Movie · 2018 · Science Fiction, Adventure, Action · 2h 15m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.9/10 (1.2M ratings)
Never tell him the odds.
Overview
Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.9/10
IMDb: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 2.89/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Metacritic: 62
TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
Ron Howard
Production
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Cast
Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Erin Kellyman, Linda Hunt, Ian Kenny, John Tui, Anna Francolini, Andrew Woodall, Warwick Davis, Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, Eben Figueiredo, Aaron Heffernan, Hal Fowler
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, lightweight space-western heist adventure that works best when it leans into banter, set pieces, and character chemistry. It’s uneven and often feels unnecessary, but the action, Lando, Chewbacca, and a few pulpy thrills make it an easy watch for the right audience.
Best for
Star Wars fans curious about Han and Chewie’s early days
Viewers who like breezy heist movies with sci-fi trappings
Fans of buddy-adventure chemistry and roguish antiheroes
People who want an undemanding blockbuster with familiar franchise comfort
Skip if
You want a fresh story rather than origin-story filler
You’re sensitive to murky visuals or inconsistent tonal polish
You prefer the mythic sweep of the best Star Wars entries
You dislike movies that explain too much of a character’s backstory
Overview
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a movie built on the appeal of watching familiar icons become familiar icons. That gives it a certain easy charm, especially in the banter between Han, Chewie, and Lando, and in the way it treats the criminal underworld as a playground for capers, double-crosses, and narrow escapes.
Worth noting
The problem is that the film often feels like it is dutifully assembling a legend rather than discovering one. The plot moves from one set piece to the next with professional efficiency, but the emotional stakes are thin, and the movie’s visual murkiness blunts some of its momentum.
Bottom line
Still, there’s enough swashbuckling energy here to make it pleasant in the moment. If you want a mid-tier Star Wars adventure that plays like a space heist with a few standout performances, it delivers that without much surprise.
Top Letterboxd reviews
#1 gizmo fan (2.5★) · 2052 likes
Who is responsible for lighting this movie. Please give them my number, I would like to have a word with them. There is NO WAY that the cinematographer of FUCKING ARRIVAL did this. I literally COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON IN THE FIRST HOUR. What the fuck happened. Who is responsible. Other than that I have no strong emotions towards this movie. Goodnight!
Matt Singer (2★) · 1787 likes
Alden Ehrenreich is terrific young actor, I wish him nothing but success in the future, and if he’s Han Solo, I’m Captain Kirk.
A lot of people make fun of the scene where an Imperial recruiter dubs him Han Solo because he’s alone, but I literally never had a last name until I went to karaoke for the first time.
davidehrlich (1.5★) · 1776 likes
the connect-the-dots storytelling of these interstitial standalone movies has quickly gone from "tired" to "excruciating."
but thank the sweet lord jesus for Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
give the people L3-37: A STAR WARS STORY! it's the humane thing to do.
the train is good.Lando is good (and *totally* pansexual)that one cameo is… i don't even know. maybe good?nothing else is good.the muddy filter Bradford Young throws over everything is inexplicable.
sree (2★) · 1678 likes
me, on my deathbed: han and lando call each other baby
Patrick Willems (3★) · 1652 likes
This movie has no need to exist but since it does I'm glad it's mostly fun
2005 · Science Fiction, Action, Adventure · 1h 59m · PG-13 · Curator 6.2/10 (409.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A spacefaring outlaw story with crew dynamics, underworld dealings, and a more lived-in sense of camaraderie.