'Solo' a lesser 'Star Wars' entry
It would be a mistake to talk about "Solo: A Star Wars Story" as just another movie, because that's not how its fans will receive it. As the 10th "Star Wars" entry in a series going back 41 years, it will be received as a part of a puzzle, as a set of clues and revelations concerning previous "Star Wars" movies — the secular equivalent of an entirely new gospel.
Weighed according to that scale, it's a successful movie. It introduces Han Solo, the role made famous by Harrison Ford (until he got stabbed and fell off a bridge), and shows how he met his best friend, Chewbacca. It places him in an adventure in which he gets to show off his rakish personality and even gives him a romance — no, Princess Leia was not the first.