Video Game Review: Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)

In five years, we've seen two video games that pitted Lara Croft against the turbulence of nature, the terrors of mythic creatures and curses resurrected, and a sinister organization hellbent on unleashing the powers of ancient relics. To say nothing of a traumatic past full of loss and pain. The third game in the rebooted Tomb Raider series pits Lara against all these same things, but within a story that offers one last growth spurt for the character.

Set in Central America, Lara Croft unwittingly unleashes the Mayan apocalypse when she raids a tomb and steals a special dagger. Amidst terrible catastrophes, Trinity heads Lara off and combs through the jungles in search of other pieces that will empower them to reshape the world in their image. From the Peruvian jungles to the lost city of Paititi, you get the chance to guide Lara to her destiny as a world-saving adventurer.

The story's pretty nice, and I admire that this game progresses Lara' character further away from the grim, no-nonsense tone of the last two games by giving her a little more life. At certain moments, she learns to laugh, to joke, to be amiable, and eventually become the cheeky thrillseeker we all know and love from previous media. The transformation is bittersweet as we see Lara face her past even more and gradually reconcile with it. That's not to say the game is all cheery and goofy though--this is still an intense experience full of brutal disaster, gritty violence, and vengeance.

Like previous games, you are given semi-free reign over a number of maps, each populated with artifacts, caches, challenges, tombs, crypts, and other secrets waiting to be uncovered. It's quite inviting for exploration, except the game will find ways to curb you towards the main story path--going so far as turning the camera and character in the direction the game wants you to go. I lost count of the number of times I wanted to go one way but found Lara walking another because the game forces the action forward. As the game goes on, it becomes a little frustrating in how directional it becomes--at many key points, you will be stripped of your weapons, gear, and clothing, depowering you just when you need to be empowered. Even outside of the storyline, most areas limit the costumes and weapons you can use--it's almost pointless to customize yourself.

What I think hurts the game the most is how small-scale it actually is. While the 2013 game offered an island that felt really huge and seemed to touch every era of history, the maps in Shadow are quite few and not that big. The vast majority of collectables are shoved on the Hidden City map (yep, the one area where you can't change your clothes that much and can't use weapons). Once I completed the sweep, I couldn't help but to wonder "is this really it?" Thanks to glitches, collecting all the things didn't even unlock a trophy. Bloody hell.

There are other glitches that holds this back from being a perfectly enjoyable adventure. Run across some areas, and the game will pause with this "waiting for streaming" message. I don't even know what that means (I'm assuming the game had to catch up with the player). I lost count of the number of times I did a certain move correctly, but still had to watch Lara die gruesomely because her hand was off by a hair or something failed to connect. Also had one cut scene happen where Lara talked to herself (pretty sure another NPC was supposed to be there, but wasn't).

What is satisfying is the amount of climbing and puzzling you get to do. There are a reasonable number of tombs and crypts that offers clever challenges, but aren't too taxing. Story and side quests take you through some well-designed areas, all ordained with sharp and detailed graphics and textures (and on the PS4, HDR really brings the color out vividly). Some areas seemed really dark and hard-to-see, making some accidental deaths even more likely.

What isn't satisfying is the combat. It's very sparse for one thing--the last two games seemed relentless (but ultimately rewarding). In Shadow, you're given just a handful of moments to shoot or stalk enemies. Stealth seems to take the front seat this time, and it is quite empowering to watch a mud-smeared Lara hide in the walls, picking off soldiers one-by-one with a knife. If a gunfight does break out, Lara seems much more vulnerable than usual, and when she's swamped by melee fighters she seems quite weak against them. The last games were not nearly this difficult, even though there is far less fighting.

Despite my laundry list of gripes, the game is a smooth play thanks to its intuitive control scheme, cinematic style, and phenomenal level design. The game brings the jungles, the ruins, and the lost civilizations to life exquisitely. All the detail pumped into the legends and artifacts are admirable, and the story is a satisfying arc (which I assume concludes the new games' saga as a trilogy, but I certainly welcome more).

If you're a longtime franchise fan, or a fan of the last two games, then this one will be enjoyable for you all the same. Casual gamers may find this frustrating and glitchy. I'd argue it's too short, condensed, and limiting. As a casual franchise fan, I found the game admirable for its story, which shows the shadow lifting away from Lara and evolving her into the place she needs to be for future adventures.

