Solo A Star Wars Story Review: Smuggles The Series' Sense of Adventure

In Star Wars there have been many things to define the franchise like the Jedi and the Rebellion. Yet despite the galaxy far, far, away centering on the heroic tales of the Skywalkers one character manages to steal the show and cannot help but love him for it. This character is none other than the scruffy looking nerfherder himself: Han Solo. Since appearing in the cantina and shooting Greedo the iconic smuggler has been a prevalent addition to the Star Wars franchise. However, despite his role in the franchise, the origin of Han Solo has been all but a mystery on the silver screen; that is until now. With the franchise branching out into the Star Wars Anthology film series, moviegoers can now see Han’s humble beginnings in Solo: A Star Wars Story. While production of the film went through major changes the anthology movie was able to make its release date with director Ron Howard taking the helm for this installment. While it can be hard for me not to be excited for a new Star Wars film, my anticipation for Solo was a subtle one as all I was expecting from this standalone tale was it being a swashbuckling adventure; and in that regard this Star Wars Story did not disappoint.

The story of Solo centers on a young Han (Alden Ehrenreich) who is whisked into a crime filled adventure that leads the novice outlaw meeting the likes of Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) as well as finding his future ship the Millennium Falcon. Even for Star Wars the story of Solo was a simple one; though that was not necessarily a bad thing. Although it was a little jeering to get into the plot to this Star Wars Story was indeed thrilling. The second act in particular was adventurous and really got into the spirit of the series. Granted this was a double edged sword for the plot as the third act did not have the impact as the previous chapter. Another highlight for the plot, although a minor one, was its references to other stories in the Star Wars Saga; both in the films and other mediums. When it came down to it what held this plot back was its structure, but even that was not enough to keep this tale from being a engaging adventure.

Inferno Review: More Puzzling Than Gripping

In 2006 the movie world was introduced to Robert Langdon in the thriller The Da Vinci Code. Based on the novel by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code blended the likes of history and religion with a major conspiracy, and I for one found the thriller to be enjoyable. Then in 2009 the story of Robert Langdon continued in Angel & Demons which dealt with a conspiracy in the church. Personally I found the 2009 sequel to be just as good as its predecessor. Now the mystery franchise continues with the third installment in the Robert Langdon series: Inferno. Once again directed by Ron Howard Inferno brings a mystery that surrounds the work of Dante. The previews for the film showcased both the mystery and the action behind this thriller, and it looked to be a decent time at the movies. Yet could Inferno be another exciting adventure for Robert Langdon, or is this film a puzzle better left unsolved.

Inferno finds Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) in a another mystery as the professor is on the run from several parties looking for him. After getting help from a doctor named Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) Langdon discovers a Faraday Pointer that shows Sandro Botticeli’s Map of Hell. Upon his investigation of the map Robert discovers that billionaire Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster) created a plague called Inferno which will wipe out half of Earth’s population in a matter of days. Aided by Sienna, Robert sets out to find clues about the plague’s whereabouts before it is release as well as get it out of the hands of those who would use it for their own purposes.

In the Heart of the Sea Review: Sets Sail with Strong Cast, Themes and Adventure

Many know the name of Moby Dick. There is no doubt that the novel written by Herman Melville has become an iconic piece of literature; as the story has been told time and again in a variety of mediums. Yet out of all various of this tale, none have actually gone into the origin of the story itself. The fact is that the story of Moby Dick is based on a real tale which can now be seen in the film: In the Heart of the Sea. Directed by famed filmmaker Ron Howard, In the Heart of the Sea is based on the Nathan Philbrick novel reflects on the real events that was said to inspire the American Epic. With this film being pushed back for the Holiday season, my curiosity to this movie was quite high. However does this new adventure sail the high sea, or does In the Heart of the Sea sink from over hype.

In Heart of the Sea captured the story of Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) speaking with former sailor Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) about his time with on the Essex. Thomas speaks about his time as a cabin boy (Tom Holland) and when sailed with Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and the rest of the Essex crew in order to go whaling. However things go wrong when the ship is attack by a massive, scarred and pale whale. Once the ship is destroyed, the Essex crew must find a way to return home while surviving the harshness of the sea; and the whale who hellbent on hunting the sailors.