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For the diehard Star Wars fans who want to see everything played out, there is the anthology series. These are standalone movies that aren't necessary to watch in the flow of the episodes. However, they do provide backstories that are relevant and warrant being told. They can provide interesting tidbits of information that make you say, "Oooohhh...so that's how that happened." As a result, for some people, like myself, watching them can result in more appreciation for the main movies.
To date, there are only two anthology live action Star Wars movies - "Rogue One" and "Solo". Whereas as the primary focus of "Rogue One" is to tell the backstory of an "event" (how they received the plans for the Death Star), "Solo" focuses primarily on the backstory of one of our leading men, Han Solo. It takes place between episodes III ("Revenge of the Sith") and IV ("A New Hope").
Until I re-watched "Solo" this past week, I don't think I appreciated Han Solo's role in Star Wars enough. I knew he acquired the Millenium Falcon, but it's also because of his actions in "Solo" that the Rebellion was able to obtain the coaxium that allows them to travel into hyperspace. Without the ability to travel into hyperspace, the Rebellion would not have been able to accomplish all that they eventually did. Han's intentions with the coaxium changed by the end of the movie, but more significantly, Han changed as a person while still maintaining his rough around the edges personality. I enjoyed seeing this character development.
I also enjoyed witnessing the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Han and Chewbacca. My favorite line in the movie is spoken by Rio. He says, "You will never have a deeper sleep than curled up in a Wookie's lap." I mean, how can this not make you say, "Awwwwww"? This isn't anything philosophical like what Yoda might say, but it captured my heart, and because of that I now have a soft spot for Chewy (a character that previously was not a favorite of mine).
And it occurred to me that Chewy is a sort of rescue Wookie, just as some cats, dogs, and other pets are rescues. Han and Chewy rescue and build their trust in each other. This is exactly how I've always thought of my beloved Qandi. We rescued and built trust in each other.
The visuals in this movie were at times eye candy for me. The mountain scenes are breath-taking. I especially loved the train heist scene. I am a huge fan of train scenes, and carrying out a heist on one takes it to another level.
While there's so much to love about this movie, in my opinion it doesn't quite measure up to the main episodes nor to "Rogue One". I thought it was cool how L3 became a part of the ship. It's a metaphor for real life. When we lose someone they can still be with us in a different way. However, since L3 did become a part of the ship, I felt bad that Lando didn't get to keep the Millenium Falcon. L3 was his partner and they had an oddly weird connection that I loved. I can't identify why, but there's more that was missing from this movie. It felt like it needed something else. I just can't pinpoint what that something else is.
"Solo" concluded with a cameo from Darth Maul. Now that I'm paying closer attention to all the movies, I realize how significant this is. He isn't supposed to be alive, but he is? So what are his whereabouts and is Qi'ra hanging out with him? We need a sequel or a series that picks up where "Solo" left off. I'd be happy with either.
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