Incredibles 2 (2018): Now That’s Entertainment

So, I just saw the sequel to the great 2004 animated movie, The Incredibles. Before I describe the new picture, appropriately called Incredibles 2, let me say that I really love Pixar films. I love their feature films – well, most of them, with the exception of Cars 1,2 and 3 and maybe Monsters University – and I love many of their short films, too – like Lifted from 2006, for example.  Taken as a group these animated stories are visually stunning, technologically advanced over most other such movies, and as exciting as many live action adventures.  They’re also amusing and often outright funny – with sight gags and verbal wit aimed at children and adults both. Their protagonists are endearing, with an unmatched range of expression for animated motion pictures. In fact, most Pixar films have a great deal of heart and can be quite touching.  Exhibit A is the amazing “Our Life of Adventures” sequence from 2009’s Up in which old Carl Frederickson recalls his and Ellie’s romance and decades long marriage in just 4 1/2 lovely, poignant minutes.

The Incredibles from 2004 is one of my favorite Pixar features. It won the Oscar for best animated film of the year, so I’m not alone in that assessment. It takes place in an alternate universe 1960s America, a place that features a fabulous, mid-century “futuristic” aesthetic.  In this world, folks with superpowers, known as “Supers”, actually exist. The movie focusses on a family of such Supers, headed by Mr. Incredible, possessed of super strength and a high degree of invulnerability; he’s the secret identity of Bob Paar, the family’s Dad - voiced by Craig T. Nelson.  Bob’s wife, Helen, whose moniker is Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), is able to stretch her body at will, as her name implies, like an amazingly pliable  bit of rubber; she’s also the mother of the Paar family’s three kids. The oldest is Violet (Sarah Vowell) - a teenager who has two superpowers: she can make herself invisible (pretty useful in a fight or, at her middle school, to disappear when embarrassed), and she also can generate a powerful spherical force field (protecting her from stuff thrown at her by her brother or, as it later turns out from bullets, fire and other hazards). The middle child is Dash (rock musician/actor Spencer Fox), a high energy pre-adolescent boy whose superpower is blazing speed; and the adorable baby of the family is Jack-Jack, whose super proclivities are just starting to sprout by the end of that first film.

The original Incredibles is set at a time when “Supers” are no longer allowed to use their superpowers or act as crime-fighting vigilantes as they once did. Due to the collateral damage associated with some of the Supers’ exploits, the public has turned against them - so much so, that they are protected by something like a witness protection program and must live their lives incognito. Thus Bob Paar, alias Mr. Incredible, works as an insurance salesman. Eventually, of course, something happens that impels Mr. Incredible to put on his old superhero suit. The adventure that ensues features a wannabe Super calling himself “Syndrome” along with a large, malign, seemingly indestructible robot. There’s a mysterious, volcanic island where the evil villain is ensconced, as in a Bond film. In fact, like 007 in many of his pictures, Mr. Incredible winds up in a situation where he may just be outmatched.

Eventually Elastigirl and even Violet and Dash are drawn into the action. Some of the best moments, in fact, are when the youngsters realize what they’re capable of doing. When the action moves from the island to the city,  Mr Incredible’s old buddy Frozone - aka Lucious Best (Samuel L. Jackson) – lends a hand, too.  To describe the plot in more detail will not do the kinetic, excitingly engaging, wildly creative story justice, so I won’t do that. But it’s pretty great.

Now 14 years later, we have Incredibles 2, the sequel. Like the first movie, this was written and directed by Brad Bird, who also wrote and directed the wonderful Ratatouille, another of my favorite Pixar features; and also directed 2011’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the highest grossing movie in that series.  The Paar family is back, of course, as are most of the characters from the first movie. In fact, the story takes place just three months after the conclusion of that one. 