4/5

Film Review: The Tree of Life (2011)

You! Yes, you, the sentient being (presumably a human) reading this here review. I have a question for you: why are you interested in films? I mean, you're here reading this, so you must have seen or heard about this Tree of Life film and wanted to know more, right? By doing so, I assume that you are someone who watches films regularly. Is it for the thrill of action, adventure, and big-scale effects? Is it for the deep exploration of characters (via the art of script-writing and performances)? Is it for the photographic art, and the chance to see something you might not see anywhere else?

The Tree of Life--oh boy, this is a tough one, because a lot of the conventions you see in other films do not apply here. It has no plot for one thing--literally, nothing strings the scenes together, it just runs as one long stream of consciousness, constantly shifting from past to future, from reality to artistic representations of alternate realities (presumably, the afterlife, and the birth and death of the universe). It's not so much driven by conflict as it is by ideas and emotions. Characters don't speak so much as they softly express, pray, and question existence. If you're watching this film, you're doing it for the experience. It's not a film to watch for storytelling, conflicts, and certainly not for adventure. This is probably one of the purest art films you'll find--a photo album in motion, with poetic voices and a gentle tone, which lets you freely meditate on its meaning.

Its meaning? Well, this is a film about literally everything. Life. Death. God. Human beings. Family. Relationships. Crime and punishment. Childhood and adulthood. Love and hate. Nature and the man-made world. Religion. Law. Order. Chaos. The here and now. The far and away. The beginning. The end.

Lost already? It is a huge amount of ground to cover, so the film shoves a funnel down a single family's throats and makes them chug this metaphysical cocktail. The film digresses into many montages to illustrate certain points, but it's mostly about one man's life. An everyman named Jack (Sean Penn plays the adult Jack, but for the majority, Hunter McCracken plays the kid Jack). After eons of cosmic forces clashing to create the sun, the Earth, and all life on it, this kid is born into the O'Brien family, sometime in the 60s or so, somewhere in Texas. The father (Brad Pitt) is a guy who lives the way of nature--he's a stern, disciplined man who demands much, bosses everybody around, and firmly believes in strength to overcome the threats life dishes out. The mother (Jessica Chastain) lives the way of grace--she's all touchy-feely, compassionate, forgiving, tender, fun-loving, and is probably the most lovable mom ever filmed. Caught between these two sides, their children live day by day playing, working, learning, and growing.

Captured in exquisite photography (courtesy of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki), this film stands as one of the most beautiful I've laid eyes on. It is richly ordained in stunning images--everything from entire galaxies to microbes. Even the most innocuous of scenes--the interiors of houses, or the woods--look magnificent. Against these varied backdrops (and set to Alexandre Desplat's exquisite music score), each actor offers nuanced performances and voices that feel genuine. It also helps that the cast becomes relatable, as they go through trials and experiences that we all face and can relate to at some point--things like understanding death, wandering around lost and restless, and being uncertain about what the best way of living really is. The film frequently vocalizes many questions aloud (ultimately aimed at God), inquiring on the meaning of existence and suffering. Though the film leaves the answers so open-ended, it does affirm many truths--especially when compared to the cosmic scale, we see that our lives are brief and small and our impulses fleeting.

The Earth is full of wonder, and it remains the only planet we know of that teems with so much life. Chances are you might find this film boring or pretentious, but there's very few that underscores the majesty of creation the way Terrence Malick's work does. It is art to be studied, appreciated, and reflected upon. You've surely seen many other films that have trivialized life and glorified violence--this film will cleanse your palate nicely and offer a refreshing vision of life and the universe. It might inspire you. It might change your life. Or it might validate what you already know. Either way, you owe it to yourself to experience this.

By the way, this film has two cuts now. The theatrical cut is a no-brainer--two hours, very trim and to-the-point (but still a long watch that requires your full attention). The Criterion Collection released the extended cut that runs for over three hours--like all great extended cuts, this one adds a plethora of new scenes seamlessly, and it flows well. But it is a very long ordeal that will require patience.

