Movie Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story sends dynamite characters orbiting on a dull ride

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 and announced it would release a new Star Wars film every year starting with The Force Awakens in 2015, the plans seemed ambitious. It was a departure from the three-year gap between the previous Star Wars trilogies and an obvious attempt to deliver the content demand that’s now expected, thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

They are bridging the now two-year gaps of the new trilogy with untold stories in Star Wars history, which brings us to what should have been a surefire winner, Solo: A Star Wars Story. Taking place mostly around 10 years before the events in A New Hope, a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) is constantly on the move, scamming his way into new opportunities.

His itinerant lifestyle takes him all around the galaxy, putting him in league with, among others, the Imperial army; fellow rogues Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and Val (Thandie Newton); an imprisoned Wookiee named Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo); smuggler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) with a very familiar ship; and Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), a woman with whom he grew up on the planet named Corellia.

The film is essentially one long heist story, as Solo and the people he joins forces with are all on the hunt for an extremely valuable fuel controlled by the Empire. This search leads to a variety of action set pieces, including one set aboard a moving magnetic train and another involving the legendary Kessel Run Solo has been known to brag about a time or 10.

First, the good news: Ehrenreich and Glover are good and great, respectively, in the roles originated by Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams. Ehrenreich doesn’t attempt to sound like Ford, but he embodies the smug confidence Ford gave Solo. It takes virtually no time to make him believable. Glover, meanwhile, is dynamite as Calrissian. He’s smooth, stylish, and perfectly suited for the ups-and-downs Calrissian experiences while in Solo’s orbit.

Thank goodness they and the rest of the cast give memorable performances, because the story as a whole is not that exciting. Perhaps it’s because there’s no big villain to root against, although Paul Bettany does put on a good show as Dryden Vos, the leader of a criminal organization named Crimson Dawn. But the distinct thrill that usually accompanies a Star Wars movie is missing, and no amount of filling in the blanks on Solo’s life makes up for that lack.

The story of how original directors Phil Miller and Christopher Lord were fired and Ron Howard was brought on to finish remains mysterious, but there are times where the joining of the two parts of the film seems obvious. On multiple occasions, a character will start speaking while not on screen, only appearing 10-15 seconds later to finish the scene. While not horrible, it can be somewhat distracting.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is not a bad movie, but it doesn’t measure up to the storytelling on display in the first three movies of the new Star Wars era. Han Solo is a great character, but this movie only does well at showing his words, not his actions.

Alden Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Alden Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo in Solo: A Star Wars Story

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Alden Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Movie Review

Revived Coyote vs. Acme shows Looney Tunes’ enduring appeal

Wile E. Coyote in Coyote vs. Acme

Photo courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment

Wile E. Coyote in Coyote vs. Acme.

No movie studio has gone through more ups and downs in the past few years than Warner Bros. In 2022, they oddly shelved two mostly-completed movies, Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. But the next few years brought major movies like Barbie, Dune Part Two, Sinners, Superman, Weapons, and One Battle After Another, giving them a huge boost. Strangely, that led directly into a proposed sale to Paramount that is now going through legal battles.

Another previously-shelved Warner Bros. movie, Coyote vs. Acme, is now seeing the light of day thanks to a deal with a small company called Ketchup Entertainment. Taking its cue from the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, the film creates a world in which Wile E. Coyote - sick of constantly being thwarted in his pursuit of Road Runner by faulty Acme products - decides to sue the company.

To do so, he approaches the law firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese, led by Kevin Avery (Will Forte). The firm typically takes on small cases that are easy to settle, but - with a little subterfuge from Wile E. Coyote - they are soon presenting Acme and its lead attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), with a lawsuit that could be worth millions of dollars. Naturally, the big corporation won’t give in without a fight, leading to all sorts of shenanigans on both sides.

Directed by Dave Green and written by Samy Burch from a story by Burch, James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater, the film is a fun mixture of nostalgia and clever storytelling. Most of Looney Tunes’ classic characters make an appearance in the film, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Sylvester. The two, other than Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, who get the most play are Tweety, who appears in some of the movie’s funniest scenes, and Foghorn Leghorn, reimagined as the CEO of Acme.

The blend of live action and animation is not quite on the level of something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but it is still effective. It also affords the film plenty of opportunities to employ Looney Tunes’ signature brand of cartoon violence that doesn’t actually leave lasting damage. The gags are very familiar for those who grew up on the studio’s short films, but combined with the inventive ways in which they’re used and the pointed jabs at corporate culture, they become somewhat fresh again.

Naturally, there are plenty of references in the film, starting with the name of the law firm, which pays homage to legendary directors Chuck Avery and Chuck Jones, as well as writer/animator Michael Maltese. Sly jokes that could turn the film from PG to PG-13 sneak their way in, although they steer clear of elements that haven’t aged well (documented in a recent viral comedy clip). But the film is at its best when it leans into the well-earned traits of its favorite characters and just lets them cook.

Forte is a great scene partner for Wile E. Coyote, as he can turn even minor slights into comedy gold. His deadpan reactions are the ideal way to counter the insanity going on around him. Cena has proven in other films that he has great comic timing, and he demonstrates that skill well here, too, especially in a fantastic scene opposite Tweety. The voice talent does a good job with the iconic characters, although the legendary Mel Blanc remains the gold standard.

Coyote vs. Acme is not a world-changing movie by any means, but it is a fun twist on the characters many know and love that deserved to be seen by moviegoers. Wile E. Coyote may never actually catch Road Runner, but this movie shows that his unceasing attempts remain entertaining after all these years.

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Coyote vs. Acme is now playing in theaters.

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