When Lucasfilm announced it would be making a Han Solo origin movie, most Star Wars fans agreed that it was completely unnecessary, and that no one could do the role justice after Harrison Ford made it iconic. Then, Solo: A Star Wars Story suffered from a litany of behind-the-scenes problems. Disney fired the original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, in the middle of shooting.
Lord and Miller were replaced by Ron Howard, who reshot and reshaped the movie until the Mouse House was happy with it. With both satisfying and disappointing moments, Solo became famous as the first box office bomb in Star Wars history.
Most Disappointing: How Han Got His Last Name
No one ever asked where Han Solo got his last name. There were no fan theories about it; it was just a given that it was the character’s name. And then, for some reason, Solo: A Star Wars Story revealed that it was assigned to him by some random Imperial bureaucrat because he didn’t belong to a particular group.
If this was the case, why did Han keep the name and give it to his son? The story of how Han got his last name has become a go-to example of unnecessary backstories crammed into franchise movies.
Most Satisfying: The Great Train Robbery
The Han Solo movie was a perfect opportunity for Lucasfilm to make a western set in the Star Wars universe. Alas, they didn’t, instead settling for a middle-of-the-road sci-fi blockbuster.
But elements of the western genre remained in the final cut. Primarily, the second act features a set piece in which Han takes part in a train robbery.
Most Disappointing: Heroic Han
When we meet Han in Mos Eisley Cantina in the original Star Wars movie, he’s a scoundrel who only cares about money and couldn’t care less about good and evil. Solo is supposed to be an origin story, but it just sends Han on some generic hero’s journey that doesn’t line up with his pre-original trilogy personality.
The young Han we see in Solo is desperate to be a pilot in the Galactic Civil War and already has a conscience and strives to do the right thing. It’s a betrayal of the character.
Most Satisfying: The Kessel Run
After using the first Star Wars “anthology” movie to cover up the plot hole about the Death Star being built with a giant target on top, Lucasfilm used the second one to cover up the plot hole about parsec being a unit of distance by having Han take a detour through the Kessel Run.
While there was a missing component of excitement due to knowing how it would end, the Kessel Run made for a riveting and visually spectacular climactic set piece.
Most Disappointing: How Han Met Chewie
The explanation of how Han met Chewie was pretty disappointing. Chewie was a feral beast chained up in a pit and Han was fed to him and ended up freeing him. It was a pretty random origin for Solo’s iconic Wookiee sidekick and it ignored the resourcefulness he showed in Revenge of the Sith.
Apparently, Lucas originally planned to include a teenage Han in Revenge of the Sith’s Kashyyyk scenes, but eventually decided against it.
Most Satisfying: Young Lando’s Introduction
One thing that fans knew they could count on in Solo was Donald Glover’s performance as Lando Calrissian. Glover is one of the most revered stars working today and he has enough charisma to channel a young Billy Dee Williams.
Unsurprisingly, Glover’s scenes as young Lando in Solo were a lot of fun. He stole the spotlight whenever he was on-screen. After upstaging Han, he deserves his own spin-off.
Most Disappointing: Dryden Vos’ Introduction
Upon reuniting with Qi’ra, Han is taken to meet the movie’s Big Bad, Dryden Vos, who instantly proves himself to just be yet another one-note blockbuster villain with a vaguely defined evil plan.
What’s even more egregious is that, apparently, this character could’ve been a mountain lion hybrid played by The Wire’s Michael K. Williams. He was one of the casualties of the reshoots imposed by Disney when Lord and Miller’s footage veered too close to Guardians of the Galaxy.
Most Satisfying: Han Shoots First
There’s a long-running debate among the Star Wars fanbase about who shot first in Mos Eisley Cantina. Han shot first in the original cut, but George Lucas added in a sneaky shot from Greedo in the special edition.
In the climactic standoff against Tobias Beckett, Han unmistakably shoots first. Once Beckett has betrayed him, Han shoots him dead mid-sentence.
Most Disappointing: Qi’ra’s Betrayal
Emilia Clarke is a terrific actor, as seen in Game of Thrones, but she’s been shortchanged on the big screen with the derivative script of Terminator: Genisys and the generic characterization of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The twist that Qi’ra betrays Han at the end could’ve been seen coming from a mile away. Throughout the whole movie, it’s not really clear who she’s allied with or why. She’s just a generic femme fatale.
Most Satisfying: Darth Maul’s Cameo
While Qi’ra’s betrayal was expected, the identity of her boss certainly wasn’t. The surprise appearance of Darth Maul at the end of Solo was a shock to passive fans who thought he died in The Phantom Menace and a delight for diehard fans of the extracurricular Star Wars media who knew he was still alive.
Maul’s appearance would likely have led to a larger role in the sequel, so it’s a shame that Solo crashed and burned at the box office and such a follow-up will probably never happen.