SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY ****
Dir: Ron Howard (12A, 140 mins)
The coolest character in the Star Wars universe is back, despite having been heartbreakingly bumped off in The Force Awakens. Harrison Ford’s Corellian smuggler gets a prequel story all his own in this second standalone Star Wars tale. After Rogue One, the ever-expanding Star Wars universe has gone back to the classic trilogy’s most excellent character, the sarcastic Han Solo. At 76, Ford unfortunately couldn’t provide smirk and sass in leather boots and waistcoat, so Hail Caesar’s Alden Ehrenreich steps into them. Chronicling Han’s first meeting with Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) and his first delve into the smuggler’s life, this should be a fanboy dream. Complications arose when original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie) were replaced by the safe if occasionally bland hands of Ron Howard, their take apparently too anarchic for the liking of Lucasfilm. Empire Strikes Back scribe Lawrence Kasdan has shaped the screenplay, involving a daring heist and a sleek Milennium Falcon, alongside Emilia Clarke as a shady femme fatale and Woody Harrelson as a cocky Obi Wan mentor. Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge adds class and caustic wit as droid L3-37 and Paul Bettany is on villainous gangster duties. If it can capture the spirit of the original Han and Chewie this Solo story should make the Kessel Run easily. Prepare to jump to lightspeed. Punch it Chewie!
Opens May 24