  

A multibillionaire tech tycoon called Winston Deavor contacts Bob and Helen Paar with a plan to regain the public’s trust in Supers and overturn the law banning them.  Much to Mr. Incredible’s surprise and chagrin, he proposes that Elastigirl be the face of the campaign. So she goes off to do the fun superhero stuff, while he stays home to take care of the kids. Mr. Incredible as a fish-out-of-water house-husband results some very, very funny moments - especially when the toddler, Jack-Jack, starts to find his own amazing superpowers. It turns out he’s got 17 of them.  When angered, he can turn himself into a demon. He can subdivide into multiple Jack-Jacks, shoot lasers out of his eyeballs, grow enormously, shape-shift, teleport, walk through walls, and most dramatically turn into a human torch. Remember, this kid is like 18 months old. He’s not in control, he’s just reacting. One minute he’s just the cutest little baby, and the next he’s powerful and terrifying. Try parenting that!

One of the funniest scenes in Incredibles 2 , and one of the most, uh, incredible animated sequences I’ve ever seen occurs when Jack-Jack gets into a battle with a raccoon on the patio of their home. It’s unbelievably marvelous.

Meanwhile, Mom – I mean Elastigirl – is battling a menace called ‘Screenslaver’, a villain who can hack into broadcast and computer systems and hypnotize everyone watching. Screenslaver can even hypnotize Supers and use their powers to do its bidding. As the situation escalates, yep, the rest of the family gets involved. There are thrills, laughs, and some neat creative flourishes that'll make you think "Wow!".

How does Incredibles 2 compare to the first film, The Incredibles?  Frankly, this one may be even better in my opinion. And remember, I loved the original movie. The story is tight.  The gender role reversal  idea works extremely well, both as a source of comedy and as satirical social commentary. Technical, the computer-generated animation has taken a great leap forward, making Incredibles 2  simply a marvel to watch. Even though the first film was state of the art in 2004, a lot has happened in the animation field over the last 14 years.

Pixar’s animation system is completely different now, built around its Oscar winning Presto software, and the images are quite amazing. After seeing, Incredibles 2, I went back and watched the earlier movie again, and the differences in the look of the picture really jumped out at me. Textural details are remarkable. Cloth, for one example, is astonishingly realistic for what we used to call a cartoon - the superheroes’ masks, their clothes, even the sheets and bedding at the motel where the family is forced to stay for a few days. Skin is softer looking, more natural, less plasticky; eyes too seem far more realistic; all without looking creepy. And, because animators now have access to more shapes and shaping tools, the movements and physicality of characters is more convincing. Likewise, the background imagery – from furniture, to cityscapes – is more detailed and realistic.

The voice artists are just great. In addition to those I’ve already mentioned, a few other notables are Bob Odenkirk as Winston Deaver, Catherine Keener as his sister Evelyn; and Isabella Rosselini as “The Ambassador”.  The director Brad Bird himself reprises his role as the wonderful pintsized diva Edna Mode, fashion designer extraordinaire.

Incredibles 2 is just a beautifully made, great looking, startlingly fun movie. Need more convincing?  Check out the official trailer. Rated PG, it’s that rare picture that can span generations.   I recommend it for young (probably eight and up) and old – better still for young with old: take your kids or grandkids.

1 hour 58 minutes.                  Rated PG

Grade: A

In wide release.

Damsel (2018): Distressing

The Zellner Brothers, David and Nathan, beneficiaries of somewhat of a cult following based on their quirky, earlier films, especially Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014), have a new feature coming out called Damsel, starring Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska. Damsel was written and directed by David and Nathan, both of whom appear in the movie, with David in a prominent role. A relatively small film, it’s been playing the festival circuit (Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, etc.) trying to generate some buzz.

The film’s website (trying to present this in the best possible light) describes the film as “A loving reinvention of the Western genre from the Zellner Brothers [that] showcases their trademark unpredictability, off-kilter sense of humor and unique brand of humanism.” The official plot summary goes like this:

The age of the Wild West, circa 1870. An affluent pioneer, Samuel Alabaster (Robert Pattinson) ventures deep into the American wilderness to reunite with and marry the love of his life, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). For his journey he brings Butterscotch, a miniature horse intended as a wedding present for his bride, and enlists drunkard Parson Henry (David Zellner) to conduct the ceremony. As they traverse the lawless frontier, their once simple journey grows treacherous, and the lines between hero, villain and damsel are blurred.