4.5/5

Video Game Review: The 7th Guest

You had to have seen this in the 90s to really feel the innovation of this macabre puzzle game. In a time when Doom was still a fresh with its open 3D environments, The 7th Guest CD-ROM was a really slick product in which the 3D looked really refined and vivid. An apt environment to fill a creepy house with macabre cut-scenes, morbid puzzles, and a plot full of madness.

The tale of The 7th Guest is one full of promise. A villainous drifter named Henry Stauf becomes a toymaker whose dolls and puzzles please children all over town, but every child becomes ill and dies. Some time later, Stauf builds this massive house and invites six guests for a night of...well, puzzles apparently. Puzzles that you, the player, need to solve while the drama of the six (and a mysterious seventh) guest unfolds.

Then and now, the game is a head-scratcher. It's been over 20 years since I played this with my best friend in grade school, and we never could reach the finale. There are many I would have never solved were it not for guides (which can now be found easily within just a few keystrokes on Google). There are some I flat-out refuse to solve (come on, it's hard enough doing musical note puzzles on a console game, I did not have the patience to sit through the piano puzzle in this game). But for every puzzle that's darn near impossible, there's one that's easy. Some can be solved on pure intuition or experimentation. Some require some serious thinking and planning. If you want a game that makes you spend long hours trying to figure out how to move chess pieces across the floor, how to spell things in weird places, and figure out basic geometric patterns, then this game will keep you entranced.

Frustrating puzzles here and there makes this a pretty dodgy experience as it is, but what makes the game drag is having to walk room to room to find them and figure out which other room they unlock. Since it's just animated screens taking you from one place to another, you have no choice but to sit and watch the hallways slowly glide by until you make the next click. There are shortcuts, but you're more likely to click on them by accident and wind up in another part of the house you don't want to be in. It's rather droll if the macabre atmosphere doesn't keep you on your toes.

It did unsettle me as a kid in the 90s. The house is just plain creepy, with all its dark hallways and ghosts and moving paintings and such. It took me some time to realize you can't really die in the game, so all the macabre happenings are just flat images you passively watch. The game tries its best to scare the pants off you--there are frequent screams, lots of gimmicky 3D effects, skeletons playing pianos, occult imagery and symbolism, and a touch of the gothic. To be fair, the game does some of its scares right--the characters and environments become uncanny to the point where it can creep under the skin. But when the cut-scenes consist of hammy, over-the-top performances (with each actor dressed up in ridiculously campy outfits), the effect is lost entirely. It's about as terrifying as a Halloween spook house you might take your kids to.

I'd also argue that the plot tries to cover too much ground with its scares. I could dig this as a haunted house story, plain and simple. But the game shoves in aspects of the occult and supernatural that feel very disconnected (although the novelization of the game provides more clarity). It is pretty clever how the game offers six characters with individual goals, and each one gets what they want but with diabolical twists. The actual seventh guest is presented as an important stake, but it's hard to really feel much about it. All the characters are as flat and insubstantial as the pixels that illustrate them (save for Stauf, who might be one of the more nuanced video game villains I know of). Once I got to the actual ending, I don't even know what that was I saw.

The 7th Guest is an interesting relic from my own childhood. Back then, I spent hours with my best friend in school exploring the freaky house and solving as many puzzles as we could. It was fresh then. Though it's still playable now (on Steam), some things just don't hold up. Things about the story are fascinating, the music is decent, and the technical quality was really fantastic by 90s standards. It is a bit goofy, highly uneven, and might even be frustrating.

3.5/5

Travel: Beaufort (South Carolina)

It's been a rather long and dry year for me in terms of exploring and seeing the sights. One thing to miss about living in Utah is being surrounded by picturesque mountains and deserts. In Georgia, there's little to see other than trees and urban build-up (at least where I'm currently living). But I was certain there were beautiful sights around--I just had to take the time off to go out and find it.

Looking over Google Maps one day, I looked for a possible place to visit and came across Beaufort SC by chance. I might as well have thrown a dart on a map. It's listed as one of the oldest towns in the state, and I figured it would have some distinctive buildings and history worth exploring. My parents and I drove and stayed there for four nights, and here's everything we found worthwhile.

