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Solo: A Star Wars Story delivers on what was promised: an entertaining enough origin story for Han Solo that explains how he became the smuggler introduced in A New Hope. Certainly, Solo will be an exciting romp for fans of Han, Chewie and Lando, but offers little reason to care about the goings on of the movie beyond seeing these three come full circle to the original trilogy.
As for the cast of Solo, it may take longtime Star Wars fans some time to get used to seeing Alden Ehrenreich in the role of Han, but he undoubtedly brings the right charm and depth to the character. Ehrenreich doesn’t try to do an impression of Ford’s Han, instead putting his own spin on the younger version of the smuggler – but one that honors the original trilogy character. Woody Harrelson also excels as Beckett, playing off Ehrenreich’s Han well for a complex mentor-mentee dynamic. Further, Donald Glover is a standout as Lando Calrissian, and fans will be calling for more of his character in additional Star Wars anthology films. His droid, L3, as voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is sure to be another favorite, though her character is often played for laughs in ways that may not sit well with all viewers. All in all, the ensemble cast of Solo is strong but it’s truly Ehrenreich’s show, and he gives a solid lead performance.
Beware the ton of bad reviews including how they held their cards at the poker table. This is really a good movie although I wish it ran 15 minutes less.