usual gleaming visual effects, a well-arranged score by John Powell and theme music from John Williams, and moving components to the story, Solo really is something exciting for Star Wars fans (or non-Star Wars fans) to see.

Set before he met Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, young Han Solo (played by Alden Ehrenreich) encounters criminal syndicate organizations who put his home world in competitions for necessities such as hyperfuel. By joining forces with his lover Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke, mentor Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), original Millennium Falcon owner Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover/ "Childish Gambino:), and his long-term sidekick Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), Solo gets the chance to escape his captive disposition, and use his usual antics and flight skills to overthrow the dark forces of the galaxy. Along the way, he shows that he is not bragging when he says he's the best pilot there is.

Industrial, Light, and Magic continued their strongest effort in using visual effects for the robots, flying machine sequences, different alien protagonists/antagonists, and deadly creatures the characters pursue throughout the film. VFX supervisor Rob Bedrow did his best effort in the special effects. While hard to recognize whether John Powell or John Williams' music was the score, each composer pulled serious strings in making invigorating sounds in the duration of Solo. Ehrenreich's and Glover's respective performances as Solo and Calrissian were exceptional. Ehrenreich proved to be ambitious when acting as a shifty younger version of Harrison Ford's character. I could really feel his passion when trying to display a heroic outlaw. And Glover's portrayal of Calrissian was comical and full of personality.

Lucasfilm Ltd.'s production of Solo: A Star Wars Story is a sublime film to view this summer. If anyone wants to understand what made Han Solo special before the whole franchise began, here is the chance.