All About Beaufort

This town rests on an island among the marshes, quite close to some rivers and within driving distance to the Atlantic. It's in between Charleston and Savannah, and is much smaller than both towns. Historically, it is said that Beaufort is where most of American history begins. It was the first to dissent over England's taxation of the colonies, which led to the Revolution. It was also one of the first--if not the first--to join the Confederacy during the Civil War. The town swung hard between wealth and poverty--a volatile combination of historic wars, dealing with pirates, and economic hardships that drove different groups (such as the Carpetbaggers) in and out of the region.

Your typical Antebellum house.

There are communities of old homes all along the riverfront--many in the style of the Antebellum eras and Victorian age. They are all distinctive, colorful, and nestled among strange sprawling trees with Spanish Moss hanging off of them. These streets are quite atmospheric--a horse-drawn tour can carry you around these neighborhoods while a guide describes the history of the area. A few museums in the area shed even more light on the town's significance and struggles throughout the years.

Down Bay Street, you can find most restaurants and shops near the riverfront, and you can't go wrong with any choice. If you ask the locals where to eat, they will even say that all the restaurants are good. You're bound to find some decent seafood at these places--shrimp and grits, crab cakes, lowcountry boil, and more! Placed by the waterfront, most of these places offer a relaxed atmosphere. There are bookstores, gift shops, art galleries, and more. We were even lucky enough to visit a shop that specialized in lavender goods on the second day they were open--how cool is that?

All along the southern side of the island, you can walk by the marina to see numerous boats at rest. A walking path leads to the drawbridge, with a number of bench swings along the way where anybody can stop and take a rest. Located so close to Bay Street, you could grab ice cream nearby, sit, and enjoy the balmy breeze and watch the water.

Beaufort has been used as the shooting locations for films like The Big Chill and Forrest Gump. Incidentally, The Chocolate Tree is one of Tom Hanks' favorite (if not his top favorite) chocolatiers. We visited the place and walked out with quite a haul of truffles, and they were wonderful.

Surrounding Sights

Beaufort is within spitting distance of other islands which offer other things to see--museums, maritime centers, water sports, and other towns.

We drove to Hunting Island one day--it is a state park with a beach. Even though it was overcast and rainy, the water was surprisingly warm and pleasant. Somebody told us that a rainy day on the beach was better than any other day, and I'm inclined to see why. The island also boasts a lighthouse that you can climb. Parts of the island are inaccessible due to storm damage from previous years, but near the lighthouse is a sprawl of fallen trees and driftwood, which is quite distinctive and makes for some eerie-looking pictures. This is one of the possible places where sea turtles nest--we didn't see any on this trip, but we did listen to someone talking about the turtles and efforts to help protect them.

To the west is the area of Port Royal. We drove that way to see a maritime museum, which was free to visit. It contained some tanks to view fish, crabs, and baby alligators, and many displays of photographs and information that painted a picture of the industry of the past.

To the north, there is the ruins of Shelton Church tucked away in the woods. It's pretty much four ruined brick walls and some columns. Makes for great photos, and walking among this ruin gave me as much solidarity as it did visiting the various ruined abbeys and castles in England--only this ruin is buggier and surrounded by Spanish moss. Makes for a good, quick stop on the way home.

In a few hours, it would be feasible to see Charleston or Savannah as well. We opted not to go that far, since we've found enough to do around the local areas without tiring ourselves.

Inspirations

I've come to learn that Beaufort is the home for author Pat Conroy, who wrote The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini. All books I've heard about but haven't read yet. I am compelled to read them (or at least see their film adaptations) to see how they fare. There is a place in the town dedicated to Conroy--an exhibit of some kind--but we did not visit it. Through various adverts and pamphlets, we noticed that there are opportunities around for Southern writers to gather in workshops and panels and such, and often times Conroy will partake in them as well. It's a community in itself--I haven't really found any such community in Augusta, but for a few hours drive a conference here and there should be plausible and worthwhile.

I am interested to check out some Southern writing to see what makes it stand out as its own thing. In one of the bookstores, I picked up The Secret Life of Bees. I have a feeling that books like these will capture a certain something in the region's culture and atmosphere you probably won't find anywhere else.

