Star Wars' controversial recast nailed it, fans agree

Star Wars fans have praised a controversial recast from a 2018 movie that many might have forgotten existed.

In 2016, Disney and Lucasfilm released the spin-off movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is a prequel set directly before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a true underdog tale of how the Rebel Alliance acquired the Death Star blueprints, which played a major role in defeating the Galactic Empire.

Check out the Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer below!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was well received by both fans and critics alike, as indicated by its Rotten Tomatoes scores of 84% from critics and 87% from the audience. I must also admit, as a Star Wars fan, it’s one of my favourite movies in the franchise.

This was seemingly supposed to be the start of a series of ‘A Star Wars Story’ spin-offs, with Solo: A Star Wars Story releasing two years later in 2018. As the name of the movie suggests, this would be a prequel for the beloved character, Han Solo.

However, unlike its predecessor, Solo: A Star Wars Story wasn't as well received, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 69% (nice) from critics and 63% from the audience.

I admit, Solo: A Star Wars Story isn't the best movie in the franchise, and after watching it a couple of times since its release, I don’t feel much of a need to watch it again. But, is it as bad as some make out?

Fair criticisms can be made against its story, but perhaps the biggest factor working against its favour is having someone else play the legendary Han Solo.

It would have never been ideal for Harrison Ford to play the role, and even if de-aging technology was used, it would probably have uncanny valley vibes. De-aging in movies is fine for a few short segments but I’m not sure how it would hold up for an entire movie from start to finish.

To be fair, the dislike aimed towards the young Han Solo probably has less to do with the actor Alden Ehrenreich and more to do with Disney and Lucasfilm's decision to recast the role for a movie that many never asked for.

With that in mind, Star Wars fans on Twitter have leapt to the defence of Alden Ehrenreich.

“Some people will hate on Alden Ehrenreich as Han, but at least he’s not CGI,” tweeted SkyTheSpaceGirI, when talking about how weird the CGI looked for a young Princess Leia in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

“I think he killed it, honestly. He is obviously overshadowed by Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, but I think before he shows up, Ehrenreich really shines as Han,” replied ryanandfish.

In a quote-tweet, venomynora said: “I love that Alden was playing Han Solo, not Harrison Ford. He captured the character perfectly. It wasn’t an impression.”

“It's actually a good movie, he did a great job with it,” Rogue_Stereo responded. “Also, Donald Glover was perfect casting as well.”

You can watch the entire Star Wars saga right now on Disney Plus, including Solo: A Star Wars Story.