Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray Review

The video presentation of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" on Blu-ray offers a commendable, though somewhat uneven experience. Shot entirely with digital cameras, the film delivers an excellent 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode that boasts razor-sharp detailing. From the threads in the costumes to the intricate features of Chewbacca's fur and the detailed carvings on Enfys Nest's mask, every minute detail is rendered with impressive clarity. Razor-sharp clarity is visible particularly during brighter sequences, where every architectural imperfection and fine line within Dryden’s yacht is plainly evident. Notable details include the scuffed and worn clothing textures, precise facial features, and the Millennium Falcon's interior intricacies. However, issues such as occasional blurriness and smudgy edges—especially noticeable around the 50:20 mark in Dryden Vos' office—do persist, albeit these seem attributable to the filmmaker's creative vision rather than flaws in the encoding.

Despite the finely rendered textures and details, the overall color palette is notably less vibrant and more muted than other Star Wars entries. Bradford Young’s stylized photography employs a heavily underplayed contrast, translating to lifeless and drab-looking whites in many interior scenes, paired with muted, dark-gray blacks that fall on the lower end of the grayscale. Bright outdoor scenes provide some reprieve with more vivid imagery but are not enough to mitigate the overall lackluster color presentation. High instances of noise and pale blacks permeate both dark and well-lit scenes alike. The opening sequence on Corellia is particularly stark with a predominantly blue backdrop against washed-out blacks. Colorful exceptions such as Lando’s capes or the pristine white of Dryden’s yacht surface offer moments of visual delight, but on the whole, the transfer is more monochromatic and dreary, aligning closely with the film's gritty aesthetic but falling short of a dazzling reference quality.

Overall, while "Solo: A Star Wars Story" provides substantial detailing and accuracy in high-definition execution, its elevated blacks, underwhelming color range, and stylistic constraints prevent it from achieving an exceptionally vibrant or dynamic video presentation.

"Solo: A Star Wars Story" presents its audience with two distinct audio formats: the Blu-ray offers a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 while the UHD features a Dolby Atmos presentation. The DTS-HD 7.1 soundtrack, although fun and technically ambitious, warrants adjustments to reach an optimal soundscape, often requiring volume increases from -12.5 to -5.0 dB. In practice, the soundtrack demonstrates precise surround usage, particularly in sequences like Lady Proxima's chamber dripping water effects and the high-speed chase loaded with iconic Star Wars sound effects crisscrossing the stage. This precision extends to other set pieces, such as the vibrant battlefield chaos scene with precise laser blasts and agreeable low-end engagement. Music is rendered with clarity, exact stage placement, and dialogue is detailed, firmly rooted in the front-center channel.

However, the audio mix is not without its shortcomings. Consistent with Disney's recent home releases, "Solo" suffers from less-than-robust surround activity and a requirement to increase volume for better appreciation of sound details. While the Kessel Run and Maelstrom scenes deliver immersive highlights with discrete effects panning across channels, many visually thrilling moments and long stretches of silence compromise the overall experience. The mix prioritizes front soundstage activity, adeptly managing off-screen noise transitions and background details, but fails to elevate mid-range frequencies, rendering intense action sequences somewhat flat. Dialogue remains intelligible and sharp throughout, but the low-end presence, albeit adequate, does not significantly stand out except in sporadic moments requiring impactful bass.

In summary, while "Solo: A Star Wars Story" provides technically proficient audio with moments of engaging surround use and clear dialogue, it overall struggles to deliver a consistently satisfying soundfield mainly due to its need for volume adjustment and intermittent loss of surround activity during high-stake sequences. This mix, although clear at times, feels restrained and lacks a uniform dynamic range expected by discerning audiophiles.

The Blu-ray release of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is particularly replete with in-depth and insightful extras that enhance the viewing experience. The supplemental content spans an additional second disc, ensuring fans get a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at this installment in the Star Wars saga. The features range from cast discussions moderated by Ron Howard, expansive breakdowns of key action sequences, and explorations of character development, all rendered in high definition (1080p). The inclusion of deleted scenes offers further context and background to the narrative. This suite of extras provides a robust and engaging view into the filmmaking process, spanning technical aspects and character explorations alike.

