Solo [Official Info] Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo) in Solo

I wasn't so into this Han in the first viewing, but upon the second viewing, he's grown on me. One quality I like is that he's kind of impish and almost demented. This is not ANH Han, but it's not someone I couldn't have imagined Han having been in the past. When one is younger it's like their brain is more full of neurotransmitters and they are more "hormonal" and they will still have these "kid" qualities, and then later in life people sometimes mellow out a bit from their younger years. This makes sense to me. It also makes sense to me now that Han isn't jaded yet (the first time, it didn't and I was like wondering why that quality is not there), and that this is yet to come. I noticed in this viewing that Han is very sensitive and things hurt him and he tries to cope and go back to his good nature every time, but it's inevitable that as things keep hurting him over and over (which they will since he has "wisely" decided to seek out Jabba and more criminal connections), that it's going to make him more jaded. That he is sensitive is in character of course, but in Solo he still has this childlike quality of wanting to trust people, wanting to believe in people, listening to people and letting them guide him. By ANH I wouldn't say he doesn't trust people anymore (and the end of Solo shows that he's not gonna go that way--the Beckett way), but he definitely is highly resistant to the ideas/advice of other people and I can see this as a crusted over scab from years of being let down and hurt by people.

 

I was really impressed by how much I enjoyed Ehrenreich's portrayal as its own thing, all about the character of Han Solo, not Harrison Ford. Our endless, predatory news-and-speculation cycle was down on him so much, for so long before Solo was released, and that's a shame.

 

I went in expecting not much from Alden. He didn't look the part, and the advertising for this didn't sell him to me at all.

Damn am I glad I was wrong. He killed it. I probably was more endeared to his Han than I was to Harrison's in the OT growing up.

And damn Lucasfilm for marketing him in this role SO badly.

I actually wish they'd thrown a ton of money at Harrison to get him in the film for 5 minutes to open, and close, the film. I think he could've been a nice hook to get more butts in the seats to see just how fine of a baton pass this was.

 

Han walking backward on Savareen. Hilarious. So many great things in this film.

 

I hope he gets the chance to play Han again, I enjoyed his performance.

Whilst the prospect of an origin story could be a reason why the film hasn't done so well, I think the idea of a film set later in the timeline featuring the original characters re-cast in all an new adventure is a better way to go if they want to mine the OT nostalgia and characters.

 

I liked his performance so much that I'd nearly open to a reboot of the original trilogy with him but things go differently like in a parallel dimension or continuity like they did in Star Trek. Only with better execution. For instance the attack on the first Death Star fails and Yavin is destroyed but the remaining rebels, and Han and luke and Leia have to rally the entire galaxy against the Empire, including freeing Kasshyyk and don't actually defeat the first Death Star until the third movie, capturing it and turning it into a peaceful research centre for projects aimed at healing the environmental damage done to its victim planets, just like Galen Erso would have wanted.

Right, I'm off to Hollywood...

 

What that could be is a retelling of an alternate history action film created a long time ago by a studio in that galaxy far, far away. Harry Turtledove should work on the screenplay. 'STAR WARS' and the crawl would be in Aurebesh, of course.
For casting this film, I suggest Han be played by James Brolin, and Leia be played by Morgan Fairchild.

 

I went to see the movie again a second time yesterday evening (only two other people in the audience). What I don't think I noticed when I watched it the first time (maybe I did, and then forgot) is how nicely Alden Ehrenreich imitates Harrison Ford's "pointing" style of acting. I thought it was hilarious!

Someday someone will make a YouTube video of all the scenes, with either Ehrenreich or Ford, of Han Solo pointing. And it will be glorious.

 

Me too, now when I hear Han talking about how he has flown from one side of the galaxy to the other and seen a lot of strange stuff, etc...my mind envisions Alden's Han having all kinds of cool adventures.

I went to see this movie not expecting much, and expecting to not love Alden because, well, so many people seemed to think he would suck that I was kind of expecting that he would. He was awesome! I loved him, I loved the movie and this is a shock to me actually lol. I really hope that sequels are coming. I want more of Alden / Han. Disney, make it so!

