'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Reactions: Concerns Quelled, An Absolute Blast Into Hyperspace

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Talk about an about face and perhaps a lesson in it’s not over until the fat lady sings. “Solo: A Star Wars Story” faced major problems last year and, more worrisome, bad buzz. Its directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired at the last minute with only three weeks of production left—yes, it got that bad—and then Lucasfilm eventually hired Ron Howard to take over directing duties of the film. Howard apparently reshot so much of the movie that 70% of the final film is his.

But it’s all the stories that followed that had fans not only incredibly concerned, but many of them assuming ‘Solo’ was a dud; fears that grew over time, especially when “Deadpool 2” moved its release date one week before the ‘Star Wars’ film and Lucasfilm refused to push it. Plenty of rumors swirled; Alden Erhenreich needed an acting coach and was the weak link in the film; Lord and Miller were trying to make a “Guardians Of The Galaxy” like comedy while Howard was trying to make something more akin to an original trilogy movie; and one damning report that suggested Lucasfilm had lost all confidence in the film and were going to cut their losses and release it as is (releasing the picture only five months after ‘The Last Jedi’ did seem a little weird as ‘Star Wars’ isn’t quite Marvel releasing three films a year…yet).

But “Solo: A Star Wars Story” finally premiered last night and it seems like all the hand-wringing was unwarranted. Buzz is largely positive and what seems to be unanimous is the feeling of the ‘Star Wars’ movie as a pure blast of entertainment; Lucasfilm couldn’t ask for more at this point. Though it’s a surprise there isn’t more buzz about Donald Glover as Landon Calrissian.

The premiere buzz detracts from the Cannes Film Festival world premiere happening on Tuesday, but this is usually how it works. “Solo: A Star Wars Story” launches into theaters nationwide on May 25. Check out all the enthusiastic reactions, with a few caveats and outliers, below.