jooby

I was actually pretty impressed with Solo. It had a number satisfying action sequences and the backstory kind-of fit with what I had always imagined for the character. Ron Howard is a solid if somewhat unsurprising director. Above all I love the way the Star Wars Story films continue to explore seemingly marginal characters like the Stormtroopers or droids or wookies and expands on their lives in sometimes surprising ways.

Rogue One has aged very well in my memory as a film that does a good job of exploring the grittier and more exotic parts of the Star Wars universe. Taken together with Solo, these spinoff films feel vital and help to reinvigorate the Star Wars universe with some new ideas and interesting characters while still be true to the Star Wars we know and love. Of the new Star Wars films, Rogue One and Solo have proven to be better than the sequel trilogy in all the ways that matter.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]