It seemed impossible thatSolo: A Star Wars Storywould hit its May release date back when directorsPhil LordandChris Millerwere fired during production last summer, but Lucasfilm pulled it off.Ron Howardquickly stepped in and retains sole directing credit on the finished product, and now fans can see the second-everStar Warsanthology movie for themselves.
The film originated years ago with an idea byLawrence Kasdan, the screenwriter behindEmpire Strikes Back. He had always wanted to tell a Han Solo origin story andGeorge Lucasagreed the film was worth making, and while Kasdan began working on the script with his sonJonathan Kasdana few years back, he had to hit pause for a bit whenJ.J. Abramsbrought him in to help co-writeThe Force Awakens.
But despite the stops and starts,Solonow exists, withAlden Ehrenreichin the lead role of a film that is very intent on serving fans left and right. This is a movie packed with references to the original trilogy (and beyond), nods toStar Warslore, and Easter Eggs only the most knowledgeable ofStar Warsfans will pick up on. I have a feeling that those who were dismayed byRian Johnson’s aggressive push away from the past withThe Last Jediwill be far more comforted and satisfied by the familiar and somewhat safe take thatSolooffers.
Solois quite a bit of fun and an enjoyable ride, with standout performances fromPhoebe Waller-Bridgeas L3 andEmilia Clarkeas Q’ira, but this is the first film of this new Lucasfilm era where you can feel the shagginess behind the scenes. Some of the story doesn’t make a ton of sense, and some scenes are a bit incongruous with others, but ultimately this is a movie concerned mainly with giving audiences a good time, and it delivers on that front. And shoutout to MVPBradford Young, who offers up maybe the most visually strikingStar Warsmovie ever made.
But enough of my rambling.Matt Goldberg’s review is on the site, but we want to hear from you. What did you think ofSolo? Given all the behind-the-scenes turmoil, did it turn out OK? Did you still find yourself wishing you’d have seen Lord and Miller’s version? Does Ehrenreich get the job done as the new Han Solo? Sound off in the comments below.
For more onSolo: A Star Wars Story, peruse our recent coverage in the links below:
