Solo: A Star Wars Story received no favors from Disney and Lucasfilm when it came to marketing the film prior to its release, and they’re still receiving no favors from them after its release.
In a stunning oversight, the score from Solo has been disqualified from Oscars consideration, according to Variety, because it was entered too late. The deadline was November 15.
To make it even clearer just how significant of a screw-up this is, Solo released on May 25. That’s nearly six months before the deadline. That’s plenty of time, and films that haven’t even released yet (like Mary Poppins Returns) seemingly had no problem meeting the guidelines. Sure, we could squabble over whether there should be exceptions made regarding this deadline, but let’s make it clear: there’s no conceivable reason why Lucasfilm couldn’t get this in on time, other than that it was a massive, massive oversight.
It’s a huge bummer, too. While Solo probably wouldn’t have won too many Oscars due to some other music-heavy films (like A Star Is Born and Mary Poppins Returns, for instance), it should have at least been submitted for consideration and surely would have received at least some nominations. Just last week, “Mine Mission” from the soundtrack was nominated for the Grammy for “Best Instrumental Composition.”
The Solo score, written by John Powell with themes by John Williams, is absolutley terrific. It’s a beautiful blend of new and old themes that fits the movie incredibly well, is wonderful to listen to, and is a worthy addition to a Star Wars franchise known for, among other things, its music. Williams composed a new theme for Han Solo and then we of course hear some of his familiar themes pop up – most notably in “Reminiscence Therapy,” which just might be my personal favorite from the soundtrack due to that blending of old and new themes into a thrilling piece. But it is Powell who really gets the chance to shine in this score, honoring Williams perfectly with reverence for those themes while branching out to new themes that are just as impressive.
It’s a wonderful soundtrack, but unfortunately, due to an inconceivable error, it won’t even receive consideration for the Oscars. And that’s a shame.
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