Solo A Star Wars Story Movie Reviews: Han Solo Spin-Off is Fast-Paced, Fan-Pleasing and Well-Directed, Reveal Early Reviews

Thank God, it is not a mess! The latest Star Wars movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story, has been a movie mired in controversies and production issues. The Disney studios hired and later fired the original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller as they were not happy with the director duo's scheme of things. Rush director Ron Howard was assigned to take over the reins and it was rumoured that he had to reshoot the nearly complete movie to align with the studio's vision. It was also reported that the lead actor, Alden Ehrenreich, was given an acting coach to improve his performance.

So it would have been a miracle if the movie even turned out to be half-decent. Thankfully going by the early reviews, the Han Solo spin-off is more than decent; it is touted as a fan-pleasing, engaging movie that will not let down a Star Wars fans. Even though the movie is not bereft of issues, mainly a long, unassuming first act, some characters not fully utilised, there are many positives to be taken going by the reviews. Particular praise has been going for the chase sequences, special effects, and the performances of Ehrenreich, Donald Glover and Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge. Below are some of the reviews -

The Hollywood Reporter says, "Obviously, the person with the most to prove here is Ehrenreich, who previously managed to steal a few scenes of his own as aw-shucks cowboy actor Hobie Doyle in the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, and he captures enough of Ford’s genial swagger to earn Solo bragging rights — even if the performance could have withstood a few smirks and winks. But while Ehrenreich's Solo proves adept at maneuvering the Millennium Falcon out of some tight spots, the picture itself follows a safely predictable course. Missing here are the sort of plot-related or visual curveballs thrown by Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi or Gareth Edwards with Rogue One."

Variety says, "The most important thing to note about “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is that, in spite of its widely-publicized behind-the-scenes turmoil, culminating with the replacement of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller with Ron Howard several months into shooting, the film is not the disaster its production history might suggest. In fact, it’s not even close. Though burdened with a slow start and enough thirsty fan-service to power Comic-Con’s Hall H for a decade, it has a kicky, kinetic heist movie at its heart, and its action sequences are machine-tooled spectacles of the first order. Its performances, starting with Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo and extending to the film-stealing Donald Glover as his wily frenemy Lando Calrissian, are consistently entertaining."

IGN says, "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."

Solo: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to release in India on May 25. So are you excited about the new Star Wars movie? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 16, 2018 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).