The Star Wars franchise kicked back to theatres in 2015 and announced two spinoffs to further explore the universe first brought to us by George Lucas’ brilliant mind. The excitement went through the roof, particularly because, for the first time, audiences would witness live-action films outside of the main Skywalker storyline. But between Rogue One and Solo, which is better?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first of the films to come out in 2016, and it was well-received by both critics and audiences. The film, directed by Gareth Edwards, takes place before Episode IV - A New Hope and the story of the stolen Death Star plans that would later help the resistance destroy it. Two years later, Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story was released. The film depicts how Han Solo became a smuggler and starred Alden Ehrenreich in the title role. It received mixed reactions, and it wasn’t as much of a success as Lucasfilm expected.
It may seem unfair to compare both films as they are essentially two different movies: one is a portrait of an isolated event, and the other is an origin story. They present different stakes as much as they represent different characters and outcomes. Rogue One is a war movie, while Solo is a heist movie. What really stands out is that Rogue One performed much better at the box office, earning $155 million in its first opening weekend as opposed to Solo’s disappointing $83.3 million. Both films went through a lot of reshoots and reported production issues. While Rogue One was able to outstand them, Solo was dominated by them -- particularly the mid-production director replacement.
Audiences were not aware of Rogue One’s extensive reshoots until the film was released, and it became apparent that there were a lot of missing scenes from the trailers. Solo had its directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller replaced by Ron Howard, reportedly due to creative differences. As such, the film went through massive reshoots, skyrocketing its budget. Solo’s reputation was already bad once the film came out. Timing may have also hurt the movie considering it came out just five months after The Last Jedi, which really divided the audiences and fans' opinions around the world.
Focusing on the narratives, what really separates these two movies is their concept. Gareth Edwards was well aware of how the Vietnam War influenced George Lucas in first creating Star Wars, and Rogue One returns to that view with a war movie centered on sacrifice for the greater good. It features well-written characters, particularly Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso and Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, a diverse cast, set pieces that are true to the franchise and an innovative aesthetic. Plus, the film features numerous nods to the original Star Wars, with small cameos from characters like Princess Leia and Darth Vader.
On the other hand, Solo is an origin movie that centers on how Han Solo became a smuggler, won the Millennium Falcon from Lando and forged a friendship with partner Chewie. It is a stylized film that, unlike Rogue One, doesn’t take many risks. Despite a few surprises, a good performance by Alden Ehrenreich and being an overall fun movie, it is not as thrilling and satisfying as Rogue One. It lacks substance and grip, and it survives mostly by the nostalgia and respect that makes Star Wars a great franchise.
A comparison can definitely be drawn on each film performed, how they have been received, and certainly how one was bolder than the other. Rogue One succeeded expectations and stayed true to the Star Wars spirit. In contrast, Solo lost its way and became just a generic movie. As an origin story, it aims to give a bit more background to one of the saga’s most beloved characters but fails to achieve the scope and success of Rogue One. The fact that so much had to be changed mid-production and the rumors that were leaked during the production may have contributed to diminishing its performance.
While both films are not particularly necessary to the Skywalker timeline: they’re meant to fill in the gaps of some of the franchise’s biggest moments. Still, Rogue One is an entry filled with awe, spectacle and nods to the franchise that rise far above Solo.