Personally, this kind of fiction is not what I usually strive for or enjoy--my mind will always bend back towards the realms of science fiction, fantasy, and perhaps horror. Since I've been experimenting a lot with the tropes of cosmic horror, I've taken quite a liking towards the 2018 film Annihilation (itself an adaptation of the Southern Reach trilogy of novels, which I vow to read someday). If you haven't seen the film, it's basically about a meteor hitting a lighthouse and causing a freaky alien force field to expand and mutate the land around it. Unnatural abominations happen. And guess what? I got to take a picture at Hunting Island that pretty much represents this very thing--a lighthouse wreathed in all this dead wood, looking like Lovecraftian tentacles and abominations. That was my inspiration for all these pictures--the driftwood was just a tangle of organic mass, and surrounded by sand and water, it looked somewhat alien in nature. Capture that in black-and-white, do some fixes with Corel, and I created photos from another dimension. It's exactly the kind of environment I can see my own characters in my own cosmic horror adventure traversing through.

At the lighthouse of madness! Could there be an alien beyond this sprawl?

Final Impression

My brief stay in Beaufort offered a relaxing and laid-back respite, just as a vacation in the deep south should. There are nice buildings, food, shopping, and sights to experience. I managed to buy some cool things, take decent photos, learn stuff. The only thing I didn't really do was writing. Regardless, it was a trip worth taking. It shares much in common with Charleston, but is much smaller and there's not nearly as much traffic or crowds. It's a decent destination for a quick getaway or a brief pass-through. I'm not sure if I'm inclined to see it again, but I wouldn't say "no" to seeing/hearing Pat Conroy talk about writing. Or the chance to sit on a swing by the river again. Or the chance to visit Tom Hanks' favorite chocolate store.

Film Review: Loving Vincent (2017)

Love Vincent Van Gogh? Well, here's a film painted entirely in the famous artist's signature style. You read that correctly: the film is painted. Every frame--all 65,000 of them--was brushed by a team of 125 artists. Not even Stan Brakhage could have topped this.

Seeing it in motion is an experience worth beholding. As paintbrush strokes pulsate and swirl around the picture, it illustrates a vibrant world where art and history collide. At times, the film will emulate some of Van Gogh's greatest hits as it breathes life into famous paintings like Starry Night. Famous portraits become characters that walk, talk, and reveal secrets behind Van Gogh's life and death.

In this world, Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth) sets out at the behest of his father to find out how Vincent Van Gogh committed suicide. What follows is a bit of an mystery plot, as Armand follows leads, interviews people, and pieces together what might have happened.

As secrets unravel and more questions are brought up, a portrait of Van Gogh's life emerges. Flashbacks offer rich depth to his past struggles, and his passion for art takes the thematic stage. Van Gogh never stopped pursuing it--he pushed for greater perfection, even at the expense of his mind and body. Whether physically tormented by locals or emotionally accosted by family, he embraced the spirit of art and refused to compromise. These are passions all artists can look up to and draw inspiration from, and these are the truths that the film makes clear as it goes on. Even for a guy like me, who has minimal knowledge of his work and life, it's an inspiration.

The only reason I don't grade this film higher is because of the script. Something about it comes off as stiff, and I realize it's because the dialogue is so explicit and on-the-nose that it doesn't give distinctive voices to the characters. As a result, they dryly meander scene-to-scene, spouting exposition with less subtlety or personality. Even though Van Gogh is the centerpiece, he's not the POV character--I really couldn't tell you much of Armand or the other people he comes across, other than holy cow they look just like the paintings of themselves.

Van Gogh fans will probably enjoy the story and themes all the same, and it remains a remarkable work of art thanks to the painstaking effort that went into the animation. I wouldn't fault the acting--physical or vocal--either. As a film, it's phenomenal.

In the same vein as Waltz With Bashir, this is a film to be admired for its incredible animation and subject matter, but it comes off as rather dry. It's still a must-see because, in the end, this is art imitating art imitating life. Van Gogh's life (and enigmatic death) is so full of torment and suffering that it bleeds into his art, and it seeps into this film as well. Vincent deserves some love.

3.5/5

35th Birthday Reflections

The wheel on the rock keeps on turning.

Last time I made a Birthday blog post was two years ago. What happened to my 34th year reflections? It would seem I didn't bother writing a post, although I'm certain anything special I did that day would have been the same as any year. I always hear folks say Birthdays becomes less significant the older one gets. All the parties, cakes, and presents don't quite elicit as many thrills as they do in early youth.

