‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Reactions Are In, and Donald Glover Is a Big Hit

Solo: A Star Wars Story premiered to Hollywood audiences Thursday, and lucky fans have taken to social media to critique director Ron Howard’s telling of a young Han Solo origin story. Alden Ehrenreich in the role as Solo was warmly received, but particular praise was given to Donald Glover in his role as Lando.

It could be part of a major moment in the Star Wars universe. Ehrenreich revealed last month that he’s signed up to play Solo for two more movies. While fans wait between last year’s release of The Last Jedi and next December’s ninth episode, Solo’s origin story could take on new weight as the series explores the character’s origins further. Whether the Ehrenreich films involve Solo as a supporting character or continue his journey from Solo remains to be seen.

The pre-release reactions are big for the film, as official reviews aren’t due to hit newsstands until next Tuesday at 2 p.m. when the embargo lifts. Solo hits theaters on May 25.

Thankfully, early response has been generally positive. Dan Zehr, co-creator of Coffee with Kenobi, praised Donald Glover’s performance:

Movie ticketing site Fandango also praised Glover as Lando:

Jacki Jing, reporter with IGN, was ecstatic:

Dennis Tzeng, director of video operations at Collider, was somewhat satisfied:

Terri Schwartz, editorial manager at IGN, noted that the film feels less like a regular Star Wars film:

Some even compared it to Rogue One, like Screen Rant editorial director Rob Keyes:

Jenna Busch, editor-in-chief of Legion of Leia, noted that the film has “a bit of a rough start”:

Simon Thompson, a film and entertainment journalist whose work has been featured in Reuters, had his concerns laid to rest:

Joel Meares, editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes, praised Alden Ehrenreich:

Michelle Buchman, social media writer for Nerdist, also praised the film as “a caper”:

Not everyone was convinced by the idea of a young Han Solo movie. Perri Nemiroff from Collider remained unconvinced by the concept:

YouTuber Brian Tong went all-out by claiming the film is better than Avengers: Infinity War:

Eric Eisenberg, events editor for CinemaBlend, was just about satisfied:

YouTuber Wendy Lee Szany also told fans to keep eyes peeled for a special bromance:

Ron Howard is onto a satisfying winner.