Since I first saw Disney’s 1942 classic Bambi as a kid, I’ve tried to adhere to Thumper’s advice that “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” So let me start out by saying that the cinematography in Damsel by Adam Stone [Mud (2012), Loving (2016)] is quite lovely, as is the period perfect art direction and set design. As the story unfolds, there are also a few witty sight gags – such as a random buck wagon driving by with numerous (unexplained) enbedded Injun arrows protruding here and there - and other visual and verbal non sequiturs that may bring a smile. The funniest is simply the sight of the tiny Butterscotch amongst all of the “real” Western horses. This sort of thing is cute, but not nearly cute enough, nor funny enough to sustain a full length comedy – or a comedy/drama, as it is being called.

Other than that, Damsel is a boring, self-indulgent mess, weighed down by an inordinately slow pace generally; endless, unduly long takes; sparse, halting, often meaningless conversations punctuated by long awkward silences – conversations which neither reveal character nor move the story along much; and pretty danged dull acting. The dialogue is intentionally anachronistic in style and substance, as if juxtaposing a twenty-first century point of view into a nineteenth century Westerner is novel and/or automatically funny. Mel Brooks (whose Blazing Saddles (1984) was both) would be first to tell the Zellner brothers that anachronism is only funny if the jokes are funny. Which they are not in Damsel.  

The plot can most charitably be described as light – more fitting for a fifteen minute short than a nearly two hour feature film.

If you are a Zellners fan you may want to check out Damsel; but consider yourself warned. Otherwise, give this one a miss.

One hour 53 minutes.              Rated R (a little graphic violence, mildly raw language, a bit of sexual material, and brief graphic nudity)

Grade: C-

In limited release. Opens 6/22/2018 in NYC and LA; 6/29 at select theaters in SF Bay Area and Southern California, Texas and other a few cities around the USA; then rolling release in other cities over the succeeding six weeks.

Ocean’s 8 (2018): Ladies Just Wanna Have Fun

Looking at a lot of male oriented heist movies – such as (taking a random sample) Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen series of movies – it seems that the guys pulling off the job are having a pretty great time of it. Ostensibly it’s about the money, but it’s always something more than that. For Danny Ocean (George Clooney) in Ocean’s Eleven it’s revenge. For the rest of the gang, money may have been the initial bait, but after that caper – in which they each got around $15 mill – Danny and the boys do it because they like it. Oh sure, the plot of each picture manufactures other reasons, but let’s face it, those reasons are awfully flimsy. Really, it’s just the joy of pulling the thing off.

As it turns out, women want to have fun, too. And why not? Don’t we all? In real life, we had the late19th century stagecoach robber Pearl Hart; in the 1930s, we had restive Bonnie Parker, who preferred banks, and worked with a guy named Clyde; and more recently , with a career spanning the1950s until her most recent arrest just last year, there’s the indefatigable jewel thief Doris Payne (now 87).

Here, our fun comes from a very entertaining movie, by turns funny, clever and suave. With a predominantly female cast and perspective, Ocean’s 8 offers a somewhat different approach to the caper film: there are no fist fights, no car chases, no guns, and no explosions. There are, however, glamour, ingenuity, beauty, and more than a little manipulation of the opposite sex. The magnetism of its stars and smart pacing keep us interested; writer-director Gary Ross - Big (1988), Seabiscuit (2003), The Hunger Games (2012) - knows how to engage an audience and move things along.

