‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Review Roundup

Less than six months after the last entry in the Star Wars saga, Lucasfilm has hit once more with A Star Wars Story chronicling the early days of the galaxy’s scruffiest nerf-herder.

Reviews are starting to trickle out for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and while the reaction seems to skew toward the side of positive, many critics have had varying responses to the latest spinoff movie.

Even die-hard Star Wars fans seemed skeptical at the prospect of an “origin story” for Han Solo, and the production itself underwent some major setbacks before director Ron Howard came on to course correct. The film met its release date, though there are questions of concessions made to reach that deadline.

But Solo: A Star Wars Story seems to have impressed people enough to be a proper blockbuster in the summer season, if not another great entry in the Star Wars saga. Of course, everyone has their own opinions over what works and what doesn’t, but the early reactions indicate the film will be well received.

Read on for some a snapshot of the critics’ reviews across the internet, and see what everyone else is saying about Solo: A Star Wars Story.

JK Schmidt – ComicBook.com

Solo Sets the Standard for Star Wars Spinoffs

Aside from some pacing issues that plague the beginning and ending, the movie’s backed by forward momentum, as Han attempts to look backward but can’t help but be propelled into the future, toward a life of crime. As an insular plot not dependent on prequels or sequels, Solo: A Star Wars Story stands by itself as a strong entry in the franchise. But it’s because the film relishes in its setting that allows it to thrive as one of Lucasfilm’s strongest forays yet in a post-Disney world.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Brian Truitt – USA Today

Solo gambles (and wins) by not being just another Star Wars movie

The film’s narrative focuses on showcasing tall tales in Star Wars lore — for example, how Han won the Millennium Falcon off Lando and that time Han made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs — rather than taking any big risks. Howard, who took over the movie from fired filmmakers Chris Miller and Phil Lord mid-production, is most successful in creating a bunch of great character relationships that fuel Solo’s best scenes. … While Solo is a Star Wars movie that gambles on not really being a “Star Wars movie,” it’s a winning chapter that only sparingly (though intriguingly) shows its hand in connecting to the bigger universe.

No Rating

Ash Crossan – Entertainment Tonight

Prepare for an Unexpectedly Bold Adventure

Much like Han Solo himself, the film isn’t without flaws, but none stem from actor Alden Ehrenreich’s portrayal of the iconic outlaw. Any apprehensions should quickly melt away, as the 28-year-old captures Han Solo’s roguish charm without impersonating Harrison Ford. As you might expect, Glover’s take on the suave Lando Calrissian (and his many capes) is the scene-stealer throughout. In fact, some of the biggest laughs of any Star Wars film to date come courtesy of Lando and his sassy droid and co-pilot, L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). Let’s just say she is…not shy.

No Rating

Peter Travers – Rolling Stone

Origin Story of ‘Star Wars’ No. 1 Rogue Plays It Way Too Safe

This is a Han Solo who wants to be loved even of he doesn’t want to be liked, and when he puts his arm around the immortal Chewie it’s tough not to go “aww.” But only a glimmer of the hardassed charmer that Harrison Ford immortalized finds its way into this episode. Howard and the Kasdans play the series game without ever raising the stakes, defaulting to dull and dutiful when they might have blasted off into creative anarchy. Even the new score by John Powell (Jason Bourne) only soars when it samples the original John Williams theme. And somehow Han Solo – the roguish Star Wars hellion famous for breaking all the rules – finds himself in a feel-good movie that doesn’t break any.

Rating: 2.5 out of 4

Jim Vejvoda – IGN

“Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh…everything’s perfectly all right now.”

Solo: A Star Wars Story commits to being a charming and fun exercise in repackaging nostalgia and pre-owned protagonists. It’s just too bad its script never fully committed to seeing through Han’s arc — and those characters who are supposed to have shaped him into being the iconic version we all know and love — to its preordained end.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Chris Taylor – Mashable

Solo is something new in Star Wars. Old-school fans will love it.

That said, Solo manages to stretch the possibilities of Star Wars in interesting new directions, just as The Last Jedi did last December. But unlike that movie, which was forced to make difficult choices in resolving its predecessor’s cliffhangers, Solo has plenty of room to maneuver — and should surprise and delight even the old-school fans who enter the theater heavy with expectations.

No Rating

Chris Nashawaty – Entertainment Weekly

Han Solo gets a good (but not great) origin tale.

What you’re really left with, apart from a yearning for the young Ford at his most cavalier, is a slightly fuller and more rounded understanding of who Han Solo is – where he came from, what makes him tick, and how he’d much prefer to shower alone than with a Wookiee. In other words, it’s pure fan service. And if that’s what you’re after, then you’ll be more than satisfied. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for the sort of jaw-dropping visual grandeur and epic poetry of The Last Jedi (not to mention the original trilogy), then you’ll probably be a little nonplussed. Solo feels like a placeholder, a wafer-thin palate cleanser before the next big course. It’s the very definition of “solid” and “competent.” Nothing more, nothing less. Trust me.

Rating: B

Mike Ryan – Uproxx

Solo: A Star Wars Story Is A Great Heist Movie And An Underwhelming Origin Story

There’s an argument to be made about whether this movie even needs to exist (the box office projections would lead pretty much everyone at Lucasfilm to say, “Yes, it does”) but since it does exist, Ehrenreich does a nice job taking over a character who is impossible to recreate. And I do hope he gets another shot at Han because I can’t help but suspect that a lot of the behind the scenes turmoil isn’t really great for a young actor who is trying to portray “indifferent swagger.” But after the box office money rolls in, I also suspect in the next movie, Ehrenreich will be in a position to say things like, “Hey, this is stupid, why don’t we just shoot the guy?”

No Rating

Dan Jolin – Empire

It’s fair to say that Solo flies into port rather less burdened by expectation than recent Star Wars movies.

A bright and breezy sideshow adventure makes up for its overly frantic pacing with a charismatic central turn from Alden Ehrenreich — strong enough to make us want to see even more of him in Solo mode.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Nick Schager – The Daily Beast

Solo: A Star Wars Story Sacrifices Han Solo’s Swagger for a Bland Origin Story

The studio’s newest offering will surely rankle far fewer feathers than did last December’s more daringly heretical The Last Jedi; on the contrary, it’s a veritable olive branch to die-hards after Ford’s Han was murdered by his son Kylo (Adam Driver) in The Force Awakens. Yet trying to grow by intensely focusing on the microscopic seems, at this stage, to be a misguided tack – one that results in effective installments such as Solo, but conjures little of the magic that originally made, and is needed to keep, Star Wars a genuine phenomenon.

No Rating