A couple of years ago, I posted about the simple pleasures of treating oneself. And I'd still say there's a certain solidarity to it. Between then and now, however, a combination of events (including the loss of my car) made me realize that most things I find pleasurable have the potential to be money vacuums. Films, books, music, and games--the best of them might become life-long inspirations, but the vast majority provide only short-term stimulation. I was lacking a sense of discipline, allowing insatiable wants to fill my home, time, and energy. With only myself to blame, I reflected on whether I was my own worst enemy, and if I needed to defeat a part of myself in order to evolve and make myself a better person. I sought ways to deflate my ego.

At that time, the work environment I was caged in had a strange way of making me feel like anything I did was never good enough. In retrospect, I wasn't sure if it was genuinely a fault of others, or if it was a negative funk spread around by other griping folk. Combine that with my ongoing struggle to deconstruct my writing and figure out why it wasn't connecting with anybody, and I became trapped in a negative feedback loop. I expected bad things and nothing good. When nothing good happened, it validated my feelings and the loop dug deeper like a drill in the psyche. People often tell me I'm too hard on myself, because I might sense disappointment or disapproval in anything from a fleeting glance to command decisions, and I took it as a sign that I failed somehow. And when I think about the past, I cynically believed that failure wasn't really tolerated or embraced as gleefully as you might read about in other articles posted nowadays.

Except, when I'm asked about what I've specifically failed at, it's all micro-failures that many folks have probably forgotten by now. Lately, I've resolved to stop expecting the worst out of everything--out of people, situations, work, and everything. Let come what may. If it's bad, then it should roll off like a rain droplet on a leaf. At least I want to be that zen-like, because I know that negative reactions to negative actions only results in another negative loop. But positivity usually does perpetuate itself, and can defuse bad things before they explode. Everything that goes around comes around. I've been perfectly content when I go through the daily grind without expectations, and can greet every obstacle or challenge without a preconceived judgment or expectation.

In light of that, I see now that deflating the ego was probably not the ideal solution--maybe it needs to be inflated some. It's arrogance that I always feared, but then again, everybody's arrogant to some degree, and one can't create without some level of audacity. What matters more is my ability to deconstruct--to not hold things above reproach, including myself, so I can learn, adapt, and move on.

In 35 years of life, this is my conclusion thus far: there is an inherent power to falling then rising. It's the pattern of every story, both fictitious and real-life, that elicits a tear or catharsis. I've always struggled with myself because, as Plato saw perfect forms in everything that was unattainable because of human imperfection, I also felt that there was a level of perfection I could never achieve, and I feared how others saw me for it. But if perfection can't be attained, then why beat myself up over it? As Tyler Durden said, "Maybe self destruction is the answer." He says this in Fight Club not in the spirit of beating oneself up, but in becoming reborn.

In light of all this, what am I doing on this fine day? Writing. This blog post for one thing, which turned into an outlet for the last few years' worth of musings. But my actual writing is going through a revival of sorts, as I sought more lessons and learned to embrace the power of voice and "showing" more. It is Camp National Novel Writing Month again, and I am partway through a sprawling space adventure of sorts. I know it stinks in certain parts, but the time will come to tear it down and build it back up, because that's all part of the process. In a little bit, chances are good that I'll run off to Barnes and Noble to peruse their film section (because the Criterion Collection movies are on sale, woohoo!) and their books. Grab a free Starbucks coffee if I can. Then run to the library for a write-in--something I should have been doing all this time, but life (and my continued abhorrence towards driving) kept getting in the way. I figure I really ought to connect with other writers more, because I do feel comfortable and at home among them.

Shopping spree? Eh, it's not things or treats I really need right now. I looked forward to simply using the time to write. Even if it never amounts to a publishable manuscript, it'll at least be the gift of gratification and fulfillment that will make this Birthday, like any other day, feel .

30 or so years ago, I remember my parents blasted Journey's "Wheel in the Sky" from their hi-fi system. I might not have known what it was at the time, but something about the lyrics and melody spoke to me. It became a favorite of mine in childhood, and it remains so today. The song held up, and its words carried a message that I felt mirrored my own life. Having lived and worked in several different places now, I really don't know where I'll be tomorrow. But the universe continues in endless cosmic cycles. It's a reminder that the past is gone, the future is coming, and we should all live in the moment.