To commit a heist – especially a major one such as the job envisioned by ringleader Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) in this new film - in which she hopes to steal a one-of-a-kind $150 million diamond necklace in the midst of New York’s Met Gala, perhaps the poshest, most celebrated social event in the world – one needs a detailed plan. A blueprint not just for how to do it but also how to deal with any flies in the ointment, contingencies that might screw things up land one back in the klink. For as Robert Burns put it, The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.

As in Ocean’s Eleven, the story in Ocean’s 8 begins with a parole hearing for the chief protagonist – Danny Ocean in the first movie, Debbie Ocean in the new one. Debbie has been locked up for over five years, during which she came up with her grand scheme and painstakingly worked out the details.  She says that for the first three years, she kept getting caught [in her mind] for one reason or another and made adjustments accordingly.  Over the last two years, no matter how she imagined it, the plan always succeeded. Now its perfect, or so she believes.

At her parole hearing, Debbie acknowledges complicity in the fraud for which she was jailed, but explains that it was actually inadvertent: she had been in love, so she thought, with a bad guy. She was just along for the ride, she says. Now, says she, the lesson has been learned, and she wants nothing more than a simple, ordinary, honest life. Her notorious brother Danny is dead, and she would never, ever try to follow in his felonious footsteps. The parole board buys this.

 As soon as she’s out, of course, Debbie is off and running with her new plan.

We get the obligatory scenes showing Debbie assembling her team. First, she recruits former partner, Lou (Cate Blanchette), who has been living off the low-end fraud of watering down liquor at a tavern, but who still needs a little convincing. Together they make their pitch to the rest of the crew, one at a time: There’s Rose, a formerly voguish, ditzy fashion designer played inimitably by Helena Bonham Carter. Then there's Amita (Mindy Kaling), a jewelry maker, who is glad to go on an adventure that may provide the means to finally get away from her mother. Next is a brilliant and hip computer hacker who calls herself Nine Ball (Rihanna, in a surprisingly cool performance); Constance, a pickpocket and sleight-of-hand artist played by rapper and up-and-coming actress, Awkwafina; and Debbie’s old friend Tammy (Sarah Paulson) a former fence, who is trying to live the suburban lifestyle with a husband and kids, while still dealing stolen goods out of her garage. Finally, there’s Anne Hathaway, in a terrific, sly performance as society fashion plate, Daphne Kluger, who gets dragooned into the plot as a key player, albeit without her knowledge. Not a bad cast, eh?

As a bit of a bonus and an order to add some verisimilitude to scenes at the gala where the real action occurs, we get cameos by a number of celebrities such as Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian, Katie Holmes and Common.

There are some other notable men as well. Elliot Gould briefly reprises his role as Reuben from the Soderbergh/Clooney films. Richard Armitage (The Hobbit trilogy) is featured as an art dealer/con artist called Claude who somehow combines the qualities of handsome charmer, evil slimeball, and hapless dupe. British comedian and Late Late Show host James Corden shines as an insurance investigator brought in after the heist to try and determine whodunnit. And there’s Shaobo Qin as “The Amazing Yen”, whose role I can’t describe without spoiling the plot (so I won’t, other than to say his exploits also feature in Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen).

The scheme is pretty nifty, and the action is in the build up to and execution of the heist and how the protagonists – especially Bullock, Paulson and Carter - deal with unexpected twists and turns along the way. It’s not exactly edge-of-the seat stuff, but it is engaging and thrilling.  As in most films of this genre, one has to suspend disbelief a bit. Yet this picture sweeps the viewer along in such a merry Hollywood style that I, at least, was happy to be swept. There’s nothing crude or mean spirited here, unlike the less successful Soderbergh “comeback” heist movie Logan Lucky last summer.

All-in-all, Ocean’s 8 is a fun summer popcorn movie.

