More on “Solo” — Easter Eggs, Clues, and More

Don’t listen to people who say that “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is a disappointment on the screen or at the box office. It may not have set a record in ticket sales, and some critics may have complained that it wasn’t “A New Hope,” but I thought it was terrific. Whether you’ve seen it already or are planning to go, these will help you appreciate it even more.

Gifted cinematographer Bradford Young (“Arrival,” “Selma”) talks to his hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune:

I am always seeing that Chicago of my grandmother’s house, where I spent a lot of my high school years. It’s in all of my movies, in the way I light faces, in the way I photograph. It’s alive to me, always a reference. Her place was heavy on the senses, so sparsely lit, so textural. I guess I saw a vision there, a deep black aesthetic, in the way things were placed, a response to how space was used that felt specific to our DNA. It’s Great Migration-influenced, really. You don’t have a lot, so what you have you display. Plastic on the couch — black people were not the only people who did this, but for us it transcended the practical. We liked it. My grandmother had one of those Venice scenes on her wall, the kind with a light inside that twinkled. It was fine art to her — aspirational.

NOTE: Some audience members have complained that the movie looks too dark. That is because some theaters are not setting their projection correctly. If it does not look right to you, check with the theater manager. Believe me, this is one movie where you want to see everything.

A breakout star of “Solo” is never seen. You just hear the voice of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a very outspoken droid, L3-37. Waller-Bridge had her breakthrough as the creator and star of the hilarious and horrifying “Fleabag,” a series about a wildly dysfunctional young woman. She is also the writer/producer of the acclaimed crime drama, “Killing Eve.” L3-37 is a wise-cracking Sojourner Truth of droids, urging (and implementing) freedom in a manner that would be more inspiring if we all had not seen “Terminator.” Waller-Bridge is a treasure, though, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Slate has A Casual Viewer’s Guide to the Most Obscure References in Solo, including the explanation for the appearance of Darth Maul.

And of course there are Easter eggs (hidden jokes, references, and clues). Slashfilm has a good list. I love the way a tiny detail from the first film (Episode IV) has become significant over time. And admit I am not enough of an expert to get the Aurra Sing reference without a little help. Thanks, as always, to the fanboys and nerds who deepen our appreciation for these stories.