Solo (2018)

As of it's opening weekend, Solo has been under-performing at the box office. There are a number of reasons being given for this: fan hatred of the last film spilling over into this one, too many Star Wars films in too short a time, too much competition (Infinity Wars and Deadpool 2), the lead actor not being a clone of Harrison Ford (although Donald Glover may well be one of Billy Dee Williams).

I'm guessing that one of the biggest reasons is the feeling that the film was unnecessary. There wasn't a huge cry for a Han Solo origin film in the first place. Did we actually need to see the first meeting of Han and Chewbacca? Did we need to see the Kessel Run? Did we need to see Han winning the Millennium Falcon from Lando?

The easy answer would be no.

My answer, on the other hand: if it leads to a fun, entertaining movie, then why not?

Solo is certainly entertaining. There are decent action set pieces, some gorgeous scenery, laugh-out-loud moments (I'm still smiling about one particular gag), fun characters, nice call-backs (particularly to The Empire Strikes Back), and it offers a broadening of the Star Wars universe that show a little more of what's happening on the ground.

Alden Ehrenreich performs a decent Han Solo, once you get over the fact that he isn't Harrison Ford. The mannerisms are fairly spot on, given that this is a younger, greener version of the character first encountered in the Mos Eisley cantina. Hopefully it won't be his last big screen outing - there's still scope for a few more Solo adventures before Star Wars in Han's life.

Directing by Ron Howard is solid. There's a clarity to his filming that tells the story well without resorting to a lost of fancy cutting and showy shots. He also manages to create a film with a consistent look, despite the behind-the-scenes mess that the film found itself in. Hopefully he'll get the chance to do another film in the series that's all his.