Five Reasons Why We Can't Wait to See: Solo: A Star Wars Story

YES, IT’S STAR WARS First things first, it’s a Star Wars movie, and on the cinematic calender, do two words stick out quite like they do? The biggest franchise in cinematic history, we’re not actually treated to movies that spawned from the mind of George Lucas too often, and while we’ve had an influx of late, we still need to appreciate them while we can. The quality of the recent endeavours is encouraging too, particularly Rogue One – proving just how impactful a spin-off movie can be. Not only for entertainment purposes, but narratively too, for that excellent production was a joy to indulge in and it enhanced the overall story too, the one we thought we knew so well. We’re expecting similar things here, and we journey, yet again, to a Galaxy far, far away.

HAN’S BACK Now this could be considered a spoiler, but if it is, then honestly dude, where have you been these past two years? But, yes, Han Solo is no longer with us. One of the finest cinematic creations of all time, brought to life with such an effortless swagger by Harrison Ford, was killed off in The Force Awakens. But thankfully, and god bless cinema, it doesn’t necessarily spell the end for viewers, for we’re now bringing him back to life in the form of flashbacks, a tale set in a different; and era where he was still alive. Call it sad, but we’re clinging on. He may have died “officially” but we’re not ready to let, not yet.

DONALD GLOVER AKA CHILDISH GAMBINO And aka the coolest man in the Galaxy. Lando Calrissian is, and always has been, a cool customer. Billy Dee Williams did a fine job portraying the man who was once the owner of the Millennium Falcom (before losing it to Han Solo after losing a bet). So it was only fitting that the man bestowed with the honour of taking this role on, has gone to the ineffably cool Donald Glover. I mean, have you seen the official character posters? He looks like he’s about to drop some funky disco in the Falcon, and that’s a party we can only wish we were invited to.

CREATIVE DIFFERENCES Now these two words are generally not considered to be a positive, but hear us out – we think in this case, it’s a promising sign. Now firstly, we love the work of Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, who have brought such a playful, affectionate edge to The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, proving themselves to be two of the best comedic filmmakers out there. But Star Wars – while always needed an injection of light relief and adventure, doesn’t feel like it should be that way inclined. So while we remain big fans of the duo, in this instance, the fact they had to leave the project due to ‘creative differences’ given their longing to have the actors improvise, and be more humorous in their approach, we’re pleased that the Studio rejected this, and instead entrusted the brand in the reliable hands of Ron Howard. It’s better this way.

SUPPORTING CAST As with any blockbuster, you need good actors to play the smallest of roles, bringing a touch of class and quality to proceedings, in every single scene. In Solo: A Star Wars Story, that much is a given, as the cast is simply exceptional. From excellent, established performers such as Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, Warwick Davies, Jon Favreau and Woody Harrelson, we also have exciting (relative) newcomers in the form of the dragon queen herself, Emilia Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Lily Newmark. Oh and Donald Glover, but we’ve mentioned him already…