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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

Solo: A Star Wars Story
Starring: Aldon Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany, and Donald Glover
Synopsis: "Star Wars" films are events. Or, at least they used to be. This is now the fourth new "Star Wars" film in as many years, and it's fair to wonder if we're getting some creative and audience fatigue. "Solo" had a lot of promise. Han Solo, originated by Harrison Ford, has long been among the favorite, if not THE favorite, "Star Wars" character of all time. Yet his background and backstory remained somewhat a mystery. When Disney bought Lucasfilm and first announced a "Solo" movie, it seemed like a no-brainer. But the production was troubled. There were rumors of difficulty in getting performances, and original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were removed mid-way through production. So the "Solo" we are seeing is what was cobbled together from all that after Ron Howard took to the director's chair. And it's fair to wonder if there is a better version of this story out there somewhere, but we'll never know. What we do know is this was the first of the new "Star Wars" films to be parked in the summer, and it has easily received the most tepid critical and commercial reception of the new wave. And that seems about right. As a long-time "Star Wars" fan I'll say "Solo" was fine, and at time enjoyable, but was easily the weakest of the new four films. That being said, it's better than the prequels and even a middling "Star Wars" film is better than most of your other options. But what seems to be bumming people out is that idea of what could have been versus the movie we have. But let's consider the movie. I won't ruin the plot here, but suffice to say the film touches on a lot of insider references from the original films. It gives us the story behind how Han Solo met Chewbaca, how he met Lando (Glover) and how he got his famous ship. There is a lot of fun fan service here, and this movie works as a decent action/heist movie, also. In some ways that makes summer a more ideal landing spot for it. And the production is solid, there are some funny lines, and there are some good performances. Ehrenreich was never going to be Harrison Ford, but he does a decent job in the role and, in some ways, works to make it his own. Harrelson seems to be having fun, and I always enjoy a solid performance from Clarke. Perhaps the most fun performance in the film belongs to Glover, who brings a lot of flair to the role of Lando. If this film didn't carry the weight of fan expectation and the burden of the moniker "Star Wars," people might view it differently, myself included. As it is, I enjoyed the film for what it is, but I couldn't help think that is should have been better..
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action/violence.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, June 1: "Adrift," "Action Point," "Upgrade"
Friday, June 8: "Ocean's 8," "Hereditary," "Hotel Artemis"
Friday, June 15: "Tag," "Incredibles 2," "Superfly," "Gotti"
Friday, June 22: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"
Friday, June 29: "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," "Uncle Drew," "The Hustle"