Solo: A Star Wars Storyraces through Han’s life story and its resolution ultimately feels cheap and unearned; Han’s origins should’ve been expanded and extrapolated in a Disney+ series likeAndor.Obi-Wan Kenobi, on the other hand, stretches out plotlines and payoffs that would’ve been more effective if they’d been condensed into a three-act feature film instead of being dragged out in a six-part limited series. Skeptical audiences would’ve been more likely to give Alden Ehrenreich a chance as the new Han Solo if it was in a streaming series as opposed to a theatrical movie, whereas Ewan McGregor reprising his fan-favorite portrayal of Obi-Wan would’ve been a guaranteed box office draw in movie form.
With its time-jumping and rapid succession of supporting characters,Soloplays like an outline for a streaming series. Its episodic plot has a few interesting setups, but the feature-length script never stays with any of them long enough to explore their full dramatic potential. This movie skips through every important chapter in Han’s life – his escape from Corellia, his relationship with fellow orphan Qi’ra, his military service as an Imperial infantryman,his burgeoning friendship with Chewbacca, his heists with Tobias Beckett’s mercenary crew, his burgeoning friendship with Lando Calrissian – without stopping to really develop any of these storylines into something substantial. Just imagine whatTony Gilroy and co.could’ve done with a whole season of television about a young Han Solo serving the Empire and being fed Imperial propaganda, or a whole season about Han and Chewie’s friendship blossoming under the employment of Tobias Beckett. Beckett’s betrayal would’ve had a lot more impact if more screen time was dedicated to building his surrogate father-son relationship with Han.
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Lucasfilm has been antsy about makingStar Warsmovies for the big screen sincethe box office failure ofSolo.Solowas the unexpected commercial bomb that proved theStar Warsbrand was fallible. An Obi-Wan movie starring Ewan McGregor wouldn’t have had that problem. IfObi-Wan Kenobiwas made as a movie (per the original plan), then audiences would’ve turned out in droves purely on the promise of seeing McGregor reprise his Jedi role – especially in a pre-COVID moviegoing landscape.
Based on the structure of the limited series it got retooled into, it’s pretty obvious thatObi-Wan Kenobibegan its life as a feature film. The opening episode plays like the first act of a movie, establishing Obi-Wan’s exiled existence on Tatooine before the inciting incident sends him back into the galaxy to find Leia. Andthe finale episodeplays like the third act of a modern blockbuster, cross-cutting between two climactic set-pieces before the two converge with the twist reveal and the emotional catharsis. The four episodes in between play like the second act with a succession of rising tension and character growth. The second acts of movies already tend to be overlong and overcomplicated at the best of times, so stretching that part out to four hours didn’t do the plot any favors.
Condensing theObi-Wan Kenobinarrative into a two-hour movie would’ve fixed a lot of the pacing issues. There were no truly great episodes of the series, but there were some great moments in each of them. The story would’ve worked much better as a movie styled afterAkira Kurosawa’s groundbreaking “ronin” films, utilizing the best ideas from the miniseries while cutting out the filler. What worked about the series – Obi-Wan and Leia learning from each other, Reva secretly plotting against the Empire, the build-up to Obi-Wan’s rematch with Vader – would fit much more neatly into a single feature film than a serialized narrative. Plus,Vivien Lyra Blair’s scene-stealing turn as a 10-year-old Princess Leiaradiated more than enough charm and star power to light up the big screen.
Lucasfilm is currently caught between a rock and a hard place with its newStar Warscontent, determined to make safe bets when all their biggest hits – fromRogue OnetoThe MandaloriantoAndor– have been risky gambles that paid off because of their ambition and their unique reinvention of the myth.Andorhas proven that the small screen is the best place for ground-levelStar Warsstories about original, three-dimensional characters, while Marvel Studios has proven that the big screen is where audiences flock to see heroes they love played by actors they know. IfHan Solo’s origin storyhad been told as anAndor-style streaming series over a couple of seasons streaming on a newly launched Disney+ and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s intergalactic adventure with young Leia had been aSolo-style movie released in theaters at the height of the summer blockbuster season, then theStar Warsfranchise might be in a much healthier state now than the current slog of indefinitely delayed projects.
Of course, it’s never too late. Ehrenreich could appear in a more fleshed-out version of Han’s grounded backstory on Disney+, and McGregor and Blair could reprise their roles in a big-screen follow-up to theObi-Wan Kenobiseries. Cassian Andor was killed off inRogue Onesix years ago, and now,he’s the star of his own showand one of the most compelling antiheroes in a galaxy far, far away.
