“When have I ever steered you wrong?”

From Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Growing up on a poor planet, enslaved to a crime boss, teenagers Han (Alden Ehrenreich) and Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) are desperate to escape, so when the opportunity presents itself, the young lovers leap at the opportunity for freedom.  Unfortunately, Qi’ra is captured and Han’s only option is to join the Imperial Army in hopes of becoming a pilot to one day return for her.  After being kicked out of flight academy, Han finds himself in the infantry and in one terribly bloody battle that connects him with a group of smugglers (Thandie Newton & Jon Favreau) led by Beckett (Woody Harrelson) who toss Han into a pit with an imprisoned Wookie named Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo).  Fast-talking/quick-thinking Han is able to use his limited knowledge of the Wookie language to help Chewy escape.  The pair then trade their knowledge and skills for a chance to join the smugglers, and leave the Imperial Army behind.  When their mission to steal a shipment of coaxium super fuel fails, Han, Chewy, and Beckett meet with the crime lord Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) to beg for a second chance to get the fuel.  Han is thrilled to see the Qi’ra is alive, well, and working for Dryden.  Vos offers them one chance to deliver the fuel and sends Qi’ra along to make sure everything goes according to plan.  However, the plan is desperately lacking a fast ship, so Qi’ra and Han head off to see a hustler named Lando (Donald Glover) about his navigation droid (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and ship: the Millennium Falcon.  What follows is an adventure where almost nothing goes right; as the mission takes him on a journey he never could’ve imagined, Han must decide what kind of man he wants to be in life.

Wedged somewhere in-between Episodes III and IV, this movie manages to act as both an origin and continuation story for the title character.  While not what many pictured as the right casting choice, Ehrenreich is able to show the essence that Harrison Ford brought to the character originally; Glover shines in his role and helps connect the known characters to the new ones.  The humor, fights, and plot twists are filled with the foundations that make Han such an endearing character.  While possibly not the best movie in the series, Solo is a fun ride that weaves together all kinds of characters and storylines that can do nothing but make the Star Wars saga better as a whole.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 135 minutes |Genre: action/sci-fi/fantasy |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 2 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 3 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|