How goes it, friend? Now that we are in the midst of the fall semester, everything all right? It is funny. I find that after even a couple of weeks off, I forget the rhythm of the school year and it takes me a little bit to get back into the routine. Maybe that’s just a feline thing. But if you are feeling it as well, grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte and pull out those long sleeve shirts this weekend because there are only a few weeks before you can start registering for the spring semester!
This month, we are going with prequels to classic movie franchises that give you a look into how the heroes and villains came to be who they are. Prequels are tricky things and when you are a making a prequel to something that is already considered a classic, well, you’ve just raised the stakes even higher.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) [PG-13]
All right, I’ll start with the loaded one first. I know there are a lot of zealous Star Wars fans out there. This review isn’t for you. For one, you’ve probably already seen this. And look, I’m just not that versed in Star Wars lore to even try to pretend like I could write a review for you. If, however, you are just a casual fan or even if you don’t really care about the Star Wars “thing,” this one is for you.
I say all of that because, to me, Solo: A Star Wars Story really just seemed like a sci-fi heist film. Oh sure, it is set in the Star Wars universe and is populated with younger versions of some of the beloved Star Wars characters. But honestly, I kind of forgot it was a prequel.
That is no fault of the players either. I thought the performances here were pretty good for a big budget action film. Is Emilia Clark as good as she is in Game of Thrones? No. But she is certainly fine here. There is no way Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo was ever going to be a match for Harrison Ford’s but he was still solid. Donald Glover is great.
Actually, I kind of forgot it was a prequel because I was just enjoying the action. The movie arguably ends a little weak but for the majority of the movie, I was pretty wrapped up in it. Is there a little cheese here and there? Sure. They are making this for families. But the action sequences are fun, well-filmed and inventive.
If you go into this without any preconceived notion of what you “need” to see for this to be a great Star Wars movie, I think you’ll find that it is a pretty good one. Not great but pretty good. And at the very least, if you are going into this with expectations, there is no Jar Jar Binks in this one and that should count for something.
7 paws out of 10
Alien: Covenant (2017) [R]
Next up, we have a sequel to a prequel. And yeah, this is a slightly older one. Yeah, I probably should have seen this and reviewed it last year but a cougar only has so much time and money, folks. I happen to be a big fan of the original Alien series (yes, I even liked the one with Winona Ryder) so when Prometheus came out in 2012, I was really excited. And here’s the thing, I wasn’t disappointed. It wasn’t Alien. It was something else and I really enjoyed it.
So when I saw that the sequel to Prometheus was called Alien: Covenant, I have to tell you, I was a little nervous. Was this going to be an attempt to bridge the Prometheus with Alien? Was this just a cash grab? Honestly, it does seem like a little of both.
I did like the sets and the general atmosphere of Covenant. The effects are good and the sound design is great. The acting … eh, there’s good and bad here but outside of two main characters, it doesn’t really matter. What really hurts Covenant though is the plot. It isn’t bad but there are a few choices (and when you watch it, you’ll know what I am talking about, I assure you) that I can’t understand. There are a couple of twists that are so obviously coming that you have to wonder why they even bothered in the first place.
In the end, Alien: Covenant is a bit of a missed opportunity. It had a chance to be a great sequel but instead, it tries to do too many things at the same time. It could almost be satisfying but instead it comes off as unbalanced. Alien: Covenant is entertaining and effective for what it is. Just don’t try to compare it to the classics that came before it.
6 paws out of 10
As always, if you have a movie you think I should check out or you want to talk further about one of these reviews, drop me a line on Facebook.