The first reactions to Solo: A Star Wars Story are in! The much-anticipated Star Wars spin-off hits theaters later this month, and although full reviews won't appear until next week, critics have had plenty of say about the film on Twitter.
The movie has had something of a troubled history. Original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were replaced by veteran filmmaker Ron Howard during production, with shooting stretching on for several months while Howard reportedly reshot much of their footage. As a result, many critics were a bit more cautious about what the end result would be like.
For the most part, the reaction is very positive, if not quite the overwhelming advance praise that December's The Last Jedi received. Several critics commented that the movie is fairly slow to start--Uproxx's Mike Ryan described the first act as "hit and miss clunky," while IndieWire's Kate Erbland said it "takes a bit for it to find its feet."
It does take a bit to get used to Alden as Han, but after 30 minutes or so your brain adjusts. (Also I've now finally seen Clint Howard in a Star Wars movie.) #soloastarwarsstory
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) May 11, 2018
#SoloAStarWarsStory: It takes a bit for it to find its feet and for AE to turn on enough charm to make you forget he’s not HF. But once it kicks into its hey-let’s-make-a-crew and yes-also-do-a-heist stuff, it totally flies.
— Kate Erbland (@katerbland) May 11, 2018
However, once the film gets going, there was lots of praise for its mix of action, comedy, and drama. Gizmodo's Germain Lussier described it as "a non-stop adventure packed with way more emotion than you're expecting." Michelle Buchman of Nerdist agreed, stating that Solo was "a western [and a] caper. Funny with so much heart. It's got so much surprises that fans are going to love."
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a goddamn delight. It’s a non-stop adventure packed with way more emotion than your expecting. You’ll have a smile on your face the whole time and leave eager for more. pic.twitter.com/fOsF7Tr95L
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) May 11, 2018
I loved #SoloAStarWarsStory so much. It’s a western. A caper. Funny with so much heart. It’s got so much surprises that fans are going to love. Donald Glover is charming x1000. Alden Ehrenreich is a great #HanSolo and just know I’ve been saying this for years! Fave new #StarWars.
— Michelle Buchman (@michelledeidre) May 11, 2018
The movie's cast also received many positive reports. Star Alden Ehrenreich has the unenviable task of playing a role forever associated with Harrison Ford, but for the most part, critics agreed that he did a great job. Yahoo's Kevin Polowy descibed Ehrenreich as "super impressive," while Joel Meares from Rotten Tomatoes commented that the actor "has swagger to match, and spare."
#SoloAStarWarsStory is reaaaaalllly good. Fun as hell. It’s a straight intergalactic heist movie, kind of refreshing to see a Star Wars movie w/o a Death Star or the rebellion’s fate at stake. Alden Ehrenreich is super impressive as Han, but L3 might be my favorite new character.
— Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) May 11, 2018
Wow. Just come out of #SoloAStarWarsStory and can confirm it’s kinda a blast. @donaldglover was as perfect as expected, but Alden Ehrenreich has swagger to match, and spare.
— Joel Meares (@joelmeares) May 11, 2018
However, not everyone was a big fan. While no one seemed to really dislike Solo, several critics were clearly a bit underwhelmed, and found the movie's references to other Star Wars films a bit grating. Wendy Lee Szany from TheMovieCouple said that some scenes "were a bit too on the nose for me." CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg agreed, stating that the movie "has the occasional prequel problem answering questions I didn't need answers to, but also some fun references. Overall I liked it, didn't love it"
Solo: A Star Wars Story has a light tone and has some great action sequences. There were great moments but some were a bit too on the nose for me. The Chewie/Han bromance is the thing to watch for.
— Wendy Lee Szany (@WendyLeeSzany) May 11, 2018
Solo: A Star Wars Story is... fine. It's slow to find its footing, but picks up in the second act, and it's definitely fun. Has the occasional prequel problem answering questions I didn't need answers to, but also some fun references. Overall I liked it, didn't love it pic.twitter.com/dV02yRYueA
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) May 11, 2018
Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on May 25. Check back on May 15 for GameSpot's full review.
