In the brand new trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story, Alden Ehrenreich says triumphantly, “I’ve got a good feeling about this!” This quip is meta twice. Everyone says “I have a bad feeling about this” at some point in a Star Wars movie, meaning it’s possible we’ve already seen Solo’s spin on that line. But, some people have had a bad feeling about Solo as a movie for a while, a feeling that probably turned good with the new trailer. The new trailer is so good in fact, it makes you wonder why this wasn’t cut to be the first trailer a few months ago.
The new Solo trailer is nearly pretty perfect. Here are the four stand-out reasons why the new trailer kicks ass, and why this might end up being the perfect Star Wars movie to help the fanbase lighten up again.
Lando, Han and L3-37.
Lando and His Droid
One of the mysteries about Solo, may end up being one of the best aspects. Lando’s droid co-pilot L3-37 is hilarious in this trailer. From her deadpan “who are these guys” dismissal of Han and Chewie, to this great bit where she whacks herself on her own head, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is killing it here. Obviously, this trailer gives us way more of Donald Glover as Lando, too, and he’s charming as ever. Best line: “Everything you’ve heard about me is true.” Does this mean Lando is still trying to convince people he doesn’t use blasters?
Chewbacca
We’re already wondering if the new trailer is somehow retconning Chewie’s wife Malla from the Star Wars Holiday Special, but literary everything about Chewbacca in the new footage is rad. Whereas Chewie in The Last Jedi felt passive and sidelined, this Chewbacca feels present, active and heartfelt. Every scene in the trailer with Chewie feels like legit Star Wars.
Han Solo is all in.
Everything About Han’s Attitude
Fans and pundits have been worrying for months as to weather or not Alden Ehrenreich can convince audiences that he is in fact the young version of Harrison Ford. In the new trailer, that debate feels instantly naive. From his cocky nod to Lando at the gambling table, to his “what do you know?” retort to Chewie, this guy is Han Solo. No question. Let’s just all forget all that hand-wringing and moaning from the last year and a half, cool?
The Millennium Falcon looks great in the new 'Solo' trailer.
The Tone Finally Feels Right
There are a lot of shots in the new Solo trailer that seem to perfectly capture the feeling of what this movie will be like, but the brief flybys from the Millennium Falcon might encapsulate what’s really working for this new footage. When Lando fires up the engines and Han says “push it!” you get chills. Are these chills exclusively connected to nostalgia for knowing about Han, Lando, Chewie and the Falcon before seeing this trailer? Maybe. But, after the brooding and dark tones of The Last Jedi, this movie seems poised to be the opposite. Regardless of your opinion of The Last Jedi, the movie is undeniably dark, a fact made even truer because of so much IRL bickering that resulted from it. Weirdly, Solo could be immune to this kind of controversy. All this movie really has to do is be a two hour version of this trailer, and every one will be happy, right?
-Solo is out everywhere on May 25.
