SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (Malaysia, 24 May 2018)

Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure 

Running Length: 2:15

Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Director: Ron Howard 

Screenplay: Jonathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan, based on characters created by George Lucas

What's this movie about?

A prequel to the original trilogy, SOLO chronicles the adventures of young Han Solo; how he met Chewbacca, got his hands on the Millennium Falcon and his involvement in a heist. 

Highlights!

• Han and Chewie moments. When they are together on screen, it just lights up. The bromance is strong with these two.
• The action scenes. Most of the action scenes are well choreographed. There is one standout scene involving stealing an important cargo from a moving "train". 
• Performances. Everything you heard about Donald Glover's performance as Lando Calrissian...is true; he is so on point. Harrelson and Bettany's performances are commendable too. They definitely have screen presence.   
• Gambling scenes. Han and Lando's poker scenes are so much fun to watch.
• L3-37 droid. The droids from the standalone films are definitely more memorable than the Star Wars family saga. L3 is such a memorable character its performance is much more believable than most of the human actors in this movie. 

Lowlights

• Bad pacing. Some critics said the movie flowed really well eventhough there were different directors involved in the production (original directors duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller left due to "creative differences"). But to me, I just felt that the overall movie pacing was off. As a result, it just couldn't generate sufficient energy to lift off. 
• No sense of danger, whatsoever. Eventhough we are familiar with the events of the original trilogy, prequel Rogue One still got me at the edge of my seat. Can't say the same for Solo as we know our protagonist and his furry sidekick would not die or get their faces smashed in from an oncoming mountain rock. 
• Poor casting. Throughout the movie I just wasn't convinced that Alden Ehrenreich was playing the same Han Solo character as Harrison Ford did. Although I have not watched a single episode of GOT (*gasp*), I am convinced Emilia Clarke really cannot act. She was terrible in Terminator Genisys and she is terrible-r here. 

In summary

A fun, breezy and light adventure. Predictably, it checks all the boxes of an origins story but doesn't add any depth to the Han Solo we know. 

RATING: 7.5/10

INFERNO (2016)

Genre: Thriller/Adventure

Running Length: 2:01

Cast: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, Ben Foster, Ana Ularu

Director: Ron Howard

Screenplay: David Koepp, adapted from the novel by Dan Brown

INFERNO; how could so many well meaning and experienced talent (David Koepp who wrote Jurassic Park, The Hans Zimmer, The Ron Howard and The Tom Hanks) produced such a convoluted movie? Probably the source of the material is to be blamed. It seems to ring true that Dan Brown's novels offers his readers excitement and always something to learn but it just doesn't hold up well under scrutiny.  

So when it's adapted to the big screen, the plot holes and logic (or the lack of it) are amplified. And to be honest, right from the very first movie, the casting of Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon (the hero in Brown's books) was a big mistake. Hanks doesn't come across as charming or learned but instead, he comes off as your regular nice guy in a suit with a perpetual frown. Even after three movies, Hanks hasn't grown into Langdon's shoes.

As for Inferno's plot, a billionaire mad scientist with a cult following is trying to save the world from overpopulation by culling off 50% of its population. He believes by doing so, beauty will rise from the ashes just like how the Black Plague sparked the Renaissance. And so, he created an apocalyptic airborne virus that will wipe out a good portion of the population in no time. 

What's puzzling is instead of releasing it himself, he has left clues for his followers to find it and set it off. Yepp...And that's where our code breaker expert + history buff uncle comes in. Langdon's mission is to go on a scavenger hunt to locate the virus before our mad man's followers reach it first. His first clue is Botticelli's famed Map Of Hell painting, inspired by Dante's epic poem Inferno. And off he goes with Felicity Jones' character into a race against time + sight-seeing trip of sorts (Florence, Venice, Istanbul) by following the breadcrumbs.

To be fair, it has its fun moments and it has Irrfan Khan, who steals the show whenever he's on screen. I would suggest for you to read the book instead. At least, the book's resolution did not have a Hollywood ending like what they did to this movie. Or just re-watch Indiana Jones or even Nicholas Cage's National Treasure.  

Rating: 5.5/10

RUSH (2013)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:03
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
Director: Ron Howard

Ron Howard'a RUSH is a very different kind of sports movie. The ones I have been exposed to are usually about the underdog going against all odds to beat the giants and wins the championship in the end. The "good guy" and "bad guy" are clearly defined. I love those movies so I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed this movie - a true story which presents a balanced view of the rivalry between two race car drivers in Formula One racing, an inherently non-cinematic sport. The movie's strength lies in the character study of the two drivers (James Hunt vs Niki Lauda), the forces that motivate them and the mutual love/hate for each other. Oh, it's not all serious drama as it balances out with plenty of tension in the racing sequences especially the rainy finale in Japan (probably fuelled by Hans Zimmer's booming score). Ron Howard's filming approach is very different from his previous movies; it's actually "refreshing" although the film is set in the 1970s. The details given to that period is impeccable especially the recreation of the 1976 Formula One season. It also educates the viewers of the dangers of F1 racing circa 70s/early 80s. There are many personal leadership lessons one can learn from the two characters but the biggest lesson I walked away from this film - although we know that the majority of the time the race of life is against ourselves, sometimes we need a challenger to push one another to the glorious finishing line.

Rating: 8.5/10