Extras included in this disc:

• Solo: The Director & Cast Roundtable: Cast members discuss production and anecdotes.
• Kasdan on Kasdan: Insights from the father-son writing duo on working together.
• Remaking the Millennium Falcon: Discussion on the ship’s new design.
• Escape from Corellia: Detailed look at making the car chase scene.
• The Train Heist: Breakdown of filming the train action sequence.
• Team Chewie: Development of Han Solo and Chewbacca's relationship.
• Becoming a Droid: L3-37: Exploration of the L3-37 character.
• Scoundrels, Droids, Creatures and Cards: Welcome to Fort Ypso: Examination of the Fort Ypso scene.
• Into the Maelstrom: The Kessel Run: Comprehensive view of the Kessel Run sequence.
• Deleted Scenes: A collection of eight scenes not included in the final film.

"Solo: A Star Wars Story," directed by Ron Howard, skillfully navigates through the tumultuous production challenges it faced—including the notable replacement of original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Despite these hurdles, Howard delivers a visually immersive and thrilling interpretation of Han Solo's origin. Set against the backdrop of Corellia's harsh environment and the larger Star Wars universe, the film provides a blend of the new and familiar, skillfully intertwining franchise lore with fresh narratives. Alden Ehrenreich's portrayal of a younger Han Solo captures pivotal character moments, managing to evoke the signature swagger established by Harrison Ford while introducing new facets to this beloved character.

The plot revolves around Han's desperate endeavours to reunite with his childhood sweetheart Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), which propels him into a universe of criminal exploits featuring complex characters such as Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and the sinister Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany). The narrative threads through significant milestones like the classic Kessel Run and his meeting with Chewbacca, while still presenting original story arcs that enrich his backstory without overwhelming it with rote fan service. Howard, with writers Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan, successfully balances homage with innovation, ensuring the film feels both impressively new and nostalgically satisfying.

Despite mixed responses regarding its episodic nature and nostalgic callbacks, "Solo" ultimately stands out for its engaging character development and exhilarating action sequences, heightened by Bradford Young's stunning cinematography. While it does assume a degree of audience familiarity, the film refrains from merely ticking off boxes on a nostalgic checklist. Instead, it endeavors to weave an engaging tale within the expansive Star Wars mythos. Ehrenreich’s performance, combined with strong supporting roles from Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian) and Harrelson, propels "Solo" to offer an insightful look at Han's early life, satisfying both long-time fans and new viewers alike.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is a divisive addition to the Star Wars anthology series, reflecting both its merits and shortcomings. The film, despite its troubled production history and mid-directorial swap, emerges as a competent, if occasionally hollow, space adventure. Directed by Ron Howard and filmed by Bradford Young, the movie's bleak visuals are captured faithfully on Blu-ray, although the video presentation occasionally suffers and lacks the striking clarity found in other high-profile releases.

Audio quality impresses after slight volume adjustments, providing an immersive experience befitting of the franchise. The soundtrack's depth complements the on-screen action, delivering a robust cinematic experience at home. Disney's Blu-ray release is supplemented with a small but engaging set of extras that add value for fans interested in behind-the-scenes content.

There are a few takeaways from Solo: A Star Wars Story. First, it's a rousing, good-time film. Second, it's very well done from top to bottom, and that the film was plagued by production problems and switched out directors midstream isn't at all apparent in the end product. Third, there's got to be a sequel. The film doesn't go the Rogue One route, ending right where one would expect. There's ample room to continue with Han's story before meeting Luke and Obi-Wan in that Tattooine Cantina, and the film's surprise revelation and character twist beg for more exploration in either a direct Solo sequel or another universe film. Maybe Disney is over-saturating the market a bit, or maybe the release date proximity to The Last Jedi (not to mention the sharp divide responses to that movie) dampened enthusiasm, but whatever the reason for Solo's poor performance the product on the screen isn't it. Disney's Blu-ray release of Solo: A Star Wars Story is solid, though a bit unspectacular. Video is sometimes troublesome, never striking, but seemingly fairly faithful to Howard's and Cinematographer Bradford Young's bleak visuals (Young recently shot another dreary film, Arrival). Audio is strong once the volume is adjusted upward and the release is crammed with extra content. Highly recommended.