Star Wars: Why was Solo such a huge disappointment?
Despite early predictions, Solo: A Star Wars Story disappointed critics and fans alike. It begs the question: Why did it flop as hugely as it did?
To say Solo: A Star Wars Story disappointed would be an understatement. Fans and critics alike panned the movie. In addition, the film had a poor opening weekend. If anything, it proved how passionate Star Wars fans are and thus the expectations they have.
Sadly, Solo didn’t meet many of them. That’s what we’re going to talk about and why Solo was such a failure with both critics and fans alike. Obviously, there will be spoilers from Solo: A Star Wars Story if you haven’t watched the film!
When I first heard about the film, I assumed we would get a bit about Han growing up but we didn’t. The show started when Han was probably in his 20’s and it was confusing. We didn’t get much backstory about his life as a child, his time growing up or as a teenager. Overall, it was a confusing place to start the story.
That might not have disappointed many fans, but let’s get into some other moments or plot points that did. Firstly, Solo had a lot of bad press around it with directors leaving, talk about Alden Ehrenreich’s acting and general poor timing. Those few factors didn’t help with fan excitement at all.
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The film essentially took everything we loved about Han Solo and changed it completely. Han Solo is a great character because we don’t know much about him and he’s a huge mystery. Solo changed that idea completely and it’s confusing. One of his best moments in the original films is his exchange with Leia: the now iconic “I love you, I know.” Solo basically ripped that version of Han up and gave us some guy who was doing it all for love.
That’s not the Han Solo we know and love. He did love Leia, but he wouldn’t have chased her around the world. The romance in the film was what made it so disappointing for me. I still don’t understand how it factors into the rest of the franchise either.
Besides the romance, fans also didn’t care for the plot of the film. It’s a valid criticism as the plot was mostly just action with little character development. We were introduced to younger versions of Lando and Han, but we didn’t learn much about them. It was just assumed we knew everything about them.
Overall, Solo was not a horrible film but not good, either. It’s in a weird gray area where certain aspects were perfect while others were not. As predicted, Donald Glover as Lando was amazing and the highlight of the film. Coupled with the nostalgia, it was a fun film.
Next: Boba Fett movie: A passion project or damage control?
I can see why fans loved it and others hated it. It’s purely based on preference and how high your expectations were. Sadly, mine were a little too high but the film was still fun. If anything, it cemented the idea of Lando getting his own film!
Solo: A Stars Wars Story is out in theaters now.