Why I want to give 'Solo' a chance

Something sad has happened to a lot of Star Wars fans. They've become wildly cynical and impossible to please. Most will hold up A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back as flawless, with Return of the Jedi close behind with a few caveats. And then that's when things get complicated. There are those (like myself) who consider the prequels an unfortunate series of misfires, albeit with some nice moments here or there. Now, there are some who have tried to redeem them, something I thought I'd never live to see.

But when it comes to the new Star Wars films, which began with The Force Awakens in 2015, the chorus of criticism has been deafening.

The Force Awakens, which was at first received rapturously by fans was later widely dismissed as a retread of A New Hope. Rogue One was viewed with great suspicion because of a troubled production history but wound up being the most spared outing by the fanbase. And then came The Last Jedi, which has been the best critically received of any Star Wars film in decades and has been met with a mountain of derision from the faithful, most of which I would argue is unwarranted.

Put aside the blatant misogyny and nitpicking of some of these arguments -- the biggest complaint consistently levied against The Last Jedi that I've heard is that it wasn't what people were expecting, which should be, in my opinion, a strength, not a weakness.

Now, in a few months we'll have Solo, which has the unfortunate task of stepping into the fray amid a brewing backlash against this new iteration of Star Wars movies. People have already been up in arms about the casting (I, for one, believe Alden Ehrenreich is a great choice), the production woes (the original directors were fired and replaced with Ron Howard) and the earlier trailers (which I think sound and look fantastic).

There seems to be a real tamped down enthusiasm for this project, and worse, a presumption that it's going to be bad before anyone has even seem it.

How does this not look fun?

Certainly, the project is a risk. It's the first time Han Solo is going to be portrayed on screen by anyone other than the iconic Harrison Ford. It's unclear how this film will fit into the pre-established narrative set forth by the original trilogy and bookended by Rogue One. And, the authorship issues certainly suggest that the movie could wind up being a mess.

But, I also think an original story Han Solo film has so much potential and if it is just a one-off romp, it could be a fun little detour to wet our whistle while we wait for the conclusion of the current trilogy featuring Rey, Poe and Finn.

At this point I'm genuinely curious what Star Wars fans actually want anymore. I certainly can respect an argument that too much Star Wars might not be such a good thing, we're at a pace of a new of these films every year, and while the Marvel movies have managed to pull off several interwoven blockbusters a year, something about it doesn't feel right with Star Wars.

That being said, I have no problem with the rollout of Disney's new films so far. I'm a little curious what they plan to do next, once they finish the follow-up to The Last Jedi. A young Lando spin-off film perhaps? Since Donald Glover's casting as that lovable scoundrel seems to be the only choice not being met with fire and fury. I don't know. One of the things I really loved about The Last Jedi was it's willingness to suggest that there's a larger canvas out there worst exploring, as opposed to zeroing in on the narrow legacies of Skywalkers and Solos.

But unfortunately it was that tentative stab at world building that seemed to get fans so bent of shape, and so now I wonder if Disney won't pull back and continue to make safe fan service movies instead.

Now I'm all for a Kenobi trilogy with Ewan McGregor -- don't get me wrong. But I just wish there was a willingness to make the most of this moment of creativity and talent, since for commercial reasons these movies are getting made no matter what.

If Solo turns out to be a flop, I will be bummed just like every other diehard Star Wars fan. At this stage, I think it'll be the first film of its kind not to top the year's box office because I don't see it becoming a phenomenon on par with Black Panther, or even the new Avengers film.

But my hope is that it's a fresh, amusing and fun film, that reminds us one more time why we loved Han Solo so much in the first place, without stomping to heavily upon those memories.