Solo: A Star Wars Story Review - 7 Ups And 4 Downs

3. Supporting Characters Wasted

Star Wars Han Solo Trailer Thandie Newton
Lucasfilm

Boiled down to its essence, Solo is a heist movie, and that means there's got to be a crew. For the most part, the characters are well served by the story, or at least do enough: Han and Chewie are great, Landon and L3 are too.

However, with so many to cram in there, it does mean a couple fall by the wayside. Thandie Newton's Val shows promise as a no-nonsense criminal badass when she first appears, but is then given almost nothing to do.

The same can be said for Rio, who is voiced by Jon Favreau. He gets a few funny lines, but he's essentially Star Wars' version of Rocket Racoon but without the key role in the team.

Woody Harrelson's Beckett fares much better for the majority of the movie, with the actor easily able to play the scoundrel-turned-mentor, but the connection between himself and Han could've been a little stronger and deeper as well.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.