10 Reasons Why 'Solo' Surpasses 'Rogue One'

One thing Solo does that even Rogue One fails to do is bring everyone's favorite con man back to the big screen: Lando Calrissian. Unlike the Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader storylines in Rogue One, Lando boasts a pretty important role, even leaving the door open for his own movie (something Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is definitely thinking about). Even if Billy Dee Williams fails to come back in the Sequel Trilogy, Solo at least gives you Lando, whose character is infinitely enhanced by being played by Donald Glover.

Four Star Wars movies feature a Death Star or a Death Star-like super weapon, not to mention Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith each allude to the battle station, too. So really, six Star Wars movies feature at least a mention of a moon-sized (or planet-sized) weapon capable of blowing up Alderaan, Hosnian Prime, or any number of other planets. Frankly, many fans (and critics) are tired of it. 

Solo provides a breath of fresh air in that regard that Rogue One cannot, since Rogue's entire plot revolves around the Death Star blueprints. The Han Solo movie never even mentions the D-word. It pretends super weapons don't even exist. Thank the maker. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story feels much less tied to the main storyline than Rogue One. While Rogue One tackles a plot directly connected to Episode IV: A New Hope – the mission to steal to the Death Star plans that eventually leads to Luke Skywalker destroying the super weapon – Solo merely tells the origin story of Han Solo from before he entered the saga.

Since much of the story never really impacts A New Hope directly, Solo feels more like a noir heist movie than an intergalactic war movie. It ends up being a refreshing departure from the usual "the fate of the galaxy lies in the balance" stakes of the other films. Instead of worrying about the galaxy, Solo simply lets you explore it.

Almost every single Star Wars movie not called The Empire Strikes Back ends with a huge battle in space or on a planet's surface, including Rogue One. It's become a pretty tired formula at this point. Solo, however, delivers arguably the most grounded finale of all Star Wars movies, a neat experiment involving a standoff between all the surviving thieves.

For once, a Star Wars movie actually plays out like a Western, as all sides reveal their cards and their interests. In the end, the characters who live another day are the ones who drew their blasters the fastest. Oh, and no one blows up a Death Star.

Solo seemingly does the impossible by bringing Darth Maul back to the big screen in the third act, connecting Han Solo's adventure to the larger Star Wars saga in a surprising way. After Qi'ra kills Dryden Vos and takes over Crimson Dawn for herself, she contacts the real mastermind of the criminal organization and its plot to steal coaxium: Maul. How is this possible?

Well, Maul actually returned in The Clone Wars animated series, having survived his duel with Obi-Wan on Naboo by sheer force of will. He eventually becomes a crime lord and ruler of an entire planet. Still, Maul's inclusion in Solo comes as a huge surprise.

Rogue One, on the other hand, featured predictable cameos, such as Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin, who fans knew would appear in the prequel. Solo uses its big Maul cameo as a twist as opposed to Rogue One, which uses Vader and Tarkin simply for fanfare. Maul, who already boasts an aura of mystery and malevolence, fits right into the noir stylings of Solo.

One of Rogue One's major issues lies in its first act, where it spends too much time introducing its unknown (and large) cast of characters. It devolves into an almost montage structure, turning the first third of the movie into a music video-like collection of scenes instead of adventure.

Solo, which stars two already established and beloved characters, never encounters this. Han Solo's origin film gets going almost immediately, introducing characters organically as the story progresses and thereby allowing you, the viewer, more of the action you expect to see from Star Wars.