1 hour 50 minutes     Rated PG-13

Grade: B+

In general release

Deadpool 2 (2018): Worthy Sequel

I love good Hollywood-style action/adventure movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Jurassic Park (1993) and Jurassic World (2015), Terminator 2 (1991), Die Hard (1988), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and the like – they’re great. They make me feel like a kid again. And while I’m not a big fan of most comic book based, superhero/fantasy summer blockbuster pictures (and avoid seeing a lot of them), a few of these genre pictures rise above the tedious, clamorous, run-of-the-mill mass and approach greatness (or at least above average-ness). The first Iron Man feature in 2008 or The Dark Knight, also in 2008 and probably the best Batman movie, come to mind.

Deadpool (2016) is in this category. A movie about a guy who develops superpowers and fights bad guys, that also somehow defies all of the conventions of the superhero genre. For starters, Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool is no hero. He’s a mercenary – a cynical, foulmouthed loner with few if any scruples, and certainly no interest in crimefighting, public service - or in helping other people really. Until he falls in love with the lovely Vanessa – a prostitute, naturally. Oh, and he has a great, dark sense of humor not to mention a clever, cute and witty use of language.

Oddly enough, I first saw Deadpool while strapped to an apheresis machine at a Red Cross donation center. The process takes a couple of hours, so donors get to watch movie dvds while lying here, and Deadpool was the only one in the fairly large collection on offer that was of any interest (and that I hadn’t yet seen). It sure took my mind off the task at hand. Funny, offbeat, thrilling, imaginatively filmed – most of all, this was a movie with attitude!  Even the story of how our protagonist got his superhero name is darkly comic.

I suppose I should warn the tender plants out there that Deadpool – the character and the film– is also vulgar and violent, albeit both characteristics are largely in the service of light entertainment, rather than salacious or prurient ends. The same goes for the new sequel.

Deadpool 2 is a sequel that doesn’t outdo its source, but nor does it underperform. Fans of the first movie will not be disappointed. At least I wasn’t.  Just like its predecessor, this picture starts a little way in and then backtracks, via voiceover narration by Wade/Deadpool and a flashback sequence that brings us up to speed. Although the plot is new and different, the tone, the style of wit and the action is of the same style and, more importantly of a similar caliber as the first film.  

And like the first movie, our anti-hero protagonist – who I’ll call Wade from now on so as to avoid confusion between the movie title and the character – is at the center of it all. Wade, played brilliantly by Ryan Reynolds [National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002), The Woman in Gold (2015)], has a smart-aleck attitude, a highly ironic wit, an imaginative, deadly fighting style, and many, many ups and downs – mostly downs. Having the ability to quickly heal from pretty much any injury, no matter how gruesome or deadly it may seem, certainly helps - and not incidentally, adds to the comic possibilities.  Reynolds is the cog that makes the whole Deadpool franchise work. This time around, in addition to bringing his character to life and charming the pants off us, he helped write the screenplay, and was a co-producer as well. 

Like the first Deadpool, the action sequences in Deadpool 2 are kinetically thrilling – in part because individually they are not overlong and thus not overdone, unlike so many other films of this type in which the so-called action, usually overburdened with great infusions of CGI, goes on too long and winds up boring us.  As I’ve mentioned, both films are loaded with violent scenes, but it’s a live-action cartoon-style of violence, which is too silly to be truly disturbing, much less appalling.

 Nevertheless, the film remains primarily a comedy. It does this in a self-consciously arch and/or ironic way, often sending up the whole comic book superhero genre of which it is very much a part, not to mention Hollywood itself. Deadpool 2 also maintains the conceit that Wade can narrate his own story, knowing that we are watching, moving back and forth in time, and periodically breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to us, usually to underscore the drollness of it all. Besides the satire, we’re also treated to verbal and visual puns, screwball dialogue, and even a bit of the old slapstick.

