Star Wars: Ranking Every Film From Worst To Best
6. Solo
Ron Howard's nadir of a Star Wars spinoff may very well have killed the idea of the 'A Star Wars Story' subfranchise at the box office, and that's a genuine shame considering just how great this film is.
Lawrence Kasdan returned to the franchise to write this script, which is allegedly his swan song to a galaxy far, far away. And if so, it's a fitting one. Solo plays like a love letter to vintage Lucas and Kasdan work but in a way that adoringly expands upon their legacy rather than cheaply revisiting it. It isn't like Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One, or the weakest moments of Force Awakens, where the nostalgia is surface-level deep. Instead, it sees Kasdan and Howard trying to get to the very bones of what makes a character like Han Solo and the archetype of the lone gunman in western mythology so endearing.
In the process, they also deliver some standout setpieces. The train heist and the Kessel smuggling job both play like something out a space-set version of Kasdan's Silverado, and if you've seen that movie then you know what a compliment that is.
Not to mention that the cast is fantastic. Ehrenreich is phenomenal as Solo, Glover is perfection as Lando, and Clarke is riveting as Qi'ra. Also, cinematographer Bradford Young is the real MVP here. His work is tremendous.