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.

War for the Planet of the Apes Review: Latest 'Apes' Film is A Rough But Fitting Conclusion

In recent years there have been several film franchises to return to the big screen and among them is none other than the Planet of the Apes. The sci-fi series made its come back to the world of film with the reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes; and while I was not a fan of the film, the movie did bring success back to the franchise. The 2011 film managed to get a sequel in the form of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes which not only succeeded its predecessor but is among one of the best films in the series. Now the franchise returns to the big screen with War for the Planet of the Apes. Directed by Matt Reeves (the director of Dawn) War brings the new series to ahead as the new film will likely bring the franchise to a close (at least for the time being). Despite having to live up to its 2014 predecessor the latest installment has managed to garner positive feedback prior to its release-though that is not a guarantee that the film will exceed expectations (especially for this Adventurer). So with much riding on this summer blockbuster does War for the Planet of the Apes go out strong or does the latest installment get wiped out by high expectations?

War for the Planet of the Apes continues the story of Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his fellow apes. After the events of the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Caesar finds himself in a constant struggle with the humans as the war rages on between the two species. As Caesar seeks to lead his apes to new home the group is attacked by a man named known as the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) and his soldiers. Seeking revenge, Caesar travels with a small group of apes to find the Colonel, but what the group finds is the Colonel's deranged plan and a revelation that shakes the foundation of the planet.