Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
★★½ — Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo: A Star Wars Story had one of the more turbulent productions in the modern blockbuster era, with original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (the pair behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street) fired roughly midway through filming over creative differences with Lucasfilm, reportedly centred on their improvisational approach clashing with the tighter expectations of producer Kathleen Kennedy. Ron Howard, a safe pair of hands with a long Hollywood career behind him, stepped in to complete and substantially reshoot the picture. Released in May 2018 with a reported budget of $250 million, the film performed well below Disney's expectations at the box office, taking just under $393 million worldwide, a figure that effectively cooled the studio's appetite for further Star Wars anthology spin-offs.
Han Solo impersonator A film as unnecessary as it is uninspired. Solo isn’t bad, it’s just… there. Bland, forgettable, and completely lacking the roguish charm that made Han Solo such an iconic character in the first place. Alden Ehrenreich does his best, but let’s be real, he looks nothing like Harrison Ford and barely captures the essence of the character. It’s like watching a cosplay performance with a blockbuster budget. Meanwhile, Donald Glover as Lando? Perfect. He’s effortlessly smooth, charismatic, and steals every scene he’s in. If this movie had just been Lando: A Star Wars Story, I’d have been far more interested. Then there’s Emilia Clarke, who I swear plays the same slightly smug, vaguely mysterious love interest in every role. Her character, Qi’ra, is meant to be compelling, but she just comes off as dull and unconvincing. Honestly, I didn’t care about her arc at all. The plot is fine, I guess. Some cool action set pieces, some decent world-building, I guess but it never truly excites. It feels more like a box-ticking exercise than a real adventure. And don’t even get me started on the "reveal" of that character at the end. Fan service at its most unnecessary. Not awful, not great. Just painfully meh.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2018 | Watched: 2018-12-04
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from Ron Howard: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) · Inferno (2016) · Angels & Demons (2009) · The Da Vinci Code (2006)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