A number of characters return from the original movie, among them comedian T.J. Miller as Weasel, the danger-averse bartender and sometime friend to Wade, who may be even funnier on this go-round; and Karan Soni as Dapinder, the hapless cab driver to whom Wade took a shine in the first movie, and who now would really like to get into the action, despite a complete absence of qualifications. Leslie Uggams returns as well, playing Blind Al, who has little to do but provide occasional comfort to Wade, while sassing him in her vulgar, yet reasonable way. Her place is the scene, in the third act, of one of the best and funniest moments in the movie, a sight gag having to do with Wade’s regenerative powers. And Morena Baccarin [Homeland (2011-2013)], a high-ranking member of my onscreen girlfriend list, reprises her role as Wade’s true love, Vanessa, a key person in Wade’s universe, albeit with too little screen time.

But hey, there are new characters as well, who also help to keep the action and the comedy wheels spinning. On the action side, we get Cable, a seemingly invincible cyber-warrior tough-guy from the future, played with a good deal of charisma by Josh Brolin [No Country for Old Men (2007), Hail Caesar (2016)]. Cable is on a quest, following a time-worn plot device: he has travelled back in time to kill someone before they wreak havoc in the future. [See The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2 (1991), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Looper (2012)]. He’s dangerous, and he's cool.

My favorite new character may be Domino, an African American woman recruited by Wade to be a part of his new “X-Force”.  She‘s played beautifully by newcomer,  Zazie Beetz, an African-German-American.   What’s Domino’s superpower? “I’m lucky,” she says – and as it turns out this facility makes for some of the coolest action sequences in Deadpool 2. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more of Ms. Beetz in the next few years.

There are also a couple of cute new characters. After playing Ricky, the orphan with a chip on his shoulder in Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Julian Dennison returns as Russell a.k.a. “Firefist” here, again an orphan with a well-deserved chip on his shoulder and a somewhat similar personality, except here he’s out for revenge against the evil masters of the “Mutant Reeducation Center” where he’s been mistreated; and he’s got a superpower of his own to help him to that goal. Surprisingly, Wade takes a shine to the kid and tries to protect him. Then there is Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), a young, lavender haired ninja sidekick to the returning, pint-sized  Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) – herself an acolyte of the large, metallic Colossus. Yukio’s sole purpose in Deadpool 2 is to be cute. And she is.

There are also cameos by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. You may or may not spot them.

Directed by David Leitsch, the former stuntman par excellence, who recently directed Atomic Blonde (2017) starring Charlize Theron, it’s no surprise that the action is so well done in Deadpool 2. Turns out he’s got a knack for comedy, too. It’s all timing, right?

1 hour 59 minutes.       Rated R (for language and violence?)

Grade: A-

In wide release.

                                                             

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018): Who Needs the Dark Side?

Solo, the latest installment in the growing Star Wars catalog, is a PG-13 rated adventure story that offers us a lot more of the light side then the Dark Side. Indeed, this may be the most lighthearted of all of the Star Wars films to date, at least since the original film, now known as Episode IV, A New Hope. In its tone, though certainly not its plot, Solo more closely resembles the first Spielberg/Lucas collaboration, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

This picture is a perfect summer entertainment. It’s got action, attractive characters, powerful (but not too scary) comic book-style villains and - between the chases, fights and space battles - plenty of humor, although not so much as, say, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Before its release, in fact, a lot of the news about Solo had to do with a drama in the midst of the production: the original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller [The Lego Movie (2014)] were fired because of “creative differences” – they wanted to make an out-and-out comedy – and replaced by Ron Howard [A Beautiful Mind (2001), Apollo 13 (1995), Willow (1988)], who was more sympathetic to the nuanced mix of humor, character and action favored by the producers. Good choice, I think.

I won’t say much about the plot other than that it takes place in an interstellar world that has not yet come under the oppressive thumb of an overarching evil Empire; but one that is ruled instead by thieves, power-hungry schemers and vast, amoral mega-cartels. And as I am sure you know, Solo is a prequel to the primary Star Wars saga, kind of an origin story about the young Han Solo. Not that it goes all the way back to his birth or childhood; rather, it begins with Han as a very young man, perhaps twenty or so.

[Quiz: Before we go any further, what is the correct pronunciation of Solo’s first name? Is it Han with an ă as in ‘man’ or ‘Dan’? or with an ŏ sound as in ‘swan’ or ‘gone’?  Answer below.]

