Star Wars: Why Solo FAILED At The Box Office

1. It's Still Not A Story That Needed To Be Told

When Han Solo first appeared in the Original Trilogy, he came wrapped up in an air of mystique that made his cheeky anti-hero charm all the more appealing. He was a swash-buckling ball of bravado and even machismo, bristling with attitude and the demeanour of a hero permanently shocked that nobody knows of his previous exploits (or those of his ship).

In that context, the idea of him claiming to have done the Kessel Run in a stunning record time was better as precisely that: just a claim. Not knowing if he was actually being truthful fit his character, particularly as him being even slightly untrustworthy made his heroic about-turn at the end all the more satisfying. Even after that, we didn't need to know the truth.

Sadly, Solo demystifies Han way too much - as those concerned about it ahead of release all suspected it would - and it answers that mystery, among others. It doesn't need to be told and neither does the explanation of his surname either. Sure, they needed some story in there, but the fact they had to plum those depths suggests that they genuinely didn't really have a story to tell in the first place. Not one compelling enough to warrant its own film, anyway.

And on top of all of this, there's the indefatigable truth that Harrison Ford IS Han Solo for most film fans. There is no separation of the two and it almost didn't matter how good Alden Ehrenreich was going to be... crucially, he wasn't ever going to be Ford.

What did you think of Solo? Share your reactions below in the comments thread.