★★★

Many months ago, news broke of what became Solo's infamously shaky production run, sparking much anticipation (and fear) amongst those awaiting its release. A director swap, endless reshoots, and an acting coach later, Solo finally arrived and it was...decent. While lacking in substance at times and having an action sequence that was about 15 minutes too long, the final product was polished, entertaining, and most importantly, fun. It wasn't anything novel or earth-shattering by any means, but diehard fans of the franchise will likely be satisfied, nonetheless. 

The film is the character origin story of Han Solo (Alden Ehreneich), who is forced to live a life of street crime in order to survive on his planet, and formulates a plan to escape with his lover, Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke). But when Qi'ra doesn't make it out, he plans to one day return to his planet to save her. After three years of flight academy and serving on the battlefield, he runs into a gang posing as soldiers, led by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Having no other options, Han (and his new acquaintance, Chewbacca) join Beckett's crew on a mission in hopes of earning enough to fly his way home. The mission quickly becomes convoluted and riskier than originally planned, soon involving eccentric underground gambler Lando (Donald Glover) and shifty crime lord Dryden (Paul Bettany). 

Luckily, there doesn't appear to be all that much evidence of Solo's production history. I went into the film wary of what I would be witnessing, but all traces of struggle were well-hidden. Ehrenreich's acting was fine, and while I don't think he'll be winning an Oscar anytime soon, I have no significant complaints after unintentionally scrutinizing his performance having known its alleged history - he gave the character its necessary charisma. But he also had the support of many seasoned actors, and it's hard to say if his performance would have held up otherwise. 

Technically speaking, it was beautifully shot, and its lighting and set designs really added to provide the right atmospheres throughout the film. But it definitely could have benefitted from axing some minutes off that 2 hour 15 minute runtime, particularly in the middle portion. The monumental scene of action was far too long and ultimately lost its momentum because of it, dragging for several minutes after the goal of the action itself had been achieved. 

The story itself left something to be desired, as well, and it's safe to say that a pattern is being established of the spinoff Star Wars films lacking the compelling narratives that make the main series so beloved. But for fans, it is still worth seeing, as it nonetheless gives further shape to the cinematic universe and gives more depth to one of the series' most formative characters. It leaves the possibility for potential sequels, but they are definitely not necessary: it had an open ending, but not necessarily loose ends. And most importantly, the franchise will probably be better off without it.