 

Dismal performance and ZERO charisma

 

https://variety.com/2018/film/featu...ory-directors-reshoots-ron-howard-1202817841/

Ron Howard mentions in this article that Harrison has seen the film twice and called him. Harrison loved what Alden did.

 

Every time I see the film, he gets more and more captivating. I can’t keep my eyes off of him. There’s so many small mannerisms that he does that really sell the role.

 

It makes me smile to think some kid in the future will be watching the movies in chronological order and when he gets to A New Hope he will see Harrison Ford and say "Hey, that's not the real Han" lol. But it's all good, we all get to have our favourites.

 

Alden deserves much, much better than being seen as the face of a film that led LFL to shelve the spinoffs. This is a great film, and he's a great actor. And I'm afraid his career will be negatively affected by what was ultimately a bad film distribution plan.

 

I doubt that. Ford will be Solo forever and for everyone. Mark and Carrie were always seen as Luke and Leia.
Their role and their face became extremely connected to the characters.
I think Alden will be seen as the guy who played young Solo and that's it. It is just an episode in his career. I do not think that when you see a movie with Alden you will immediately think "Well, Han Solo".
Further I do not think a producer or director will not hire him because he was "Han Solo" and in addition he did not do a bad job in being Han Solo.

 

I hope and think so too. It’s not so much that I think this will create a Hayden situation for him. It’s that I feel this film should’ve massively boosted his career rather than being seen as a damp squib he’ll move on from.

 

Yes, Alden did a great job but I'm concerned for his career after how Solo performed in the box office.

 

I'm statistically no one but I appreciated every new brushstroke Alden added to the idea or concept of 'what Han Solo is'. Harrison Ford is a first approximation of 'what Han Solo is'. Harrison Ford is not all that Han Solo is. One observation I made was that Harrison Ford has a stoic / cynical smile that can operate effectively around his mouth but never reach his eyes ('I don't have it with me' 'good against remotes is one thing'). Alden -let it be age- -let it be innocence- did not have any moments where he was able to do that thing that Harrison did. The difference in ability gives Harrison an edge in range. It makes his solid / sober / still face more menacing than Alden's version. Alden has a warm smile that involves the eyes. Which is the chewy nougaty good souled Han Solo everybody seems to want. So the casting choice is a bit of a retcon by itself. That being said, a young Han Solo can still be wet behind the ears with puppy optimism and warmth that has not yet been scraped away by years in that lifestyle. So it still adds to the total picture of 'what Han Solo is'. Young Han had less cynicism, less range. Older Han acquired more cynicism and more range.

 

I just read that he got great reviews for The Yellow Birds (which filmed before Solo) but of course critics don't like the film itself...

 

I saw Solo for a third time last night in a smaller theater that was full and it is classic Star Wars and I think it will be a classic. Alden’s performance is great because he’s optimistic Han, something we really haven’t seen. There’s a naïveté there but by the end he’s willing to do to Beckett what is necessary. This film is Star Wars film noir especially with regard to Han and Qi’ra’s relationship. I really need to see a three trilogy character arc when at the end Han is throughly cynical, burned and burying his pain between the Tonnika Sisters. Han goes off to work with the Hutt Cartel and Qi’ra is a lieutenant under Maul and Crimson Dawn. Sounds like a conflict of interests.


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This is going to sound terrible, but I think Han is the biggest issue with Solo. He's not a scoundrel. Where is our scoundrel? This is not him. He bears some superficial resemblance to Han, but just no. This isn't Han. This isn't young Han learning skills. He didn't even have Han's occasional pathetic streak. Something is wrong with this Han. Really wrong.

 

You are right. Somehow he even did not look like Han Solo. More like a guy with the name Alden Ehrenreich.
I might be wrong but I think LF tried to fool us.

 

I didn't mean his physical appearance....

 

There are a lot of things wrong with this movie, and Alden is definitely at the top of those reasons.

 

I know what you mean. It will be fixed in the two upcoming Solo sequels