Solo earns kudos

Hollywood played host last week to a few more scoundrels than usual for the world première of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The film, hitting theatres May 25, tells the story of the early years of smuggler Han Solo, who was played by Harrison Ford in several films in the Star Wars franchise.

The new film stars Alden Ehrenreich as Solo and Donald Glover as a Lando Calrissian, both actors playing younger versions of the characters made famous by the original Star Wars trilogy. Solo also features fan favourites Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon — in its earlier and spiffier days before being introduced as a grimy, albeit fast, hunk of junk in the original Star Wars film.

Solo is one of the franchise’s most popular characters. Ford’s portrayal of the gruff smuggler in the original Star Wars catapulted him to stardom and has become one of the characters most closely associated with the actor.

Reactions online after the debut were positive, praising Ehrenreich and Glover, as well as the film’s action sequences.

The film is the second stand-alone project set in the Star Wars universe. Rogue One, released in 2016, told the story of the theft of plans for the superweapon the Death Star, which was destroyed at the end of the 1977 film that made Star Wars into a global sensation.

KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES Who has the best hair? Leading men Chewbacca and Alden Ehrenreich, who plays Han Solo in his youth, buddy up to each other at the recent Hollywood world première of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

FREDERIC J. BROWN/GETTY IMAGES Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke stars as the enigmatic Qi’ra in the franchise’s latest entry. Clarke’s character helps shape young Han Solo’s identity.

JORDAN STRAUSS/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Donald Glover is riding the crest of a popular wave as he finds success in music, TV and film. He plays a younger version of Lando Calrissian in the new Star Wars film.

KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES George Lucas dresses down for the première of the latest Star Wars film, which generated mostly positive feedback after its debut.

JORDAN STRAUSS/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Thandie Newton, who plays the mysterious Val, is the first woman of colour to enjoy a preeminent role in a Star Wars film.