So, spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens are in this article. I can’t imagine there’s anyone left on the planet that doesn’t know what happens in this movie, but this is a pretty big spoiler, so better safe than sorry. This new video is all about everybody’s favorite smuggler, rebel, and war hero Han Solo and his awesome emotional journey through the saga. Be warned, there will be tears.
It’s really cool to see the growth and progress of this character. Asides from Darth Vader, Han Solo has one of the biggest emotional arcs in the entire series. He starts out as a guy who only cares about looking out for himself. He doesn’t believe in the Jedi or the Force or any of that mumbo jumbo, even though he would have been alive at the height of their power, so it doesn’t really make sense why he forgot about them in, like, the 20 year difference between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Eventually, he fights for something bigger than himself and becomes a huge ally to the Force (seeing people use telekinesis will really make a believer out of you). That’s what makes Han being the one to usher Finn and Rey into the movies so cool- because it shows just how far this fan favorite character has come.
And then he dies and a million fanboys cry out in terror. Harrison Ford finally got his wish and they killed off Han Solo, which is heartbreaking, but makes sense. It’s not like his death didn’t mean anything, as it motivates both the protagonists and the antagonist. I think you could make a solid argument that it was Han’s faith that got him killed and his former pragmatism probably would have told him not to walk out onto that bridge with his rage fueled son. It makes you wonder if it was Han’s choice or if this was the Force's plan for him along.
One thing I noticed from this video is that it’s a little jarring to go from young Han to old Han with nothing in-between. A lot of plot in The Force Awakens is predicated on what happened in the time gap from Return of the Jedi, such as the fall of Ben Solo to the dark side and all his daddy issues. Seeing Luke Skywalker build his own Jedi Academy could have made up an entire trilogy by itself and I hope Disney finds a way to tell that story, either through a novel or one of the excellent Marvel Star Wars comic books.
Be sure to keep it here at Cinema Blend for all things Star Wars related. Our next journey into a galaxy far, far away will be Star Wars: Rogue One on December 16th, 2016.