Film Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Back in 1977, when Harrison Ford walked into everyone's life as the galaxy's most lovable and (anti-)heroic scoundrel, did anybody ever really jump up and demand "I want his backstory"?

Anyone? No? Well, I didn't ask for this either. But with the latest Disney/Lucasfilm pact, something like this was inevitable, because money. The beautiful thing about Han Solo is that his backstory is already sprinkled in throughout the series--writing a prequel just for him practically writes itself. And yet, that's the disconcerting problem--Han worked in the originals because he was a mysterious rogue with a shady past, with only shadows of it popping up as occasional story problems. I feared that revealing the source of his shadowy past would take away from the enigmatic depth, because less really is more in this case.

Thus, I walked into Solo: A Star Wars Story cynically, expecting a blue milk run through all the checkboxes that aligned with the original movies (the fact that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were bumped off the director's chair in favor of Ron Howard did little to alleviate my concerns). Even though the film opens with a fast and furious speeder chase, I just leaned back and expected a dry, colorless, lifeless hack job to sink into my ears and eyes.

I walked out rather satisfied. What happened? Same things that makes any movie perfectly watchable--a magic combination of storytelling and cinematic experience. Howard managed to bring that certain something to the table that made Willow so charming back in the day--an adventurous spirit, wrapped around a romp of a plot with charming characters, cute comedy, eye-popping action, and marvelous special effects.

Sure, you do get to see certain checkboxes marked off, such as how Han met Chewbacca, hustles and bustles with Lando Calrissian, beauty shots of the Millennium Falcon (and its eventual degradation into a hunk of junk--man, that was fast), and the historic "Kessel Run" in a miraculous 12 Parsecs! Fortunately, these don't really lift away the air of mystery from Solo's character--if anything, they turn his moments in the originals into throwbacks. Prequels often run the risk of making universes smaller, but Solo manages to expand the Star Wars cinematic realms in exciting ways--this is a film that dives deeper into the seedy webs of crime syndicates, and promises that there's a lot more fertile ground to cover. This is easily the closest a film has come to becoming a Shadows of the Empire adaptation. The only bad thing Solo does as a prequel is that it brings back a Prequel Trilogy character just for the hell of it--even I'm pulling the last of my hair out wondering "how is this character still alive?!!"

The actual story behind Han Solo is a simple one: he was dude (Alden Ehrenreich) on Corellia who tried to worm his way out. When he failed to get his girlfriend (Emilia Clarke) off the planet, he joined the Empire. Then he got kicked out of the academy. He went to war anyway (I dunno, I wish there was a little more shown about these Imperial years), hooked up with some roughnecks (headed by Woody Harrelson, playing a character who feels lifted out of a Sergio Leone western), and took a job to rob a train (I'm sensing a pattern...). When that goes to hell, he has to take another job to make up for things and save his hide, which prompts the madcap chase to rip off the Kessel spice mines. The whole time, Solo plays the odds not only for his freedom, but for the girl he left behind.

There are predictable aspects to this plot (especially anything that was already revealed in the original movies). It's also hard to feel tension for these characters when you know the leads have to survive. What helps, however, is that the story is still firmly established on characterization that feels fresh. Alden Ehrenreich embodies Han Solo with surprising nuance--all the fun qualities Harrison Ford initially brought to the table carries over without feeling like a mere copycat. Other performances are quite solid, and they're all unified with a fairly decent script. I feel the opening act is the weakest, largely because so much of the character is "told" to us and not shown. After the big train heist scene, the film settles into a comfortable pace and pattern that's easily digestible.

Like the other modern Star Wars films, this looks really sharp and slick. Most of the film looks a little too dark for my liking, but the cinematography is still really nice most of the time. No expense spared on any of the sets, props, costumes, or special effects. Music is often quite pleasing and interesting. It all looks and sounds so money.

But that may be the film's downfall: money. Fans might not be fooled or enticed enough to see past the film's business prerogative. But what studio film isn't made to make money, especially with the Star Wars brand? Solo could have been much worse--I'm personally pleased that it managed to capture the right spirit, even if it took a little time to find it. Casual viewers might shrug it off--as a fan, I've got nothing but good feelings about this.

3.5/5