The big question, of course, is does the new Han Solo make the grade? In my opinion, Alden Ehrenreich [Hail Caesar (2016)] was a terrific choice to play the young Han, despite the fact that he doesn’t much physically resemble Harrison Ford - even the young Harrison Ford, who was just 34 years old when the first Star Wars film was shot in 1976. Ford had that trademark smirk; Ehrenreich, just 27 during the filming of Solo, doesn’t. (Ehrenreich also is 4 inches shorter than Ford – although I didn’t notice this discrepancy until Mick LaSalle pointed it out in his review of Solo, after I’d already seen the movie; and I doubt most other viewers will notice either.)

None of this matters. The production folks gave Ehrenreich the right haircut and clothes (vest, tight pants, western-style blaster holster); and screenwriters Lawrence Kasden [The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Big Chill (1983)] and his son Jonathan Kasden provided good, character-appropriate Solo dialogue. Mostly, though, it’s because Ehrenreich has got the acting chops and screen charisma to recreate the swagger, the brash overconfidence and the roguish charm that is Han Solo. He may not have Harrison Ford’s leer, but Ehrenreich has the knack to deliver the goods.

But there is more. We also get to meet the young Lando Calrissian. Narcissistic, flamboyant Lando - appealingly played by Donald Glover (Atlanta), channeling the winsome Billy Dee Williams - has got money, an extravagant lifestyle and a reputation as a high-stakes gambler and trader. He’s also got something that Han wants: a hot rod light-freighter called the Millennium Falcon. What about the Wookie, you ask?  I know you’ve always wondered how in hell Han Solo met Chewbacca and how they become friends. Well, Solo has got answers for you; and we get to see Chewie as a (slightly) younger, more svelte Wookie here.

There are new characters too – led by the ubiquitous Woody Harrelson as a tough intergalactic thief called Beckett. I’m not sure how he does it but Harrelson, reputedly one of the most laid-back actors in Hollywood off-screen, is always interesting and frequently commanding on-screen. Here, too. Han falls under his sway (like the rest of us). 

There is also Thandie Newton as Beckett’s girlfriend-partner, Val; and Emelia Clarke as Han’s love, Qi’ra – both good. The chief villain of the piece, the evil, organized crime boss Dryden Vos, is coldly and capably played by Paul Bettany [The Da Vinci Code (2006), Master and Commander (2003), voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. in the Iron Man series etc.]. Meanwhile, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the voice of the wonderful robotic creation L3-37, a hard-ass female robot pal of Lando’s, who makes you forget that C-3PO and R2-D2 are not around. Not that she’s a cutesy comic relief robot; no - more like a feminine action hero with sass, verve and (literal) nerves of steel.

Thankfully, no Jar Jar Binks and no Ewoks, nor any similar irritations. Also, only a few small snatches of John Williams - just enough to be evocative, yet far short of annoying. At 2 hours 15 minutes, it is about fifteen minutes too long, but other than that Solo is a fun and entertaining addition to the Star Wars empire - a nice mix of action and humor, and a story that answers a few 40-year-old questions.

Solo may not satisfy the most obsessive of SW addicts or the most serious art house cinephiles, but for the rest of us, it’s a pretty darn decent summer movie.

135 minutes.    Rated PG-13

Grade B+

In general release.

[As to the correct pronunciation of ‘Han’, it has been confused for some time. George Lucas apparently used the ă version, rhyming Han with pan or man. But in his very first appearance in 1977, Harrison Ford’s Solo pronounced his first name to rhyme with swan, gone or bon bon. Luke Skywalker followed suit, but Princess Leia went back and forth and Lando Calrissian persisted in rhyming Han with pan (perhaps to make sure his own name was not pronounced as Londo). In Solo, Han tries to clarify the issue, but Calrissian is apparently a slow learner – as evidenced by this clip.]